Despite an early 14-0 lead, the Cardinal football team fell to the Hamilton Continentals on Saturday after allowing Hamilton to score 26 straight points. Although the defense held the Continentals to just 18 rushing yards, they were unable to contain Hamilton quarterback Lance Wilson-Pegues ’11, who threw for 208 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Wesleyan fell to 1-1 on the season with the loss; a win would have given the Cardinals their first 2-0 start since 2004.

Wesleyan could not have asked for a faster start, with running back Shea Dwyer ’10 erupting through the left side of the line for a 60-yard touchdown run on only the second play of the game. It was the longest touchdown run by a Cardinal running back since 2002, when Young Douglas ran one in from 84 yards against Bowdoin. After Matt Alexander’s ’12 kick, the Cardinals had a 7-0 lead just 59 seconds into the contest.

The Cardinals kept pushing hard after the opening barrage, with quarterback Blake DuBois ’12 adding his own rushing touchdown with 11:46 left in the second quarter, this one from 14-yards out. He set up his own score on that drive with a 37-yard bomb down the left sideline to Paulie Lowther ’13, the highlight of an efficient 11-play, 87-yard drive.
At that point, Wesleyan had scored on two of its first four series and was firmly in control of the game. Hamilton, on the other hand, failed to advance on its first two drives, losing a total of nine yards. After taking possession at their own 31 following the Cardinals’ touchdown, the Continentals ran three plays for minus-four yards and were forced to punt. After a Wesleyan three-and-out and a 28-yard punt by Kyle Weiss ’12, Hamilton took possession at its own 49. A false start penalty on second-and-10 and subsequent 12-yard loss gave the Continentals third-and-27 from their own 32, and their 12-yard third-down rush was insufficient as they were again forced to punt.

Hamilton managed to drive 23 yards on its third series but still was unable to advance into the Cardinals’ half of the field, electing to punt on fourth-and-1 from its own 49 and giving Wesleyan the ball on its own 13. The Cardinals drove to their 35 before the quarter ended, picking up their fifth and sixth first downs—to Hamilton’s one—and putting their second touchdown drive into motion.

Hamilton finally broke onto the scoreboard in the wake of Wesleyan’s second touchdown. Following a 27-yard kickoff return, the Continentals took possession at their own 49 with 11:40 showing on the clock. After a holding penalty moved Hamilton back to its own 24, it looked like the Continentals would again come up empty-handed on the drive. However, the Continentals got a 15-yard completion on third-and-18 and a 15-yard personal foul on Wesleyan, which moved Hamilton to the Wesleyan 29. Three plays later, a 23-yard touchdown pass cut Wesleyan’s lead to 14-6, but Matt Maloney ’11 and Cam Davila ’12 blocked the extra-point attempt to limit the damage.

Wesleyan had two more opportunities to score before halftime but failed to capitalize on either. With 4:45 remaining, the Cardinals had fourth-and-2 on the Hamilton 19, but elected to go for the first down rather than attempt a chip-shot field goal. DuBois’ pass to Steve Hauser ’11 fell incomplete, however, giving Hamilton possession deep in its own territory. Wesleyan again drove into the Hamilton red zone as the period wound down, but Alexander’s 37-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired.

Wesleyan had dominated the first half, gaining 271 yards on offense to Hamilton’s 81, but the momentum began to shift in the third quarter. The Continentals scored their second touchdown to conclude an 11-play, 51-yard drive that took 4:47 off the clock. After taking possession at heir own 49 with 11:35 to play, Hamilton drove to the Wesleyan six but was tackled for a two-yard loss on third-and-1. The Continentals went for it on fourth-and-3 and scored, cutting Wesleyan’s lead to 14-12. Hamilton attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion, but a substitution infraction moved the Continentals back to the eight-yard line and the run failed.

Hamilton outgained Wesleyan 82-38 in the third, and the Continentals’ dominance continued in the final quarter. Following a three-and-out by Wesleyan, Hamilton took possession at its own 44 and methodically marched down the field, needing only five plays to cover 56 yards. A 17-yard touchdown pass on second-and-7 gave the Continentals the lead, 19-14. On the next play from scrimmage, DuBois’ pass was intercepted and returned to the Wesleyan 32, but the Continentals quickly returned the favor. Hamilton quarterback Lance Wilson was sacked by Pete Sugarbaker ’10 and fumbled, with Nick Ferris ’12 recovering. The teams traded three-and-outs after that, but a tricky, wobbling punt by Hamilton hit a Cardinal helmet, and the Continentals recovered at Wesleyan’s 23-yard line. Three plays later, a three-yard run gave Hamilon a 26-14 lead, concluding the scoring in the game.

The Cardinals had a chance to score on the ensuing possession, driving to the Hamilton 16 before three straight incompletions turned the ball over on downs with 3:57 to play.

Despite the score, the Wesleyan defense played very well in the loss. In addition to holding Hamilton to 18 rushing yards on 33 attempts (an astonishing 0.5 yards per carry), the Cardinals amassed six sacks on the day. Standouts were Brett Bandazian ’12, who had two tackles for a loss and nine overall, and Cyprian Oyomba ’12, who had eight tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble. Offensively, Dubois had 203 passing yards, 86 of them to Lowther, a team high, and Dwyer averaged an excellent 7.8 yards per carry, gaining 78 yards on just 10 carries.

Wesleyan has now lost consecutive games to Hamilton for the first time since 1994-96 and is 1-2 in its last three trips to Clinton. In addition, the Cardinals remained winless in games played on artificial turf, falling to 0-7 in such contests, dating back to 2001.

The Cardinals’ next opponent is Colby College, which they will face on Saturday in the friendly confines of Andrus Field. Wesleyan will look to improve on its recent record against the White Mules, whom the Cardinals have beaten only once since 2002. Wesleyan earned a 23-14 victory in its last home game against Colby on Oct. 6, 2007.