Wheeling, W. Va. – For the last three weeks, the Wheeling University Football team (2-1,0-0) has been away from Bishop Schmitt Field. The team is coming off their bye week as they come home to much fanfare during Homecoming & Family Weekend. They are set to host Fairmont State in the first of back-to-back home games as they continue their track through Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.

Prior to the bye week, Wheeling played their MEC opener back on September 14th against West Virginia Wesleyan. The Bobcats would get out to an early lead, scoring the first 14 points of the game as the Cardinals went down 14-0. However, a Cardinal touchdown before the quarter ended would get the offense going and they went off the rest of the day. The Cardinals scored 21 second quarter points and went into the half leading 28-14. They added 14 more points in the third quarter and would score 52 unanswered points before all was said and done. On the defensive side, the Cardinals allowed two touchdowns on the first two drives before shutting the Bobcats down the rest of the game. In the end, the Cardinals walked away with a 52-14 win and a 1-0 start to conference play.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was wide receiver/running back Steven Mitchell. Mitchell has a career day, racking up 178 all-purpose yards and three of his team's six touchdowns on the day. A majority of his work came on the ground, where he carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He set new career highs in all three categories and scored what was the game-tying touchdown at the 6:16 mark of the second quarter. He added to that three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown as a receiver out of the backfield. His biggest play came following the Cardinals recovering their own onside kick. He would connect with Javon Davis on a 44-yard touchdown pass that would put the Cardinals up 28-14. He looks to continue to be a dual threat for the Cardinals throughout the season as they hit the conference stretch run.

While Mitchell was leading things on the ground, it was Javon Davis leading the charge through the air. He put together his best game of the season, finishing 19-29, throwing for 265 yards, and three touchdowns on the day. He spread the ball around, throwing completions to nine different receivers, while throwing his three touchdowns to three different receivers. He has thrown for 200+ yards in two of the three games for the team this season and has not thrown an interception in his first 96 passes attempted. For the third straight game, the Cardinal defense forced multiple turnovers as they held the Bobcats off the board for the final three quarters. Justin McIlwain and Leonard Sherrod III coming up with interceptions. As a team, the Cardinals are third in the conference in forced fumbles (3) and fifth in interceptions (3) as they look to continue to disrupt the opposing offense.

Since the program began in 2019, Homecoming and Family weekend has been kind to the Cardinals. They have played four Homecoming & Family weekend games, splitting the four contests. However, over the last three seasons, the team is 2-1 on Homecoming, with wins over West Liberty (2021) and West Virginia Wesleyan (2023). The win over West Virginia Wesleyan was a historic one for the Cardinals, as they set the single-game points record. There will be several festivities surrounding Saturday's game, including a special pregame ceremony, honoring the 2024 Class of the Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame. Then, at halftime, the 2024 Wheeling University Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned. The Cardinals look to continue their Homecoming & Family weekend success in 2024.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the fifth time in program history on Saturday, with the all-time series being tied at two wins apiece. Wheeling is.a perfect 1-0 at Bishop Schmitt Field, while incurring a 1-2 mark on trips to Fairmont State. It has been a high scoring series all-time for the Cardinals, with the team averaging 24.5 points per game in the first four meetings. However, Wheeling has won each of the last two meetings and looks to continue the success.

The teams last met on September 16th, 2023, as Wheeling edged out the Falcons in a 43-37 overtime affair. Javon Davis paced the Cardinal's offensive game, going 15-33 throwing for 276 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Former Cardinal Quron Winder was his top target, pulling in 12 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while former Cardinal Elijah Young led the ground game with 16 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Former Cardinal J.R. Atkinson led the way with eight tackles, three solo and five assisted.

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.