The Wesleyan football team notched another win this weekend, this time against the Colby Mules, as they improved their record to 2-1 on the season.  The closely contested battle between the Mules and the Cardinals came down to the last minutes of the fourth quarter with the game tied at 21 all.  LaDarius Drew ’15 plowed into the endzone on a one-yard run to give the Cardinals the lead.  Sebastian Aguirre ’14 put away the extra point and the Cardinals would hold onto the lead as they closed out the game for a 28-21 win.

The Cardinals took an early and commanding lead over the Mules.  With just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Drew completed a one-yard run into the endzone to put the Cardinals on the board first.  Quarterback Matt Coyne ’12 and wide receiver Ernest Wingate ’14 put the Cardinals in good offensive position as Coyne hit Wingate for a 38-yard passing play to set up Drew’s run.  Coyne would go on to accrue 335 yards of total offense as he completed 26 passes on 33 attempts for 291 yards in the air, while running the ball 11 times for 44 yards on the ground.  Five minutes into the second quarter, Drew would find the endzone again, this time on a 72-yard sprint to put Wesleyan ahead of Colby 14-0.  Drew ran the ball a total of 17 times against Colby, accruing 114 yards on the game for his second career game rushing for over 100 yards.

Colby responded just two minutes after Drew’s second touchdown by driving 68 yards on five plays, including a 51-yard touchdown reception to cap the drive.  Wesleyan, however, would extend its lead to two scores once more at the beginning of the third quarter.  Jay Fabien ’15 caught a flare on the right side of the field, and after scrambling through traffic, found the endzone to complete the 38-yard passing play.  Aguirre would hit his third extra point on the day as Wesleyan went up 21-7.

Colby was quick to respond again as Mule quarterback Nick Kmetz found space on a 45-yard run into the endzone to narrow the gap once again.  Both teams would remain scoreless for 15 minutes until Colby struck again on another substantial run, this one for 56 yards by Luke Duncklee.

The Cardinals and the Mules stood deadlocked with just nine minutes to go.  Wesleyan returned the ball to its own 30-yard line and began its drive.  The Cardinals would march 70 yards on 15 plays, eating 7:23 off the clock in the process.  The drive ended in Drew’s final carry and his third touchdown of the game.  Brett Bandazian ’12 led the Cardinal defense with 11 tackles on the day.

Wesleyan hosts Bates next Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 pm.  Bates, who also stands at 2-1, recently saw a victory over perennial powerhouse Williams College.