Wheeling, W. Va. – After a close battle in North Canton, Ohio last week, the Wheeling University Football team (1-1, 0-0) returns to the friendly confides of Bishop Schmitt Field for week three. The Cardinals wrap up their non-conference schedule when they welcome in Lake Erie with kick-off at 4 PM. It is the first of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals as they continue a stretch that has seen them play three of their first four games at home.
In week two, the Cardinals would travel to North Canton, Ohio for a match-up against Walsh that came down to the wire. The first half was dominated by defense with neither team getting on the board for the first 15 minutes. Walsh would be the first to strike with a touchdown at the 9:51 mark, and added a field goal heading into halftime that made it 9-0 Cavalier lead. The Cardinals would make their halftime adjustments and needed just a minute and a half to respond. It would be the start of a 14-point quarter for the Cardinals, but Walsh added two touchdowns of their own and led 23-14 heading into the final 15 minutes. With 8:50 to play, the Cardinals found the endzone for the third time and got to within 23-21. However, that was as close as they would get as they fell 23-21 to fall to 1-1 on the season.
It was a historic weekend for quarterback Landon Lutz, who became the program's all-time leading passer in the effort. After becoming the third quarterback in program history to reach 4,000 passing yards the week prior, he stands alone at the top after going 16-31, throwing for 252, one touchdown, and one interception. With the team fighting to stay alive, Lutz would get them to within two points of Walsh with a 49-yard touchdown strike to Solo Love to make the score 16-14. Lutz has thrown for 458 yards through the first two games of the season games, averaging 242.5 yards per game to rank second in the conference behind Frostburg State's Jordan Brooks. Lutz currently sits at 4,283 yards and looks to continue building on that record throughout the season.
On the defensive end, it was a career-best day for Dillon Shadie, who led the early push to keep the Cavaliers off the board. He would set a new career-high with nine tackles, four solo and five assisted, while adding 1.5 tackles for loss. The effort helped propelled him into the team lead with 13.0 tackles on the season. He picked up his first career interception during the team's week 0 match-up with Thomas More and sits second on the team with two pass break-ups on the year. In the ground game, there was another career-best effort courtesy of Ayden McKinstry. After bursting onto the scene against Thomas More McKinstry would lead the way with 88 yards on 11 carries and added three catches for 31 yards. He would also score his first career touchdown as the Cardinal's opening score to start the second half, wrapping up a career day for the sophomore.
As they head into their final non-conference match, the Cardinals will continue a stretch that has seen them play three of their first four on their home field. As an offense, the team is averaging the fifth most points in the conference at 24.0 per game, with all of those coming in the second half. Wheeling's offense will look to get going early against a Lake Erie squad that scored 35 points in their season-opener against Saint Anslem College. On the defensive side, the Cardinals have held the opposition to just nine first half points, and lead the conference with 16.5 points allowed per game. They have allowed 10 fewer points than the next closest team and will look to be the driving force against Lake Erie.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Storm are meeting for the second time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 1-0. After making the trip to Painesville, Ohio last season, Wheeling will be welcoming Lake Erie College to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time. Storm Head Coach Brian Price will have a homecoming, after being a member of Wheeling's inaugural coaching staff in 2018.
The first meeting between the two teams came back on September 13, 2025, in a game that Wheeling would win 35-31. Leading the way for the Cardinals was former running back Steven Mitchell, who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while O'Marion Taylor added a rushing touchdown of his own. Former Cardinal Ade Olanegan would lead the passing game, going 7-9 for 205 yards and two touchdowns, while Jordan Kaiser pulled in three catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Former Cardinal Leonard Sherrod III led the defense with 10 tackles, six solo and four assisted.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
