Wheeling, W. Va. – After a season of ups and downs, the Wheeling University Football team (5-4, 4-4) will climb one more hill as they end the 2023 season. They head to the hilltop on Saturday for their 2023 season finale as they take on West Liberty in "The Battle for Wheeling" with kick-off at 1 PM. A win would give the Cardinals back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in program history as they try to finish strong.
Last time out, it was a bounce back effort for the Cardinals as they took on West Virginia State in their "senior day" game. In the early going, the Cardinals were trying to find their offensive footing as two turnovers on the first two drives of the day started things off. However, the Cardinals found their footing as they drove 65 yards on their second possession of the second quarter for their first score of the night. They would add another score right before halftime and a fake extra point two-point conversion by Trey Brady gave the Cardinals a 15-14 lead heading into halftime. It would be the start of 29 unanswered points by the Cardinals, as they but a 29-14 lead. West Virginia State had one more score in their belt, but the Cardinals held on for the 29-22 win to even their conference record.
It was a big showing for the Cardinal's defense throughout the day as after allowing the early scores, they came up with big stops when needed. Defensive end Caleb Grant led the way, picking up a team-best 10.0 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and 2.0 sacks to lead the Cardinal's effort. It was the second multi-sack game id Grant's career, and the 10 tackles was a career-high for the redshirt sophomore. For his efforts, he was named the MEC's Defensive Player of the Week, an award he won for the first time in his career. The defensive line had a big day in general, with senior Rashard Jackson finishing right behind him with 9.0 tackles, while outside linebacker Ahkeem Mitchell added 9.0 tackles of his own on the night.
On the offensive side, quarterback Landon Lutz continued his success since taking over for the injured Javon Davis. In the passing game, the redshirt Freshman finished 15-26, throwing for 190 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also used his legs to pick up a score, carrying the ball seven times for 15 yards and a touchdown. He accounted for three of his team's four touchdowns on the afternoon and picked up both a rushing and a passing touchdown for the second consecutive game. The Cardinal's special teams unit also made their presence felt as punter Trey Brady earned the MEC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Brady punted the ball three times, with two of those three punts landing inside the 20 and two going 50 yards, while also scoring on the two-point conversion.
As the Cardinals season nears an end, the team will not have a chance to break the single-season win record for the second consecutive season, but still have a shot at a winning record. A win on Sunday would clinch a winning season overall for the second consecutive season and a .500 record or better in MEC play for the third consecutive season. It has been a heavy road stretch for the Cardinals as they end the 2023 season, with three of their final four games coming on the road. The Cardinals have a record of 1-3 away from Bishop Schmitt Field this season and look to bring that mark up in their final showing of 2023. No matter the records of either team, "The Battle for Wheeling" promises to be a big matchup with it occurring on the last day of the season for the first time in program history.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 3-1. The Cardinals have won the last three meetings between the two teams, including a 2-0 record when they travel up to the hilltop. It has been a high scoring series for the Cardinals throughout it's history, with Wheeling averaging 35 points per game during the run and have not scored less than 26 points in any of the first four meetings between the two teams.
Last season, the Cardinals pulled out a 42-21 victory as they made the trip up the hill. Javon Davis had one of his biggest games of the season, going 16+25 while throwing for 313 yards and five touchdowns. 114 of those yards and two of those touchdowns went to former Cardinal Chris Canada, who was Davis's top receiver on the day. Leading the defense was former Cardinal Jayvon Johnson, who finished with seven tackles, six solo and one assisted, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 1 PM at West Family Field on the campus of West Liberty University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
