Wheeling, W. Va. – The heavy home October schedule continues for the Wheeling University Football team (3-2, 2-0) on Saturday as they continue through their Mountain East Conference (MEC) stretch. It is a battle of two undefeated teams in the MEC as the Cardinals welcome in the University of Charleston with kick-off scheduled for 2 PM. The Cardinals look to keep their success going on their home field, where they sit 2-1 across three games so far this season.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed West Virginia Wesleyan for their annual Homecoming Game and early on it was back and forth between the two teams. The two teams went back and forth throughout the first quarter, and the score sat tied at 14-14 after 15 minutes of play. The second quarter was led by the defensive effort, with two costly turnovers hurting the Cardinal offense. Wheeling got the ball back with 1:51 to play before half and got in the endzone twice before the halftime break, taking a 28-14 lead into the locker room. In the second half, it would be defense and special teams that secured the Cardinal victory, with a safety and a pick six accounting for nine of the final 12 points. The West Virginia Wesleyan offense couldn't get anything going in the half, and the Cardinals would walk away with a 40-14 win.
Leading the second half effort was Leonard Sherrod III, who added two more interceptions on the day, while adding a pass break-up and four total tackles. His biggest interception came with under a minute to play in the third quarter as he intercepted the ball at the Bobcat 35-yard line. He would run it all the way to the endzone for the pick six and brought the game to its final score of 40-14. Sherrod has been a ball hawk for the Cardinals this season, tying for the conference lead with four interceptions, all of those coming in the past two games. He also ranks top five in the conference in both pass break-ups (5) and total tackles (43.0) while leading the conference with nine pass break-ups and 1.80 pass break-ups per game.
The other points of the second half came off the foot of Conor Fitzpatrick, who was named the MEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. He was clutch on PAT attempts, going 5-5 in that department, but his biggest kick came with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter. Fitzpatrick lined up for a 48-yard field goal and ended up splitting the uprights to give Wheeling a 33-14 lead. It was a new PR for Fitzpatrick and he looks to continue his success as the conference schedule continues. On the offensive side, Jordan Kaiser continued his rise at wide receiver, finishing with four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. It was his team leading third touchdown of the season as he continues to be a reliable target for the offense.
With six weeks to go in the regular season schedule, the Cardinals are one of three undefeated teams remaining in the MEC. They currently sit 0.5 game behind Frostburg State for the conference lead at 3-0, and are tied with The University of Charleston for the #2 spot at 2-0. The next three weeks will offer the Cardinals their toughest challenge of the season, as they play the top four teams in the conference in each of those games. After hosting Charleston this week, the Cardinals will hit the road for a big matchup against West Virginia State, before welcoming in Frostburg State the following week. The Cardinals look to keep their recent string of success going as they look to build off their tie for 5th place last season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Charleston leading the all-time series at 0-4. It will be the second trip to Bishop Schmitt Field for the Golden Eagles, with Charleston taking both of those match-ups. The Cardinals have averaged 18.5 points per game in the all-time match-up, and have totaled 20 or more points in two of the four match-ups all-time.
The last meeting between the two teams came on October 12th, 2024, in a game that Charleston would win 42-23 in Charleston, West Virginia. Former Cardinal Javon Davis led the passing game, going 12-23, throwing for 135 yards, while former Cardinal Chris Charles was his top target with five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. On defense, former Cardinal Masiah Thorne led the way with 9.0 total tackles, while former Cardinal Rodney Jackson and Tyriek Scrivner each added 0.5 sack.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
