Shannon Welch/Staff Photographer
The football squads of recent memory have generally taken their season-closing game against Trinity quite seriously. For Wesleyan, the game represents a final, glorious send-off for the senior class, as well as an opportunity to add another chapter to an already rich intrastate rivalry between two schools situated along the Connecticut River. But for this undefeated bunch of Cardinals, the final matchup of the season has taken an entirely new meaning.
With their historic victory against Williams at Homecoming, the Cardinals not only earned their first Little Three championship since 1970, but their victory also secured at least a share of the NESCAC Championship, a first for Wesleyan athletics. Furthermore, if the Cardinals manage to finish undefeated for the first time since 1969, they will cement their status as one of the most decorated squads in Wesleyan football history.
Although they are no longer in contention for the NESCAC Championship, the Trinity Bantams pose as menacing a threat as ever as they aim to extend their 50-game home winning streak at the expense of the Cards. The Bantams have not lost in Hartford since 2001 and also have not dropped a game to the Cardinals since 2000. In a campaign in which the Redbirds have already reversed decade-long losing streaks against perennial NESCAC powers Amherst and Williams, a redemptive victory against Trinity would be a fitting way to end the season.
In this matchup, the Cardinals will square up against the best offense the rest of the ’CAC has to offer. The Bantams have been the only team in the NESCAC to keep up any sort of pace with Wesleyan’s premiere attack, trailing in points per game by a slight margin of 33.3 to 31.3; no other team in the conference has topped 30 on average. While other key matchups against the likes of the Little Three rivals have been defensive battles, this game will be a test of which team’s offensive engine can stay hot for the full 60 minutes.
The Cardinals can feel confident in their attack as their backfield is back to full health, evidenced by the reemergence of Kyle Gibson ’15 in the game against Williams. After weeks of being hampered by injuries, Gibson carried for a game-leading 74 yards, reinstating Wesleyan’s characteristic offensive depth. Another leading effort from Gibson and running mate LaDarius Drew ’15 will be key in driving the offense and allowing quarterback Jesse Warren ’15 to pick out his favorite receivers in the end zone. Coming off of his first game without a touchdown pass, Warren will have to regain his red-zone effectiveness to ensure that the Cardinals stay undefeated.
On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals have remarkably had seven different players lead the team in tackles throughout their seven games, a testament to the sheer number of major contributors to the NESCAC-leading Wesleyan defense. Against Trinity last year, the Cardinal D was unable to withstand a late-game Bantam scoring drive, resulting in a comeback victory for the team from Hartford. However, the Cardinal squad of 2013 has taken tremendous strides in its ability to fend off crunch-time comebacks.
Captain Jake Bussani ’14 has been central to the Cardinals’ endurance, as his game-saving efforts against Williams earned him NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. On Williams’ last drive, Bussani dove to pick off an underthrown Eph pass and gave the ball back to the Wesleyan offense.
That type of game-breaking defensive play has been a major factor in the elevation of the Cardinals’ overall improvement. But snatching 10 interceptions and recovering eight fumbles as a defense doesn’t only help you stop drives. It also helps you stop losing against good teams, which is already a major theme of the Cardinals’ season so far.
For the first time ever, the Route 9 Rivalry matchup will be broadcasted statewide by Connecticut Public Television from Trinity’s home field, but that is hardly an excuse to stay at home to watch the game. The Wesleyan Student Assembly is providing free transportation to Hartford to ensure that the boys on the field feel the warmth of the Cardinal faithful. Buses will leave at 11 a.m. from Usdan for the 1 p.m. matchup, so gear up to paint Hartford red and black and witness Cardinal football make the long awaited ascent to the peak of NESCAC glory.