Wheeling, W. Va. - After playing through their non-conference schedule, it was the official start of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Saturday in Fairmont, West Virginia. The Wheeling University Football team (2-2, 1-0) opened up their conference schedule against Fairmont State, and started out 1-0 with a 35-28 win. The Cardinals would score 20 points in the third quarter, and it was enough to lead the Cardinals to their second straigth winas they move to 1-0 in MEC play.
The Cardinals would receive the second half kick-off, trailing 14-7, and began their drive on their own 25-yard line. It would be a pair of short passes that got the drive started and as the Cardinals set up first and 10 from the Fairmont 38, it would be a pass that got them on the board. Ade Olanegan dropped back to pass and connected with Jordan Kaiser over the middle for 38 yards and the Wheeling touchdown. Connor Fitzpatrick would put the extra point through and the game came tied for the second time on the day at 14-14. However, Fairmont State would respond on their next drive, taking the ball 65 yards in 13 plays before Nino Marzullo connected with LeJay Hatcher to give Fairmont State the 21-14 lead. Wheeling responded with a long drive of their own, needing nine plays to get to the Falcon's eight-yard line. Wheeling would tie things up again as Olanegan found Colin Oberdick on an eight yard route to make it 21-21.
As they have all season, the Cardinal's special teams would make their presence known as Fairmont State was forced to punt from their own 38-yard line. Day Day Bates would get into the backfield to block the punt and Nate Coleman recovered the kick, taking it 23 yards down to the Fairmont State six-yard line. Steven Mitchell got it down to the one-yard line, and Dawaun Green would take it the extra yard for the touchdown. Fitzpatrick's extra point was blocked, but the Cardinals still held the lead at 27-21. That would be the score at the end of the third quarter, and the Cardinals would look to hold on over the final 15 minutes. Fairmont would run the first five minutes off that fourth quarter clock, but the Cardinal defense bent but didn't break as they forced a turnover on downs on the Wheeling 28-yard line.
The Cardinals were looking for one more score to seal the game, and iced it on the ensuing drive. They needed nine plays to get down to the Fairmont State one-yard line and they would go on the ground again. This time, it was O'Marion Taylor who would pound the ball into the endzone, and the Cardinals would go for two to try and make it a two-touchdown game. Mitchell would get the ball and went off tackle across the goal line to give the Cardinals a 35-21 lead. That two-point conversion would turn out to be crucial as with 30-seconds to play, Marzullo would connect with Paige Winston, and Fairmont State cut the Cardinal lead to 35-28. The Falcons would attempt an onside kick, and the Cardinals would recover to bring the game to an end at 35-28.
It was the Cardinal rushing attack that led the way, with the Cardinals rushing for a season-high 297 yards on the ground. Leading the way was O'Marion Taylor, who carried the ball seven times for 72 yards and a touchdown. He was one of four Cardinals to carry the ball on the day, and Dawaun Green would have the other rushing touchdown, carrying the ball six times for 53 yards. Ade Olanegan would continue his strong start to the season, finishing 14-24, throwing for 159 yards and three touchdowns thrown to three different receivers. His top target was Jordan Kaiser, who finished with six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Steven Mitchell and Colin Oberdick each pulled down a score. On the defensive side, Keenan Johnson and Jefferson Bretanys-Desca each finished with nine tackles, with Johnson leading the team with eight solo tackles and Desca having four assisted tackles on the day. Leonard Sherrod III would add eight tackles, five solo and three assisted, while also finishing with two interceptions and two pass break-ups.
Fairmont State would receive the game's opening kick-off and, after the two teams traded punts, Fairmont State would be the first on the board. They set up at the Wheeling 12-yard line and Leonard Farrow would rush in for the score. Defense would rule the first quarter and that would end up being the only score as Fairmont State led 7-0 after one. The Cardinals would have the ball at the end of the quarter and capped the drive off with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Olanegan to Mitchell. It tied things up at 7-7, but Fairmont State was quick to respond, getting back in the endzone on their next drive. That would be the final score of the half, and Fairmont State led 14-7 at halftime, before the Cardinals completed the second half comeback.
The Wheeling University Football team returns to action on Saturday, October 4th, when they take on West Virginia Wesleyan with kick-off at 3:30 PM.
