Muhlenberg rising junior Luke Wiley has been studying X's and O's this summer - just not in the way that most football players do.

A two-time All-Centennial Conference defensive back, Wiley has been researching the game Ultimate Tic Tac Toe as part of Muhlenberg's REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program, under the direction of faculty mentor Dr. Eugene Fiorini.

Ultimate Tic Tac Toe consists of a large 3x3 tic tac toe grid, each containing a smaller 3x3 tic tac toe grid. One player's move dictates where his opponent can go next. For example, if the first player places an X in the upper left corner of one of the small grids, the next player must place his O anywhere in the upper left corner on the larger grid.

"I found out how complicated such a simple game can become," says Wiley in the video, noting that the number of possible boards is 3 to the 81st power.

To help cut the number down to a more manageable size, Wiley investigated smaller-sized boards (such as 2x2) and attempted to apply his findings to the larger grid.

"I've discovered how much failure is involved in research," he remarked. "And I realize that failure isn't always a bad thing. It's how you use those aspects of failure and turn the good things from your failures into your successes."

That philosophy goes hand-in-hand with football, where Wiley has enjoyed his fair share of successes. He started seven games at free safety as a freshman, leading the Mules with four interceptions, and was named the team's rookie of the year. He overcame an early injury to play in nine games in 2016, recording 40 tackles and picking off two more passes.

Wiley is one of many examples of how Muhlenberg fosters growth and fulfillment of each student's potential.

"Being a student-athlete at Muhlenberg has provided me with an opportunity to both compete at a high level and learn at just as high a level, if not higher," he said. "It's opened my eyes to so many different topics that I never knew I'd take a liking to.

"Football has provided me with the work ethic to understand what it takes to be successful."

A mathematics major, Wiley has made the Dean's List each of the last three semesters and tutors fellow students in calculus. On the field, he's helped the Mules to a 17-5 record and two straight postseason berths.

"Muhlenberg has been fantastic to me," he said. "The teachers are just as interested in your success on the field as your coaches are interested in your success in the classroom.

"It makes the experience awesome."