Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last two weeks, the Wheeling University Football team (4-4, 3-3) has flexed their muscles with come from behind wins against two of the top teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). They look to keep that momentum going on Saturday when they welcome Glenville State to Bishop Schmitt Field at 1 PM. A win would get the team over .500 for the first time since mid-September as they head down the final three week stretch.

It was a primetime matchup for the Cardinals last time out as they took on Frostburg State on Thursday night football. Early on, the Cardinals had to endure an onslaught from the Bobcats, who took the opening kick-off back for a touchdown and they picked up a safety on the ensuing kick-off to make it a 9-0 game. They would score two of their three touchdowns in the first two quarters and took a 16-3 lead with 12:49 left to go before the half. A Cardinal field goal would get them in the board before halftime, making the score 16-6. After meeting in the locker room, the Cardinals came back strong in the second half, outscoring Frostburg State 20-9. The Cardinals would get the game winning score with 1:48 to go as the Cardinals came up with a stop in the final two minutes to get their fourth win of the season.

Leading the way for the Cardinal offense for the second week in a row was quarterback Landon Lutz. Lutz set new career-highs in the game, throwing for 289 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Lutz would throw all three of those touchdowns in the second half and for the second week in a row, led the Cardinals on a game-winning drive. This time, Lutz and the offense got the ball back with 2:50 to go on their own 37-yard line. After a false start pushes them back five yards, Lutz completed a pair of passes for 31 and 21 yards that got them down to the Bobcat's 16-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Lutz found Chris Charles by the pile-on and he tip-toed his way into the end zone for the game-winning score. It was the second straight week that Lutz has orchestrated game-winning drive and he looks to continue to lead the offense.

When the Cardinals needed them most, the defense stepped up and got big stops throughout the day. Leading the way for that defensive side of the ball was linebacker Jack Parry. Parry led the Cardinals with a career-best 14 tackles on the day, six solo and eight assisted tackles, to round out the day. It was the second game in a row that Parry had finished with double digit tackles as he continues to lead the middle of the Cardinal defense. It was another big day in the receiving game for Tre Holloway, who finished with seven catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Holloway would help the offense fight their way back into the game, grabbing the first two Cardinals touchdowns of the day and giving him four receiving touchdowns over the last two games for the Cardinals.

As they head into the final three weeks of the season, the Cardinals still have a chance to make history. Wins in each of their final three games would have them finish tied for the program single-season wins record, at seven, and they will get to do most of that on their home field. Of the final three games of the season, two of those come at home, where the Cardinals have had success, with four wins each in the last two seasons. After having to go on the road a lot early on the season, the script flips for the Cardinals in November as they try to climb the conference. They currently sit just one game out of the second place spot in the conference, sitting behind Glenville State, Frostburg State, and West Virginia State. They look to keep making those steps towards a top spot as the season goes on.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with the all-time series tied at 2-2. It will be the second time the two teams have ever met at Bishop Schmitt Field, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 1-0. Wheeling has averaged 22.0 points per game in the all-time series . The Cardinals have scored 25 points or more in two of the four meetings, winning each time they eclipsed the 25-point mark.

In the last meeting between the two teams, it was Glenville State who came away with a 27-13 victory. Wheeling would have a 13-6 lead at halftime, but couldn't hold on for the rest of the night. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Landon Lutz, who finished 22-46, throwing for 189 yards, while Ahkeem Mitchell  paced the defense with eight tackles, six solo and two assisted in the night.

The Details

Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.