South Euclid, OH. - The Wheeling University Football team (1-1, 0-1) opened up Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Saturday when they hit the road to battle Notre Dame College. The offense broke out for some big plays on the day, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Falcons 27-14. Elijah Young had a huge day on the ground, setting a new career-high and breaking the Wheeling single-game rushing record with 146 yards to lead the way on offense.
Young carried the ball 14 times on the afternoon, with his longest run being a 74-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that made it a 14-7 run. It was the longest rush of Young's career and had Wheeling right in the game with Notre Dame early on. Quarterback Javon Davis also showed off his legs on the ground, running for a season-high 63 yards while Sy Alli added 34 yards on 12 carries. The offense also broke the single-game rushing record at Wheeling University and in the MEC with 241 net yards on the ground. The offensive line created running lanes throughout the night and the Cardinals running backs took advantage.
Notre Dame College would get things started after receiving the opening kickoff and driving 75 yards to the endzone to take a 7-0 lead. After the teams traded punts, the Falcons were right back at it as they added another touchdown drive and led 14-0 with 6:17 left in the first half. The Cardinals were down but not out and on the next drive faced a 3rd and one at their own 26-yard line. Young got them the yards they needed and more as he broke off a 74-yard touchdown run and made it a one score game with 4:53 to go. The Falcons would add on another field goal and after the first 15 minutes of play Notre Dame was staked to a 17-7 lead.
The defenses would take over in the second quarter with neither offense able to finish drives. Both teams had fumble troubles, but no turnovers were caused as the fumbling team recovered each time. The Falcons had a fumble on a screen pass and Wheeling muffed a punt but recovered to keep themselves alive. The only score in the second quarter was a Notre Dame field goal and the Falcons went into the half ahead 20-7. The Cardinals were still within striking distance as they headed into the second half and were looking to finish drives and get that breakout play.
In the third quarter, the two teams would trade punts to start things off before Notre Dame scored for what would be the final time. They scampered into the endzone from four yards out and bolstered their lead to 27-7 halfway through the quarter. The Cardinals would drive down to the Notre Dame 18-yard line on the next drive but would end up turning the ball over on downs. By the end of the quarter, the score remained 27-7 with the Cardinals looking for some points heading into the final 15 minutes of play. Those points would come in the game's final minute. With the score still standing at 27-7, the Cardinals were set up at the Falcon's eight-yard line. Davis would hook up with Jake Keenan on an eight-yard touchdown pass for the game's final touchdown as Wheeling brought the game to its final score of 27-14.
Along with the strong ground game, Davis had his best game so far through the air, going 17-40 for 125 yards and a touchdown on the day. His top target was Lowell Patron, who made six catches for 57 yards while Keenan had two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, Rich White III led the way with eight tackles while Caleb Grant and Jason Simon each finished with seven.
The Wheeling University Football team is back on the road next Saturday as they travel to Philippi, West Virginia to take on Alderson Broaddus with kick-off at 1 PM.
