INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State's home dominance came to an end Saturday as the Yellow Jackets fell 24–20 to Wheeling at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium. It marked WVSU's first home loss since last year's setback against Carson-Newman, snapping a six-game home win streak.

The Jackets (4–3, 3–2 MEC) surged to a 17–0 lead midway through the second quarter behind a two-yard touchdown run from Nasean Hill, a 67-yard scoring strike from Kaleb Jackson to Devin Cox, and a 21-yard field goal from Tony Hornbuckle. Wheeling (4–3, 3–1 MEC) trimmed the deficit with a touchdown just before halftime, then tied the game at 17 late in the third quarter on Landon Lutz's 13-yard keeper and a 22-yard field goal by Connor Fitzpatrick. Hornbuckle's second 21-yard kick briefly restored WVSU's lead early in the fourth, but Lutz connected with Sajari Love for a 37-yard touchdown with 2:48 remaining to hand the Cardinals the win.

Although State outgained Wheeling 420–380 in total offense, the Yellow Jackets were hurt by nine penalties for 85 yards and a few key third-down conversions that went the other way. WVSU finished with 202 rushing yards on 39 carries and 218 passing yards on 14 completions, while Wheeling managed 156 yards on the ground and 224 through the air. Both teams played cleanly with no interceptions, and time of possession was nearly even—Wheeling held the ball for 30:40 to State's 29:20.

Jackson completed 14 of 28 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown, with Cox emerging as his top target, hauling in four receptions for 108 yards including the 67-yard score. Amare Ary added three catches for 32 yards and Jeremiah Thompson chipped in three for 40. On the ground, Hill paced the Jackets with 108 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, highlighted by a 33-yard burst in the first half.

Defensively, Daryl Fletcher and Keyshon Washington led West Virginia State with seven tackles apiece, while Marshawn Mankins added six. Amir Muhammad and Adrian Bowers each chipped in five stops, with Bowers recording a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Freshman Jaysean Layne notched the Jackets' lone sack, and the defense combined for eight pass breakups and two QB hurries on the afternoon. Hornbuckle was perfect on the day, converting both of his 21-yard field goals and both PATs, while also averaging 41 yards on three punts.

For Wheeling, Lutz threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another, accounting for all three of his team's scores. Love caught six passes for 88 yards including the game-winner, and Colin Oberdick had five grabs for 61 yards and a touchdown. Kameron Reynolds and James Walker IV led the Cardinals' defense with nine and eight tackles, respectively.

West Virginia State will travel to Pensacola, Florida, next Saturday to face the University of West Florida at 3 p.m. ET at PenAir Field in their final non-conference contest of the year.