After a promising 3-1 start, Wesleyan’s football team lost its last four games. They finished 3-5 for the season, leaving them tied for sixth place in the NESCAC. Bates, Colby, and Hamilton also earned 3-5 records, while Amherst won the conference with a perfect 8-0 record.
Wesleyan won the first game of the season against Middlebury, downing the Panthers 16-15. Middlebury usually finishes among the top half of all teams in NESCAC football, so a win against the Panthers set high hopes for the Cardinals, who aimed to finish with their first winning record since a 5-3 campaign in 2002. Wesleyan failed to carry its momentum into the second week of play against Hamilton, however, as the Cardinals lost a tightly contended game by a 6-7 score. Wesleyan’s inability to generate offense against Hamilton would prove to be a problem for the remainder of the season.
In the third and fourth weeks of play, Wesleyan put down Colby and Bates, respectively. At 3-1 after one month, Wesleyan still had to face the toughest teams on its schedule. Wesleyan played Little Three rival Amherst in week five, losing to the Lord Jeffs, 24-10. Still at a solid 3-2, Wesleyan faced Bowdoin in week six. The Polar Bear defense was able to hold the Cardinals to just six points, as Wesleyan lost its first game to a team from Maine 6-12.
Wesleyan lost another close game the following week, falling to Williams by a 17-19 tally. The Cardinals, who had been down the entire game, came back in the fourth quarter to take a 17-16 lead. But the Ephs were able to get into field goal position and make the kick with only five minutes remaining, pushing them to a two-point lead that they would not relinquish.
In their final week of play, Wesleyan faced the second-place Bantams of Trinity, whose only loss this year was to Amherst. The Bantams handily beat the Cardinals 27-0.
The 2011 season definitely ended with some disappointment for the football program. Wesleyan welcomed Coach Mike Whalen ’84 in 2010, who accrued a 38-10 record while he was the Head Coach at Williams. The Cardinals were 2-6 in 2009 and 1-7 in 2008, but under Whalen’s direction, the Cardinals finished 4-4 in 2010 for their first .500 record in five seasons. Wesleyan slipped slightly this year, losing to Hamilton and Bowdoin, two teams it beat in 2010. On the flip side, however, the Cards defeated Middlebury, who had come out victorious in their match-up the previous year.
The Wesleyan squad did have some outstanding performances, though, as six players were awarded NESCAC All-Conference honors. LaDarius Drew ’15, who finished third in the league in rushing with 726 yards and seven touchdowns, was awarded second-team honors. Joining him on the second team was punter Jesse Warren ’15 and Senior Captain and linebacker, Cyprian Oyomba ’12.
First-team selections included offensive lineman Jake Sheffer ’14, who earned a starting spot for the first time this year and helped Wesleyan average 136 rushing yards and a 134 passing yards a game. Colin Hartwig ’12 garnered first-team honors, as he accrued 32 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions on the defensive end. Jake Bussani ’14 was also a first-teamer, since he led the NESCAC in pass breakups with eight. Bussani also had four interceptions and added 36 tackles to the Cardinal defense.
The 2012 season will see some larger readjustments, since some of the Cardinals’ veteran players are graduating. The Cardinals will need a new quarterback and will need to be bolstered by its younger players, who have yet to reach their full potential.