Coming off their second defensive shutout this year, the Cards will head to Williams on Saturday sporting a 3-3 record.
Wesleyan’s defensive unit showed last weekend that it can bounce back from defeat, as it rebounded nicely after letting up 23 unanswered points in a loss to Amherst the previous weekend. Saturday, the D will face a Williams team that is arguably the best in the NESCAC and sits atop the league with a 6-0 record.
Wesleyan will not have an easy time moving the ball against a stingy Williams defense that ranks third in the NESCAC in pass defense and has allowed just 7.7 points per game this year. The Cards will need a quick, early score in order to stay in the game past the first quarter, as Williams’ offense will poses quite a challenge for the talented Wesleyan defense.
Plus, a Little Three game takes the issue of the crowd to a completely different level. Wesleyan will be rooted against both by the entire Williams campus and also a large number of alumni anxious to root for a Little Three title. Little Three games, more so than a team’s final record, are often how seasons are remembered, and it will be hard for Wesleyan to come out with a victory this season.
“The Williams offense has two quarterbacks who match their two outstanding wide receivers in terms of threats,” said inside linebacker Pearce Talbot ’09. “One quarterback is a pocket passer who throws the deep ball and the other is a short attack scrambler.”
Of the two receivers that Williams flaunts, Jon Drenckhahn and Brendan Fulmer, Drenckhahn is more the target of the scrambling quarterback, while Fulmer is often seen sprinting downfield for the long touchdown pass. Covering these two would seem to be quite difficult, but recent NESCAC Player of the Week Joe Pepe ’07 is ready for the challenge.
“They’ll be lucky to catch the ball,” Pepe said. “They haven’t played someone like me yet. Wait and see; they won’t be half as effective.”
On paper, Wesleyan is most certainly walking into the lion’s den on Saturday, but we all know how much statistics counts for when you step on the field. Last year Wesleyan looked like at least a 3-5 team, with many thinking they could be 5-3. Instead, they were 0-8.
That’s why you play the game. Maybe Williams’ quarterback will throw a game winning-interception. Maybe, just maybe, Wesleyan can end the year at .500, completely defying everyone’s predictions.
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