Wesleyan University Football Has Strong Beginnings and Even Higher Levels of Ambition

Wesleyan football has taken the NESCAC by storm in the past several seasons, winning two straight NESCAC championships and four consecutive Little Three championships. Led by the returning NESCAC offensive player of the year Matthew Fitzsimons ’27, the Cardinals have gone a combined 16–3 in their past two seasons.

The Cardinals have continued this momentum this Fall with a 3–0 start, and with a possible three-peat on the horizon, Wesleyan football has high expectations to fulfill.

The Cards are working hard to rise to the challenge. Running back and co-captain Angelo LaRose ’27 discussed the mentality they are using to keep their heads in the game. 

“This season, we wanted to simplify it,” LaRose said. “We wanted to attack every day with the same intention, same intensity, same urgency. Take everything one day at a time and just win every day.”

The Cards also have their first chance to get a spot in the D-III NCAA tournament and compete for a National Championship; until this Fall, NESCAC football teams did not participate in the NCAA tournament. The opportunity to make the tournament has added extra excitement and motivation to the season.

“There’s been whispers for years of us participating in the NCAA, which is hard to ignore because we know how good the NESCAC is,” LaRose said. “We’re all fired up about it. It’s another goal to work for every day. I think NESCAC football is going to become a lot more popular, and the league is only going to get better from it.”

For the third straight season, the Cards opened against Middlebury, traveling up to Vermont to take on the Panthers.  

After the offense had a quick and unsuccessful first drive, the Cards were able to bounce back on their second. Wesleyan faced an early 3rd & 2, with Matt Diaz ’28 picking up the 1st down on a 6-yard run. The Cards were able to overcome a 1st & 20 as Fitzsimons ran for 16 yards. Wesleyan then faced another 3rd down, and converted on a 3-yard run from LaRose. A 15-yard pass to Blake Newcomb ’27 set up the Red and Black on Middlebury’s 3-yard line; Fitzsimons handed the ball to Diaz and he scored a touchdown, capping off a 13-play, eight-minute drive for the Cards. 

“Those long drives build confidence,” LaRose said. “That’s what builds our swagger. It’s like: We got this now and we know it works. We were able to convert on 3rd downs and move the chains, which is huge. Any time you can keep our defense off the field and keep the other offense off the field is key. That’s a huge part of winning games.”

On their next offensive series, the Cardinals would find the end zone again. The drive was set up by an 18-yard run from LaRose and a 20-yard catch from tight end Keith Capuano ’28. A few plays later, on 3rd & 2, Fitzsimons found Newcomb for a 33-yard touchdown pass. 

After the defense shut down the Panthers, Wesleyan maintained the pressure by scoring again. Fitzsimons connected with Capuano for a 12-yard gain, and then Sean Cannon ’27 for 14 yards on a key 3rd & 2. Fitzsimons found Newcomb for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving the Cards a 21–0 lead heading into halftime. 

The Red and Black would surrender a touchdown in the third quarter, but that didn’t deter the defense as Tommy Kilroy ’29 intercepted Panthers QB Aidan Moss for a 33-yard pick-six, extending their lead to 28–7.  

Moss rebounded by throwing a 14-yard touchdown. However, the Red and Black answered back on the next drive and all but ended the game thanks to a Fitzsimons 20-yard touchdown pass to Capuano. Week One was a rousing success as the Cards defeated the Panthers 35–13. 

The combination of Newcomb and Capuano was sensational, as Newcomb collected 2 touchdowns, 101 yards, and 5 catches, and Capuano collected 1 touchdown on 63 yards and 4 catches. 

“Blake’s one of my favorite players to watch as a teammate,” LaRose said. “He does ridiculous stuff. He makes ridiculous plays every day in practice and makes ridiculous plays during the game. Keith’s as solid as they come. Keith blocks, catches passes over the middle, and is always there when you need him. Those two players only get better every day, and it’s very exciting to watch. I’m proud to be their teammate.” 

On the heels of their first week victory, the Cards were set to face Tufts in their home opener the following week. Due an early-season Nor’easter, which brought heavy rain to New England, the game was played on Citrin Field. 

LaRose reflects on how the conditions led to a change in the game plan for the Red and Black. 

“There was a shift in game plan and shift in intensity,” LaRose said. “We knew we were going to have to run the ball more. Fitzsimons had only 14 passes, which is very uncommon for him, but got the job done. That shows the strength of our team. No matter the element, we can come in and execute at a high level.”

After a three-and-out to start the game, the conditions came into play as Yogi Culver ’29 recovered a muffed punt and set Wesleyan up at the Tufts 29-yard line. The Red and Black then had three straight runs to LaRose, leading to a Cards score.   

LaRose discussed the importance of Culver’s recovery and getting out to an early lead.

“It helped us settle in,” he said. “When we came out, there were a lot of emotions after we lost to them last year by two points. When Yogi recovered that ball, it all gave us a sense of comfort: ‘All right, let’s settle back in and play our game.’ We ended up punching one in right after Yogi recovered it, and then it was up from there.”

Both offenses would struggle with the weather conditions, but the Cards found their stroke on the fourth drive of the game. A 16-yard completion from Fitzsimons to Donte Kelly ’29 set up a 19-yard touchdown run for Fitzsimons. This gave the Cards a nice two-score lead at the end of the first quarter. 

