Wheeling, W. Va. - As we enter week three of the Wheeling University Football schedule, the Cardinals are in the heart of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play as they chase down one of the top spots in the conference. On Saturday, that journey continues when they hit the road again to take on Alderson Broaddus, with kick-off at 1 PM. The Cardinals are looking for a bounce back effort on the road after they dropped their conference opener to Notre Dame College last week 27-14.
In that game, the Cardinals battled throughout the afternoon and were right with the Falcons through the first quarter of play as touchdowns were scored on three of the first four drives. The Falcons got out to a 14-0 lead but, on Wheeling's second drive of the night, Elijah Young broke off a 74-yard touchdown run that made it a 14-7 game at the 4:53 mark of the quarter. However, Notre Dame College would get right back on the board with a field goal and led 17-7 after the quarter was over. The Cardinals would allow 10 unanswered points from there before a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Javon Davis to Chris Canaday brought the game to its final score of 27-14. The 27 points were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals against the Falcons all time as they dropped to 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
The driving force for the Cardinals offense this season has been their running game and they were at it again in week two with a record-breaking effort. The offense ran for a total of 246 yards on the ground, setting the new single-game program record for rushing yards. They were led by a career day for Elijah Young, who finished with 14 carries for 146 yards including the 74-yard touchdown scamper. Javon Davis added 63 yards on the ground over eight carries while Sy Alli IV wrapped up the attack with 32 yards on the ground. The offensive line has played a big part in the team's early rushing success as Cade Raudebaugh, Zay Lewis, Angel Figueroa, Justin Nelson, and Peter Schmitt leading the blocking efforts for the Cardinals.
After allowing 17 first half points to the #21 team in the nation, the Cardinals defense hunkered down after that, holding the Falcons to just 10 points over the final three quarters of play. Rich White III once again led the way in the secondary, making eight total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, and finishing with two pass breakups on the day. The push up front came from a combination of outside linebacker Jason Simon and defensive lineman Caleb Grant, who each finished the day with 7.0 total tackles. As a unit, they have allowed an average of 19 points per game in the early going and are on pace to have one of the best seasons in program history.
The month of September has seen a lot of road football for the Cardinals as this will be there second game away from Bishop Schmitt Field in the first three weeks. Overall, in September, the Cardinals play two of their four games on the road and will be on the road for three of their first five games overall. However, as the calendar flips to October, the schedule becomes a more home friendly stretch as four of their final six games will be played at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals are looking to get back into the win column this week in hopes of bringing some momentum with them as they return home for their week four matchup.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Battlers will be meeting for the third time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 2-0. In those first two meetings, the Cardinals have allowed just six points each time to Alderson Broaddus while averaging 31 points per game. Last season, the Cardinals hosted Alderson Broaddus for the first time and took home a 34-6 win that evened their conference record at 1-1.
It was a big game through the air for the Cardinals with the team racking up 295 receiving yards, led by Lowell Patron's record setting day when he pulled in 10 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Former Cardinal Ryan LaFollette added eight catches for 59 yards and a touchdown and former Cardinal Jaquaun Davidson had four catches for 40 yards. Running back Sy Alli led the ground game with 17 carries for 53 yards to round out the offense.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at the Multi Sport Performance Stadium on the campus of Alderson Broaddus. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
