• LIVE STATS
• LIVE VIDEO

Homecoming is never not a special day all across the country, alums flock back to campus to reconnect with many of whom they shared the same classroom, locker room and many walks across the quad, and it's no different at Wesleyan as this Saturday's week 7 tilt will bring many Cardinals, across many decades back to Andrus Field. Heading into Saturday flying high is Wesleyan, off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2013 while coming off a dominating 24-0 home win over annual league power Middlebury. On the opposite side is a familiar foe, Amherst, as the two Little 3 foes meet for an annual rivalry that dates all the way back to the 1882.
 
The Cardinals continued their winning ways last Saturday when they took down the reigning NESCAC champion Middlebury (1-5) at home, 24-0. Wesleyan's defense starred, holding the Panthers scoreless for the first time since 1975. Facing off against the 2019 NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year in Middlebury's QB Will Jernigan, the Cardinals stole the show and limited the talented signal caller to a career-low 37.1 completion percentage (13-for-35) while forcing two interceptions and generating three sacks. On offense, Wesleyan played smash mouth football, rushing a season-high 58 times for 265 yards, giving the Cardinals back-to-back games with 200+ rushing yards. RB Charlie McPhee '22 totaled a career-high 124 yards on the ground while QB David Estevez '22 went for 119, signaling Wesleyan's first game with multiple 100+ yard rushers since Kyle Gibson '14 and LaDarius Drew '14 did the same against Tufts back on Sept. 21, 2013 (63 games ago).
 
Wesleyan currently sits in a three-way tie for first place in the NESCAC standings alongside Williams and Trinity, as the three annual league powers all sit 6-0. Amherst comes in with a 4-2 mark, having defeated Hamilton 21-0 last Saturday. Much like the Cardinals last Saturday, Amherst's defense was the star of the game as the Mammoths finished with four INTs including a 30-yard run back for a TD late in the first half in the shutout win over the Continentals. The Mammoths have losses this season to Colby at home and Bowdoin on the road.
 
The last time these two sides met in 2019 was an epic back-and-forth dual that required double overtime to determine a winner. Trailing by a touchdown entering the fourth quarter, QB Ashton Scott '22 threw a 62-yard score to his classmate WR Matt Simco '22 who sprinted down the right sideline untouched to knot the game at 28-28. With two seconds remaining in regulation, Mason Von Jess '23 had his game-winning attempt from 25 yards out blocked, forcing overtime. Danny Banks '22 then picked off Amherst QB Ollie Eberth on the first play of the second OT, setting the stage for Von Jess who made no mistake this time from 20 yards out, giving the Cardinals a huge road win over their Little 3 rival.
 
A return to the friendly confines of Corwin Stadium as the home field advantage is a significant one in favor of the Cardinals over the years. Since the formation of the NESCAC in 2000, Wesleyan is 51-32 (.614) at home. In the 20 full seasons of NESCAC football, Wesleyan has sported a single-season losing record at home three times, including just once since 2009. Since 2013, Wesleyan is 26-6 (.813) at home with three 4-0 single-season home records in that span.
 
The 2021 campaign marks the 138th season of Wesleyan football with competition as the Cardinals have already secured a ninth straight winning season heading into the back half of the schedule. Wesleyan went 8-1 and finished in sole possession of second place in the NESCAC standings in 2019, marking the third time in program history that the Cardinals won eight games in a season and the first time since 1969. Wesleyan posted thrilling wins against Amherst (31-28 2OT) and Williams (27-21 OT) to earn their third Little 3 title in the past seven seasons. The Cardinals saw 13 players earn a spot on the All-NESCAC Team, the most of any team in the conference.
 
Wesleyan (6-0) – At a Glance
Wesleyan sports the third-best scoring offense (29.3) and fourth-best scoring defense (18.5) in the NESCAC through six games. The Cardinals have scored 21+ points in all six games and have reached the 30+ point mark three times. Wesleyan's ground game has hit its stride, picking up 277 rushing yards in week 5 at Tufts and following that up with 265 against Middlebury in week 6, the Cardinals' 176.3 rushing yards per game average is second-best in the conference. An area Wesleyan will look to clean up is pass defense as the Cardinals allow 278.5 passing yards per game, worst in the NESCAC, but playmaking has been a strength all season in the secondary, as the Cardinals' eight INTs are second-most in the league (behind only Amherst's nine). Two-time NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week QB David Estevez '22 is the NESCAC's second-leading rusher (570 yards), averaging 95 per game while he amassed a school record 474 total yards of offense in the Cardinals' week 5 win at Tufts. WR Logan Tomlinson '23 has had a huge impact, posting 42 catches for 634 yards with 5 TD in six games, good enough for third in the NESCAC in receiving yards per game (105.7). FS Jack Nally '24 is the main playmaker in the Wesleyan secondary as he is coming off a 2-INT game against Middlebury, giving him three for the season (tied for 1^st in the NESCAC) while his seven passes defended is second-most in the conference.
 
Amherst (4-2) – At a Glance
The Mammoths have been a solid all-around team this season, sitting fifth in the NESCAC in scoring offense (18.5) and third in scoring defense (13.7). Amherst's biggest strength has been their rushing offense, averaging 136.3 yards per game (3^rd in the NESCAC), but it will be put to the test against Wesleyan's rush defense which currently sits second-best in the league (allowing 76.5 yards per game). Amherst has done little in the passing game, as three quarterbacks have seen the field through six games. Sophomore QB Brad Breckenridge took every snap in Amherst's 24-0 win over Hamilton and was efficient, going 13-for-24 for 183 yards with 0 INT. RB Kellen Field has rushed for 100+ yards twice this season and has 414 rushing yards (4^th in the NESCAC) on 102 carries this season. LB Tim Swope has been one of the top defensive players in the league this season, coming in tied for the top spot in the conference leaderboard with 62 tackles (10.3 per game) to go along with 2.5 sacks and 5.5 TFL.