But the Jumbos offense didn’t stay quiet for long. On the next drive, they were able to manufacture a 13-play, 7.5-minute touchdown drive, capped off by a 12-yard pass from QB Hudson Weidmann. 

The Cards would follow with a successful drive of their own. Diaz carried the drive with16-yard and 25-yard runs, before scoring the Cards’ third rushing touchdown of the afternoon and giving the Red and Black a 21–7 lead heading into halftime.

The Cards would keep the scoring coming in their opening drive of the second half. A 55-yard pass from Fitzsimons to Diego Velez ’28 set the Cards up for another scoring opportunity. Just a few plays later, Fitzsimons handed the ball off to Diaz, who took it into the end zone for a 28–7 lead. 

The defense would continue to hold throughout the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the offense continued to romp down the field, as Newcomb caught a 29-yard touchdown from Fitzsimons and Ryan Villano ’27 ran it in to ice the game for the Cards.

The Cards avenged last year’s 22–20 loss to the Jumbos with a monster 42–7 Week Two victory. The ground game proved to be vital to them, given the weather conditions, as they collected 204 yards and five touchdowns on the ground compared to their 184 air yards and one touchdown. 

Following the blowout win against Tufts, the Cardinals were set up to face Hamilton in New York. Many assumed Wesleyan’s previous performance meant another blowout in Week Three, as Hamilton was ranked lower than the Jumbos. 

Despite the projections, wide receiver Jake Smith ’30 described the Cardinals’ refusal to count Hamilton’s talent out. 

“We always say that in the NESCAC, any team is able to beat another team on any week,” Smith said. “We knew that they had a really good offense, so we expected it to be a dogfight.”

By the first snap, it was clear that Hamilton had come ready to play. It took the Continentals just three plays to score, set up by a 46-yard bomb from quarterback Luke Kurzum to wide receiver Matthew Kearns, who caught another 20-yard pass for a touchdown the next play. 

The Cardinals fired back with an eight-play drive of their own, capped off with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Fitzsimons to Kelly, giving Wesleyan a 7–6 lead. However, the momentum quickly shifted toward Hamilton after two long drives ending in rushing touchdowns that put the score at 20–7. Feeling the pressure from Hamilton’s hot start, the Cardinals knew they needed a big response.

“We got off to a slow start,” Smith said. “We just needed to get back into our rhythm, getting back to what we’ve done throughout the season and in practice. But we knew those hiccups wouldn’t continue. We knew that we were gonna come back.”

With the aid of a 25-yard rush by Kelly and a 22-yard reception from Capuano, Wesleyan scored on a 6-yard run by LaRose, bringing the score to 20–14. The masterful five-play drive proved that the Red and Black were still in the game. Both teams would trade touchdowns later in the quarter before Wesleyan’s defense forced Hamilton to punt for the first time all game. The scoreboard at the half read 27–21 for Hamilton.

Wesleyan came out of halftime with a point to prove. After receiving the ball, the offense engineered a meticulous 17-play, 75-yard drive, slowly wearing out Hamilton’s defense until they reached the end zone on a two-yard rush by Diaz.

After additional scores from both teams, the game was tied 35–35. The Continentals got the ball back, driving down the field and setting up a 1st & 10 at the Cardinals’ 13-yard line. Miraculously, Wesleyan’s defense mustered up a sack on 3rd & 7 by Owen McDevitt ’27 and Joey Weidl ’27, forcing a field goal from Hamilton and keeping the game alive. However, just after receiving the ball, Kelly fumbled at Wesleyan’s own 31-yard line with less than three minutes on the clock. It looked as though a victory for Hamilton was set in stone until two huge offensive penalties forced the Continentals back into their own territory. After a failed attempt at pushing back down field, Hamilton punted the ball away to the Cardinals. Following the stop, Wesleyan’s offense felt confident in their ability to seal the game.

“We had four receivers out there and [we’d] practiced two-minute drives all year,” Smith said. “We knew we were going to throw the ball with [Fitzsimons] leading us down the field. That’s what we planned, and that’s what we did.”

With less than two minutes left on the clock and a major need for a score, Wesleyan’s drive started at their own 15-yard line. Faced with an early 3rd & 14, Fitzsimons flung a 16-yard pass to Kelly, who picked up the first down on a toe-tap catch. That connection helped the Cardinals find their rhythm, completing three more passing plays that set them up in Continental territory.

With 19 seconds remaining, Smith lined up, confident in his ability to make a play. “I saw that I was manned up. I know that if anyone’s manned up on me, I’m going to beat them with my speed.” Fitzsimons snapped the ball, looking for an open man. He found one in the first-year speedster. He launched the ball to Smith, who took the ball 34 yards into the endzone to win the game 42–38.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to be that open,” Smith said. “The crazy part is that I was supposed to run a corner, but I switched the route and shot downfield because of how open I was. It was awesome. Being a freshman, I came into this season trying to earn my stripes, trying to be a guy on this team. Making that catch, scoring that touchdown, helping to win the game proved that I can be a difference maker.”

On the heels of the thrilling last-second victory, the Cardinals don’t plan to slow down anytime soon. The Cards have two tall tasks upcoming, facing Colby at 1 p.m. at Corwin Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 10, before matching up against Bates in the homecoming match. 

Benjamin Mayer can be reached at bmayer@wesleyan.edu.

Gabe Fredette can be reached at gfredette@wesleyan.edu.