PEMBROKE — A week ago, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke football team made the seven-hour bus ride up Interstate 95 to Frostburg State, hoping to hand the Bobcats their first loss.

The Braves fell well short in that quest — a 51-21 defeat — and return home Saturday to host Wheeling looking to make sure the taste from that lopsided loss doesn’t linger and become a multi-week setback. Kickoff is set for noon at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.

“The defense gave up too many big plays, the offense gave up too many sacks, we couldn’t run the ball again, and that’s just not a good recipe for being able to control the clock or being able to advance the ball or being able to keep the other team out of the end zone, and before you know it, the score’s just, we’re playing behind the sticks a little too much,” UNCP coach Shane Richardson said. “I thought our guys competed, but we’ve got to get executional things fixed.”

The Braves (2-3, 2-2 Mountain East Conference) continue to look for a spark — having won just one of the four times they’ve taken the field, with an additional win by forfeit — as they look to turn their season around.

“I think it’s a big message in terms of our mentality, and we’ve got to keep just a positive vibe in knowing that we’re still confident about who we are, and playing our best,” Richardson said. “We haven’t played our best football all season long. I think everybody knows that in this group, and I think if we can continue to strive towards that we can improve.”

Wheeling (3-2, 3-1 MEC) has won its last three games, including a 38-0 home win over West Virginia Wesleyan last Saturday, and is tied for second in the MEC standings.

“They definitely bring some confidence with them,” Richardson said. “They’ve been able to win some games and they’ve been able to play well, and we’re going to have to really make sure that we’re not taking a mentality where it’s kind of ‘here we go again’ if something goes wrong; we’ve got to keep fighting through the ups and downs that come naturally in the course of a game, because they’re going to give us their best shot, they’re a good team.”

Brennon Norris (551 passing yards, six touchdowns) and Trent Jackson (479 passing yards, four touchdowns) have split time at quarterback for Wheeling, making nearly an identical amount of attempts on the season. Three of their receivers have at least 18 receptions: Lowell Patron (341 receiving yards, two touchdowns), Ryan LaFollette (235 receiving yards, four touchdowns) and Jaquaun Davidson (175 receiving yards). Sy Alli IV has rushed for 458 yards; he ran for 120 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season last week.

The Cardinals defense has allowed 12.6 points per game, anchored by linebacker Dalton Hoover (37 tackles), defensive end Brandon Munoz (6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) and defensive back Josiah Wright (two interceptions). Wheeling held West Virginia Wesleyan to 66 passing yards last week.

“They can be very disruptive. They’ve got some explosive guys on both sides of the ball,” Richardson said. “We’ve got to be able to just withstand that and get back to who we are and how we play. Wheeling’s bringing a good football team in here so we’ve got to be ready to play.”

Saturday’s game will be the first football meeting between the Braves and Cardinals.