WHEELING — Wesleyan’s promising first quarter wasn’t enough to hold off a strong Wheeling surge, as the Bobcats fell 40–14 on Saturday afternoon at Bishop Schmitt Field. Despite early highlights from running back Jayden Williams and defensive back Eudean Dobson, Wheeling capitalized on key turnovers and big passing plays to take control before halftime.
The Bobcats struck first on their opening drive, marching 65 yards in six plays. Williams capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run up the left side, giving Wesleyan a 7–0 lead just over three minutes into the game. After Wheeling responded with a five-yard touchdown run from Steven Mitchell, Wesleyan’s defense made an early statement.
With 5:05 left in the first quarter, Dobson intercepted Wheeling quarterback Ade Olanegan and sprinted 40 yards into the end zone for a pick-six, putting the Bobcats back in front, 14–7. The senior defensive back wasn’t done there—he would add a second interception later in the period.
Wheeling evened the score before the quarter ended, as Jordan Kaiser caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Olanegan to make it 14–14 after one.
Momentum shifted late in the second quarter. Olanegan found Colin Oberdick for a 19-yard strike with 51 seconds remaining in the half to put Wheeling up 21–14. Just 42 seconds later, Olanegan connected again—this time with Alex Godavitarne on another 19-yard score—to extend the lead to 28–14 at the break.
The Bobcats’ comeback hopes faded in the third quarter as Wheeling continued to capitalize on Wesleyan mistakes. A safety early in the period gave the Cardinals a 30–14 advantage, and a 48-yard field goal from Connor Fitzpatrick made it 33–14. Moments later, Leonard Sherrod III intercepted Quinton Pulley and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring, 40–14.
Wesleyan’s offense moved the ball effectively at times—posting 229 total yards and holding possession for over 34 minutes—but costly penalties (six for 78 yards) and red-zone struggles (1-of-5) kept the Bobcats from narrowing the gap.
Dobson’s pair of interceptions and touchdown return highlighted a strong first half for the Bobcat defense. Connor Sealock and Riley Slaughter led the team with six tackles each, while Victor Georges forced a fumble and Mack White recovered one. Chibuzo Iheme recorded a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry.
Despite Wheeling’s 437 total yards, Wesleyan’s defense forced five turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) and kept the Cardinals out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
The loss drops Wesleyan to 0–6 overall and 0–3 in the Mountain East Conference, while Wheeling improves to 3–2 (2–0 MEC).
Wesleyan goes on the road next Saturday, Oct. 11 for a 1 p.m. game against Fairmont State University.
