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WHEELING – In their 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) opener, the Wheeling University Football team (2-2, 1-0) picked up a thrilling come from behind victory over Fairmont State. After taking a week to recover during their bye week, Wheeling looks to build on their momentum as they head on the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan with kick-off at 1 p.m.. After playing at home in three of their first four weekends, the Cardinals will now look to take that momentum on the road in a heavy road month of October.
Wheeling Quarterback Landon Lutz has established himself as one of the top passers in the MEC this season, sitting second with 909 passing yards, while being the third most efficient quarterback with a 57.7% completion percentage. He has thrown for 200 yards or more in each of his four games this season, and looks to continue to lead the Cardinal offense through the rest of their MEC schedule.
On the defensive side, the Cardinal’s leader has been Jalen Higginbotham, who is coming off back-to-back MEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He set a new career-high in tackles for the second week in a row against Fairmont State, finishing with 17.0 total tackles, six solo and 11 assisted, and one tackle for loss. He currently sits third in the conference with 40 total tackles on the season, while leading the conference with 24 assisted tackles. Another key to the Cardinal’s success on defense has been Dillon Shadie, who put together another strong performance. He would finish with nine total tackles against the Falcons, three solo and six assisted, to lead the defensive secondary. He is already on a career-best pace 29.0 total tackles, while sitting tied for second on the team with two pass break-ups.
As the Cardinals turn the calendar to October, they will face a heavy road schedule throughout the month. After being at home for three of the first four weeks, Wheeling flips the script heading on the road for four of their next five games. It starts in Buckhannon, West Virginia, with a West Virginia Wesleyan team that is much improved from a year ago. They are coming off a road loss to Frostburg State, but sit 1-1 in MEC play through the first two weeks. On their home field, the Bobcats are 1-1, opening the season with a 31-13 win over Post before falling to Shippensburg 24-14 in week two. The Cardinals played well on the road a season ago, going 4-2 away from Bishop Schmitt Field and they will look to get their first road win of the season on Saturday.
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the seventh time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 5-1. It will be the team’s fourth trip to Buckhannon, West Virginia, where they hold a 2-1 record in three previous meetings, compared to a 3-0 record when hosting the Bobcats. Wheeling has won each of the last five meetings between the two teams, while averaging 40.67 points per game through the first six meetings.
The last meeting between the two programs came on October 4, 2025, in a game that Wheeling would win 40-14.
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Cebe Ross Field on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College.