As we move into week three of the Wheeling University Football schedule, the Cardinals are located in the thick of Mountain East League (MEC) competition as they attempt to move up the standings and claim one of the top places in the conference.
Wheeling Football On Road For Alderson Broaddus
On Saturday, they will continue their tour by playing a game away from home against Alderson Broaddus. The game will begin at 1 p.m. local time.
After suffering a loss to Notre Dame College in their conference opener last week by a score of 27-14, the Cardinals are hoping to get back on track with a strong performance away from home.
Cardinals Fought Hard All Day And Finished Tied For Second With Falcons
During that particular game, the Cardinals fought hard all day long and were in a close struggle with the Falcons during the opening quarter of play, during which touchdowns were scored on three of the first four possessions.
The Falcons jumped off to an early 14-0 lead, but Wheeling’s Elijah Young scored on a 74-yard touchdown run on the second possession of the night for the Raiders, cutting the Falcons’ advantage to 14-7 with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
Despite this, Notre Dame College would quickly come back on the scoreboard with a field goal, and they would go on to lead 17-7 once the first quarter was completed.
After that point, the Cardinals would give up 10 points without answering, but a touchdown throw from Javon Davis to Chris Canaday in the fourth quarter would bring the score to 27-14, which would be the final score of the game.
The Cardinals now have a record of 1-1 for the season and 0-1 in conference play after allowing the Falcons to score just 27 points. As a result of this loss, the Cardinals surrendered the fewest points they ever had against the Falcons.
Factor Behind The Cardinals’ Scoring This Year
The Cardinals’ ground game has been the primary engine of their offense so far this year, and they continued their dominant play in week two by setting a new record for yards gained by rushing the ball.
The offense rushed for a total of 246 yards, which established a new typical programming record for the number of yards gained by running the ball. Elijah Young had a great day, finishing with 14 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown run of 74 yards.
This was the highlight of the team’s performance, which was spearheaded by Young’s performance. Javon Davis added 63 points on the ground by way of eight carries, while Sy Alli IV finished off the effort with 32 yards on the ground gained by running the ball.
Because Cade Raudebaugh, Zay Lewis, Angel Figueroa, Justin Nelson, and Peter Schmitt have been leading the blocking efforts for the Cardinals, the offensive line has been a significant contributor to the team’s early success in rushing the ball.
Letting #21 Team In Country Score 17 First-Half Points
After letting the #21 team in the country score 17 points in the first half of the game, the Cardinals defense regrouped and limited the Falcons to only 10 points in the second half, third quarter, and fourth quarter of the game.
Rich White III once again established himself as the primary leader in the secondary by ending the game with a total of eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups.
Both outside linebacker Jason Simon and defensive lineman Caleb Grant, who completed the day with 7.0 total tackles apiece, contributed to the push up front that was made.
They have allowed an average of 19 points per game so far this season as a team, and they are now on track to have one of the finest seasons in the history of the program.
September Has Been Filled With Road Games For Cardinals
As this will be the Cardinals’ third tournament away from Bishop Schmitt Field over the first three weeks of the calendar month, the month of September has been marked by a significant amount of road football for the team.
The Cardinals will play three of their first five games away from home, including two of their four games in September. Overall, the Cardinals will play three of their first five games away from home.
The month of October, on the other hand, ushers in a period of their schedule that has a greater emphasis on playing at home, with four of their remaining six games scheduled to take place at Bishop Schmitt Field.
The Cardinals are attempting to get into the post season this week so that they can carry some momentum back with them when they play their week four game at home.
Matchup Preview: Alderson Broaddus
Wheeling leads the all-time series 2-0 heading into Saturday’s game. In the previous two encounters, the Cardinals gave Alderson Broaddus only six points while averaging 31. The Cardinals beat Alderson Broaddus 34-6 last season to equal their conference record.
Lowell Patron established a record with 10 receptions for 177 yards and two scores in the Cardinals’ triumph. Former Cardinals Ryan LaFollette and Jaquaun Davidson each had four receptions for 40 yards. Sy Alli led the offense with 17 carries for 53 yards.
