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WHEELING - After three weeks of non-conference play, the Wheeling University Football team (1-2, 0-0) kicks off their Mountain East Conference Schedule on Saturday. The Cardinals welcome in Fairmont State for their conference-opening match-up, wrapping up what has been a stretch that has seen the Cardinals play three of their first four games at home. After back-to-back non-conference losses, the Cardinals are looking to turn things around as they enter their eight-week conference stretch.
As the Cardinals take the field Saturday, they will be celebrating two different groups of people. Kids who attended the team’s Youth Football Camp during the summer will be invited down to the field to join the team for their warm-ups. Youth campers and their families will join the team for warm-ups at noon, with the full-team flex beginning at 12:15 p.m.
The game will also serve as the team’s Military Appreciation game, with all active duty military members and veterans getting free admission to the game. At halftime, Wheeling University will be honoring all military personnel in attendance with the playing of the songs from each military branch and honoring those in attendance from that branch. The Cardinals will look to honor the fans with a win in their conference opener, coming off their best MEC season a year ago. Wheeling would go 5-3 in their MEC schedule a year ago, and finished tied for third in the conference, their highest conference finish in program history.
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the seventh time in program history on Saturday, with the all-time series tied up at three wins apiece. Neither team has had the advantage no matter the location, with Wheeling going 1-1 in two home games with the Falcons, and 2-2 when traveling to Fairmont, West Virginia. Wheeling has won three of the last four meetings against Fairmont State in what has been an offensive driven series, with the Cardinals averaging 30.33 points per game in the all-time series.
The last meeting between the two teams came on September 20, 2025, in a game that Wheeling would win 35-28. Former Cardinal Ade Olanegan led the offense, going 14-24, throwing for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Jordan Kaiser led the way with six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while O’Marion Taylor finished with seven carries for 73 yards in the effort. Former Cardinal Jefferson Bretanys-Desca led the defense with nine tackles, four solo and five assisted, while former Cardinal Dylan Newman added eight tackles and a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss in the effort.
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Bishop Schmitt Field at Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration and WesBanco Stadium.