Wheeling, W. Va. – Training camp is in the books and the Wheeling University Football team (0-0, 0-0) is set to embark on the 2025 season. They begin the journey on Thursday when they take on Clarion in their non-conference Week 0 matchup with kick-off at 6 PM. The Golden Eagles will be dedicating the field in a special pregame ceremony, and the Cardinals will look to trash the party and get off to a 1-0 start in 2025.
The 2024 season marked the third straight year where the Cardinals finished with a .500 record or better. They finished 6-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play, using the momentum of a late season push to get over the .500 mark. After splitting their two non-conference games, the Cardinals were able to start the conference schedule with a 52-14 win over West Virginia Wesleyan. However, the Cardinals would drop three straight contests over the next four weeks, with two of those being decided by one score, and sat at 1-3 in conference play. The ball bounced in their favor with a close 35-33 win over West Virginia State, that propelled them through the rest of the season. The Cardinals would go 5-1 over the final six weeks of the season, with a 40-16 week 11 win over West Liberty securing the over .500 season.
After stepping in due to injury during the second half of each of the previous two seasons, redshirt junior Landon Lutz steps in as the starting quarterback in 2025. Lutz appeared in nine games for the Cardinals last year, completing 97 of his 175 passes while throwing for 175 yards. He would set the program's single season record with 19 touchdowns, while only throwing two interceptions during the season. While stepping in as a week 0 starter for the first time in his career, Lutz is no stranger to the starter's role. He has started 13 games for the Cardinals over the last two seasons and will use that experience to help him this season. With a receiving corps that has lost their top three pass catchers from a season ago, Lutz will look to spread the ball around to his new receiving corps and create a dynamic passing game.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals will be relying on their front six to provide pressure. After breakout seasons, Awwal Osinuga and Tyriek Scrivner will each be looking to bring pressure to the opposing backfield. Osinuga was the Cardinal',$ leader when it came to pressuring the opposing quarterback in 2024, finishing with 3.0 sacks and one quarterback hit on the season. The redshirt sophomore was also a force in the backfield throughout the season, tying for third on the team with 5.0 tackles for loss. Scrivner would also reach the 5.0 tackles for loss mark and added 2.5 sacks to finish second on the team. Both will look to provide pressure up front and force opposing offenses to make mistakes.
As they kick-off the 2025 season, the Cardinals will play a full 11-game schedule with three non-conference NCAA DII games to start the season. It will be the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Cardinals will be facing a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent. The Cardinals have gone 2-1 in openers against PSAC opponents, with their last matchup coming against Seton Hill during the 2023 season. The Cardinals have gone 2-4 all-time in season openers, which includes an 0-2 mark when the opener is played away from Bishop Schmitt Field. This will be the first time the Cardinals have opened the season on the road since 2021, when they fell in a closely contested 16-14 contest against Seton Hill. The Cardinals look to start 2025 strong as they get ready for the challenges they will face in their MEC schedule.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the first time in program history when they meet on Thursday night. Clarion was picked to finish #7 in the annual PSAC Preseason Football Poll after finishing the 2024 season 3-8 overall and 1-5 in conference play. The Golden Eagles are no stranger to Mountain East Conference (MEC) competition, going 44-17 in 61 previous meetings dating back to the 1996 season.
Thursday will mark Wheeling's fourth all-time matchup with a PSAC opponent dating back to the 2021 season. The Cardinals are 2-1 in those previous meetings, with all three of those meetings coming against Seton Hill during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. The Cardinal's defense was able to hold opponents to just 28.45 points per game a season ago, and their defense looks to be a driving force to their success on Thursday night.
The Details
Kick-off for Thursday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM at Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium, with a special pregame field dedication ceremony prior to kick-off. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
