Amidst Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities, the Cardinals took the field against Williams on Saturday looking to improve their position in the NESCAC standings. Instead, they suffered a setback at the hands of the Ephs, losing 34-7 in a game that was not as lopsided as the score indicated.
In the first half, Wesleyan had plenty of scoring chances but simply could not convert them into points. Three times they got into the Ephs’ red zone, and three times they came away without any points. Missed field goals, from 31 and then 29 yards, hurt the Cardinals, as did a failed 4th-and-goal attempt from the Williams two-yard line.
The Wesleyan defense, however, was staunch in the first half, holding high-powered Williams to just 121 yards and .one offensive score, which came just 12 seconds before halftime. The Ephs’ other first-half touchdown came on a 40-yard interception return. Other than that crucial turnover, Wesleyan had been moving the ball well in the first half, accumulating 135 yards. The interception, along with the Cardinals’ red-zone woes, meant the game was much closer than its 14-0 halftime score indicated.
Wesleyan finally got on the board after Williams opened the second half with another touchdown and the teams exchanged punts. The Cardinals’ lone scoring drive was an outstanding one, with QB Blake DuBois ’12 leading Wes 89 yards in 14 plays. DuBois converted two third-and-long plays on the drive with passes to Dave Brunelli ’12, who also capped the drive with an 8-yard TD catch on 4th-and-goal. Brunelli finished the game with five catches for 50 yards and the touchdown, and DuBois performed admirably despite being forced to throw 40 times. He completed 23 of his 40 attempts for 188 yards, the touchdown to Brunelli, and one interception as the Cardinals played from behind for the majority of the game.
Brunelli’s TD reduced the deficit to 21-7 in Williams’ favor as the third quarter ended. But the Ephs took control of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring two more touchdowns and holding Wesleyan to just two first downs. Although the Cardinals blocked one of Williams’ extra point attempts, it was not enough to prevent a 34-7 defeat. The Ephs improved their offensive output in the second half, finishing the game with 388 yards to the Cardinals’ 259.
Jordan Greene ’11 stood out defensively for the Cardinals, accumulating 11 tackles and forcing a Williams fumble in the second quarter. Williams ran its winning streak against Wesleyan to 10 games and improved to 22-2 against the Cardinals since 1986. Wesleyan last defeated the Ephs in 1999, snapping Williams’ 15-game winning streak that began following the Ephs’ loss to Wesleyan in 1997.
Williams’ victory improved the Ephs’ record to 6-1 and set up an important game this Saturday when Amherst visits Williamstown for a contest that will determine both the Little Three and NESCAC titles. Wesleyan, meanwhile, dropped to 3-4, and will travel to Trinity, which has lost two straight, this Saturday for its final game of 2009.
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