Wheeling, W. Va. – For three of their first four games of the season, the Wheeling University Football team (2-2, 1-0) has been on the road. The script flips in October as the Cardinals welcome in West Virginia Wesleyan for their Homecoming Game with kick-off scheduled for 3:30 PM. The Cardinals look to keep their success going in conference play as they kick-off a month that sees them play three of their four games at home.
After being on a bye week last week, the Cardinals kicked off Mountain East Conference (MEC) play as they traveled to Fairmont, West Virginia. It was the Falcons that got on the board first, scoring the lone touchdown of the first quarter as the Cardinals trailed 7-0. Wheeling was able to get on the board at the start of the second quarter to tie the score at 7-7, but Fairmont State would add one more score before the half to take a 14-7 lead. The Falcons would be driving once again at the end of the half, getting down to the Cardinal's 43-yard line, but an opportunistic Wheeling defense got a big turnover and the teams headed into halftime at 14-7. Wheeling would flip the script after the break, scoring 20 third quarter points, and Wheeling would head into the final 15 minutes leading 27-21. The Cardinals would put the nail in the coffin with one final score and a third turnover would end the day with the Cardinals starting off conference play at 1-0.
The Cardinals received all three MEC Player of the Week honors for the effort, but defensive back Leonard Sherrod III would earn National honors as well. He was named the MEC Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Dii foot all.com Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He was able to finish the day with
The Cardinals received all three MEC Player of the Week honors for the effort, but defensive back Leonard Sherrod III would earn National honors as well. He was named the MEC Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Dii foot all.com Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He was able to finish the day with eight tackles, five solo and three assisted, while finishing with two interceptions on the day. He played a hand in all three Cardinal turnovers on the fay with two of those three turnovers coming in big moments in the game. The first came just before halftime with the Falcons driving in Wheeling territory. They threw a deep pass down to the six-yard line and Sherrod was their to intercept the pass and stop the threat. His second came with just 1:54 to play with Fairmont State at the Wheeling 29-yard line, and put the nail in the coffin of the comeback effort. Since their week one game against Walsh, Sherrod has been a big part of the Cardinal's defense and looks to continue to be a leader for the team.
On the offensive side, it was Ade Olanegan that earned the MEC Offensive Player of the Week, stepping in due to injury. He would finish 14-24, throwing for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort. Olanegan has stepped up throughout the year for the Cardinals, throwing for 515 yards and six touchdowns over three games played. He has been one of the most efficient passers in the conference, sitting fifth overall with a 52.7 completion percentage. He also sits fifth in the conference in passing touchdowns +6) and seventh in completions (29). The final Cardinal to earn conference player of the week honors was Day Day Bates, who earned the MEC Special Teams Player of the Week Bates came up with a big blocked punt at the end of the third quarter with the score tied at 21-21. The blocked punt would set the Cardinals up at the Fairmont State six-yard line and they would score what would end up being the game winning touchdown. On defense, Bates also added five tackles, three solo and two assisted, to round out the effort.
With the win against Fairmont State, the Cardinals have now started 1-0 in conference play in each of the last two seasons. They kick-off a stretch of games on Saturday that sees them play at Bishop Schmitt Field in four of the next five weeks. Bishop Schmitt Field has been a safe haven for the Cardinals, with the team having a winning record at home in three of the last four seasons. They have gone 14-9 during that stretch, with high water marks of 4-1 during both the 2023 and 2021 seasons. The Cardinals fell in their only home game of the season to this point, but are looking to turn things around in front of the Homecoming crowd. The Cardinals will be welcoming in friends, family, and Hall of famers to celebrate Wheeling University. There will be a special pregame ceremony to honor the Hall of Famers and at halftime, the Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned in a special halftime ceremony. The Wheeling football team looks to put on a show for the fans as they represent the University on the field.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the sixth time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 4-1. It will be West Virginia Wesleyan's third trip to Bishop Schmitt Field, where the Cardinals are 2-0 all-time against the Bobcats. It has been a high scoring series for the Cardinals, who are averaging 40.8 PPG in the match-up, scoring 35 or more points in four of the previous five meetings. They have put up 50+ points in each of the last two meetings and look to continue that success this time around.
The last meeting between the two teams came on September 14th, 2024, in a game that the Cardinals would win 52-14. It was a big day on the ground for the Cardinals, with the team rushing for 198 yards, led by Steven Mitchell, who carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Former Cardinal Javon Davis would lead the passing game going 19-29 while throwing for 265 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was led by former Cardinal Jack Parry, who finished with six tackles, three solo and three assisted.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3:30 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
