The men’s football team will challenge the Tufts Jumbos in Boston on Saturday. The squad has not played Tufts since 2005, when the Jumbos beat the Cards 16-6 and Wesleyan only accumulated 138 yards of total offense. The loss was Wesleyan’s first in a dreadful 0-8 season. The team has since posted a 3-5 record in 2006 and a 4-4 record in 2007.
The team feels confident this year about its chances against the Jumbos as they look to redeem the 2005 loss.
“We’ve made a lot of progress since the 2005 season and it’s indicative of our hustle, commitment to the team and stunningly good looks,” said co-captain Vincent Colangelo ’09.
Wesleyan has 19 starters returning from the 2007 squad. This veteran leadership looks to propel the Cards to a winning record this year, though the Jumbos are perennially a strong team, finishing 5-3 in 2007.
“We prepare week to week and right now all we are trying to do is go out and get that first W,” said Kyle MacDonald ’10.
The strength of the squad is Wesleyan’s versatile, tough defense. With the pass-rushing abilities of Peter Sugarbaker ’10 and David Burstein ’10, the Jumbo quarterbacks will be on the ground all afternoon. Likewise, the stellar linebacker core led by Colangelo is both quick and strong. The Wesleyan front men take a lot of pride in stopping the run.
The team’s defensive backfield, consisting of co-captains Drew Dominguez ’09 and Andrew Fiola ’09, will shut down any and all passing plays in the Jumbos playbook. Dominguez and Fiola have a lot of experience playing together and have great field awareness—something the Jumbos will find out quickly this Saturday.
“I feel pretty confident that our defense is going to get the job done this Saturday,” said David Burstein ’10. “We are both a competent and coherent group.”
With the loss of former second team all-NESCAC quarterback Zach Librizzi ’08, Wesleyan has made some adjustments on the offensive side of the ball. Stepping in for Librizzi will most likely be Joe Giaimo ’11. Luckily for Giaimo, Wesleyan’s entire offensive line from last year—which Matt Maroldi ’09 calls an “impenetrable force”—is back to protect him.
The veteran line will be responsible for opening shipping lane-sized holes for star running back Shea Dwyer ’10. Dwyer’s shifty playmaking abilities helped him accumulate 351 yards on the ground last season. Giaimo has returning all-NESCAC receiver Ryan Walsh ’09 to throw the ball to, which will ease his transition into the starting role. With his flawless route running and soft hands, Walsh racked up 573 yards receiving in 2007, and averaged an astonishing 16.4 yards per catch.
The Cardinals are prepared and excited to take the field for the first time this Saturday at Tufts. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to play in front of the home crowd until Sept. 27 when Hamilton comes to Andrus field.
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