Wheeling, W. Va. – In their opening week matchup against Seton Hill, the Wheeling University Football team (1-0, 0-0) put together a 28-point second half attack to pick up the victory. They return to Bishop Schmitt Field on Saturday and look to carry that momentum with them as they open Mountain East Conference (MEC) play against Frostburg State with kick-off scheduled for 1 PM. A win would move the Cardinals to 1-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.
In their week one opening matchup, the Cardinals got on the board early, scoring a touchdown in the game's first minute and a half. An interception from Jack Parry set the Cardinals up at the Griffin four-yard line, and Javon Davis would hook up with Tre Holloway to give Wheeling a 7-0 lead. However, that would be the Cardinal's only score of the first half as they went into the locker room trailing 10-7. The Cardinals turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half but came back strong with a six-minute drive that ended with an Eli Young one-yard touchdown run. That would send the Cardinals on a run of four straight drives where they scored touchdowns and went on to win 35-24. It was the second straight year that the Cardinals kicked off the year with a win, and now they look to translate that success into conference play.
Leading that comeback for the offense was Quarterback Javon Davis, who after breaking both the passing yard and passing touchdown record a season ago picked up right where he left off. He went 11-24 on the evening, throwing for 131 yards and two touchdowns while completing 45.8% of his passes. He opened the game with a four-yard strike to Holloway and added a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second half to Quron Winder to complete the scoring. The Cardinals would mix things up in the run game, with six different Cardinals finishing with at least one carry. Steven Mitchell led the group in yards, carrying three times for 51 yards and a touchdown, while Elijah Young carried the ball 16 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. To round out the Cardinals scoring.
On the defensive end, the Cardinals bent but never broke on the night, coming up big when their team needed them most. After allowing the 10 first quarter points, the Cardinal's defense stiffened, not allowing a score in the second or third quarter. It was enough time for the Cardinals to build up a lead and the defense was able to protect that lead for the rest of the night. Dalton Hoover had a triumphant return to the Cardinal's lineup after missing all of 2022. He led the defense with 11 total tackles, six solo and five assisted, including 0.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Jack Parry made his first career start at middle linebacker and made the most of it with six total tackles, four solo and two assisted. He also helped set up the team's first score of the night, intercepting the ball and returning it to the four-yard line for his first career interception.
As Wheeling heads into their conference schedule, they are looking to defy their preseason ranking, where they were picked #7 in the MEC Preseason Poll. With a heavy home schedule early in the season, Wheeling is looking to take advantage of their time on Bishop Schmitt Field before they hit the road at the end of the year. Three of their first four games of the year are at home, a place where they excelled last season, going 4-2 in their home games in 2022. If the Cardinals can pull out a win against Frostburg State on Saturday, it will be the first time in program history that they would start conference play with a 1-0 record. It would also be the first time the team has started a season 2-0 since the 2018 exhibition season when the team won every game that year.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the all-time series at 3-1. However, when the two teams meet at Bishop Schmitt Field, the Cardinals have split those two games and have averaged 21.5 points per game compared to 18.5 points per game in Frostburg, Maryland. Last season marked the first win against Frostburg State in school history for the football program when they came away with a 31-27 victory.
It was the passing game that ruled the day in that matchup, with quarterback Javon Davis going 14-30 for 297 yards and a touchdown in the win. His top target was former Cardinal Chris Canaday, who pulled in four catches for 127 yards, while former Cardinal Lowell Patron added four catches for 80 yards. The lone passing touchdown was brought in by Steven Mitchell, who had one catch for 48 yards and a touchdown. Former Cardinals Jason Simon and Jayvon Johnson led the defensive effort, finishing with 12 and eight total tackles respectively, while the Cardinals defense combined to get to the quarterback for 3.0 sacks on the day.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
