After 698 days of waiting, this Saturday marked the return of college football on Andrus Field. The Cardinals took to the field for their first home game since last year’s season was suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic, and opened the season with a strong 30–14 victory over Hamilton College.

 “To be back playing on Andrus was awesome,” quarterback Ashton Scott ’23 wrote in a message to The Argus. “The energy you get playing in the middle of campus on a historic field is really unmatched. Add the fact that it was the first game there in 2 years, it made the energy that much higher.” 

Scott wasn’t the only player who was excited for the return to normalcy.

“There was sort of a feeling of endlessness throughout the pandemic,” running back Charlie McPhee ’22 said. “Being able to return to the center of campus with some of my best friends was incredible.” 

Just showing up to the first home game in two years wasn’t the Cards’ only goal, however.

“We were perfect at home in 2019 and have a lot of the same guys on the field,” Quarterback Coach Kyle Archer wrote in an email to The Argus. “[The players] associate being on that field with making big plays and winning football games.”

Perhaps thanks to that association, between big wins and Andrus, the Cardinals eased to a comfortable three-score win over Hamilton. The team was anchored by a dominating ground game that racked up 242 yards rushing.

“The offensive line and tight ends take a lot of pride in being able to run the football,” Offensive Coordinator Eric Ludwig wrote in an email to The Argus. “We felt we had a good game plan this week. The offensive line, tight ends, and running backs all had a great week of practice and it showed in their execution on Saturday.”

The rushing attack for the Cardinals was built upon a standout day for McPhee, who notched career highs in rushing attempts (20) and rushing yards, breaking the century mark with an even 100 yards from scrimmage. He attributed the strength in the running game to his teammates both on the offensive line and in the skill positions.

“The key to running the ball is movement up front, and we had that,” McPhee said. “Our QBs and WRs also did an awesome job of spreading the field and forcing defenders to have to play everyone.”

What led McPhee to career-high statistics? Persistence, he says. 

“Being able to zone in and run hard every single play for 60 minutes [was crucial],” McPhee said. “Taking it play by play and making sure you’re doing your right job is the key formula to a solid performance.”

This wasn’t just a ground and pound victory, however; Scott and fellow quarterback David Estevez ’23 threw for a combined 225 yards and two touchdowns each.

“Having two QBs with different skill sets has allowed us to diversify our offensive attack,” Archer said. “They can both throw and run the football effectively. Giving each guy a package of plays each week allows us to have more wrinkles in each game plan.”

Estevez’s ability as a runner was on full display with 17 rushes for 89 yards in the victory. 

The offensive line was successful not just at establishing the run, but also protecting the quarterback on Saturday. Scott was not sacked once during the entire game on Saturday, which helped him pass for 134 yards.

“When the offensive line protects the way they did, it makes us look good and be successful as an offense,” Scott wrote. 

Scott and Estevez’s favorite target on Saturday was wide receiver Logan Tomlinson ’23, who racked up seven catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns, one from each quarterback.

“That type of performance is fully expected from LT [Tomlinson],” Coach Archer said. “The 1st two games are the tip of the iceberg for him. He has the ability to take over a game and put up way bigger numbers than 7 for 81.”

The Wesleyan defense also had a great day on the field, holding Hamilton to only 14 points scored, while defensive backs Jack Nally ’24 and Daniel Banks ’22 each picked off Hamilton quarterback Joe Cairns. The defensive line also held its own, limiting Hamilton to only 31 net rushing yards behind consistent pressure from Nicholas Helbig ’24, who finished with a sack and a tackle for a loss, and linebacker Joseph Schaefer ’24, who led the team with seven total tackles.

The Cardinals are focused and determined looking towards the rest of the season

“As a team our goal is to go 1-0 every week for 9 straight weeks,” Scott wrote. “We may have completed 2 weeks so far, but we have 7 left to go. We will use every practice and game as a lesson on how to improve and get better.”
Rocky D’Antonio can be reached at rdantonio@wesleyan.edu.