After opening the season in dramatic fashion by crushing Tufts 37-7 and then rallying for four touchdowns in the final quarter to stun Hamilton 41-35, the Cardinals have hit a rough spot. They suffered a 23-0 blanking at Colby and then returned to Maine a week later to bear another agonizing defeat, this time 28-7 at the hands of Bates.
Heading into its first contest against a Little Three opponent, Wesleyan’s record stands at 2-2, locked in a tie with Colby for fourth place overall in the NESCAC behind rival Williams at 3-1 and undefeated Amherst and Trinity at 4-0.
Over the last two games, the normally potent Wesleyan offense has struggled to produce, scoring only a combined seven points after amassing 78 points and averaging over 440 yards of total offense through the first two.
In a game against Colby on Sat., Oct. 9 that could have catapulted the Cardinals to the top of the league standings with a third consecutive win, a communication breakdown between quarterback Zach Canter ’07 and his receiving core resulted in six interceptions and an aggressive Colby blitz package brought Canter down another on six sacks over the course of the game. Running back Phil Banks ’07 was a bright spot offensively for the Cards, picking up 91 yards on 19 carries, while freshman Tim O’Callaghan ’08 earned NESCAC Defensive Rookie of the Week honors after recording 15 tackles and two sacks in what was a solid effort by the Cardinal defense.
“We killed ourselves,” Banks said. “The defense played well all day and gave us the opportunities, but we just couldn’t score.”
With a solid 2-1 record in the league and a third place tie with Williams following the 23-0 loss to Colby, the game against Bates on Oct. 16 was crucial, as a win could have put the Cardinals back on track and in a good position at the top of the league. Unfortunately, the team could not make good on the “must win” situation and was blanked in the first half for the second straight week while Bates went on to snap a 17-game losing streak to the Cardinals that dated back to 1982. Strong play by Bates quarterback Brandon Colon and a tough defense that sacked Canter five times and forced five turnovers would be the difference in the game. Wesleyan’s only score came as a result of some standout special teams play by sophomore defensive back Joe Pepe ’07, who burst through the line to block a fourth quarter punt by Bates. It took the Wesleyan offense only four plays from the Bates 25 yard line, as Canter capped off the quick drive by hitting fullback Brett Mullen ’06 for Wesleyan’s lone touchdown in the 28-7 loss.
“Pepe put a charge into us with the punt block, but it was really too little too late,” Canter said. “We caught some bad breaks and got out of rhythm early, and when you get behind to a team hungry for a win, they’ll make coming back a hard thing to do.”
This weekend’s contest may be the biggest game of the year so far for the Cardinals, with up to one thousand alumni, students, parents and football fans out to support the team. Saturday’s match-up with Amherst represents the front end of this year’s Little Three Championship. While a victory would help to improve Wesleyan’s position in the league, it would also put it in a commanding position in the three-school rivalry this season. In the weeks following Saturday’s game, Amherst and Wes will square off with Williams .
Wesleyan suffered losses to both teams on the road last season, falling 41-0 to Amherst and 26-2 to Williams. But despite an overall losing record against both schools, the more recent history favors Wesleyan. The last home meeting between the Cardinals and the Lord Jeffs saw Wesleyan stuff a fourth and one QB sneak and block a field goal in the final two minutes of play to hang on for a 14-13 victory. The win marked the first time the Cardinals had beaten Amherst since 1992 and was the product of a tremendous offensive and defensive effort that made for a dramatic homecoming victory.
Canter and company will look to make some history of their own on Saturday, as they go for two in a row at home against the Lord Jeffs of Amherst. Kickoff time is set for 12 p.m.
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