MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In-state league rivals Wesleyan (6-2) and Trinity (7-1) meet on the gridiron this Saturday, November 13
th for the 120
th meeting in the all-time series as well as the final game of the 2021 season for both teams. The Cardinals head into Saturday's matchup having lost two straight, falling to Little 3 rivals Amherst (16-14 in four overtimes) and Williams (25-0 last weekend), but still have a chance to finish runner-up in the NESCAC with a win over the Bantams on Saturday. Trinity bounced back in a big way after a 42-3 setback at Williams on Oct. 30, the Bantams took apart Amherst in a 49-7 demolition last Saturday to move to 7-1 on the year.
The Cardinals saw their six-game unbeaten run to start the season come to an end on Homecoming when they lost to Amherst (5-3), 16-14, in a game that was decided in the fourth overtime period. The 6-0 start was Wesleyan's best open to a season since 2013. That year, the Cardinals finished in a three-way tie for first place in the NESCAC standings with a 7-1 mark, while also claiming the Little 3 title for the first time in 43 years.
Wesleyan currently sits in sole possession of third place in the league standings with one game remaining. Williams (8-0) is one game away from finishing an undefeated season while the Bantams can earn a split of the NESCAC title with a win over Wesleyan and an Ephs loss to Amherst. A Cardinal win would give the two sides identical 7-2 records and they would split runner-up honors in the league standings for 2021.
The Wesleyan-Trinity all-time series has Trinity leading with a mark of 64-54-1. In the past two decades, however, the Bantams have dominated the Cardinals with wins in 17 of the last 19 meetings since 2001. Despite with that recent string of results, Wesleyan is coming off a 28-20 road win over Trinity in their last meeting back in 2019 which marked the first Cardinal win in Hartford since 1997. Wesleyan had a 14-0 halftime lead in that win and held off a second half scare from the Bantams on the way to a huge win to cap an 8-1 season.
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 51-33 (.607) 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 26-7 (.788) at home with three 4-0 single-season home records in that span.
Wesleyan (6-2) – At a Glance
Bothered by torrential rain against Amherst and the league's top defense in Williams the past two weeks, Wesleyan's offense has been held under 21 points in consecutive weeks after the Cardinals scored 21+ in all six games to open the year. Despite the recent struggles, the Cardinals still rank 4
th in the NESCAC in scoring offense, averaging 23.8 points per game, having scored 30+ in three of their eight games in 2021. The Cardinals also have the league's fourth-best scoring defense, allowing only 19.0 points per game. Wesleyan's defense has rebounded of-late after allowing 35 points in consecutive weeks to Bowdoin and Tufts, having shutout Middlebury for the first time since 1975 in week 6, holding the Mammoths to 16 points in week 7 and holding Williams' league-leading offense to their lowest point total of the season on Saturday. Wesleyan's rush defense in particular has been strong all year, holding opponents to just 98.8 yards per game which is second-best in the NESCAC. Wesleyan's approach on third-down defense has also been a huge key to success, heading into Saturday's game allowing opponents to convert just 33.7 percent (35-for-104) on third downs in 2021 while also holding opponents to just 2-for-17 (11.8 percent; 3
rd in NCAA Div. III) on fourth downs.. On offense, the Cardinals are fourth-best in the NESCAC in terms of yardage, averaging 391 per game. Much of that damage has come on the ground as the Cardinals have rushed for 180+ yards five times this season. In eight games, Wesleyan is averaging 166 rushing yards a contest (2
nd in NESCAC) to go along with 225 passing yards (3
rd in NESCAC). Wesleyan has two players inside the top 10 on the NESCAC leaderboard in rushing yards per game (QB
David Estevez – 91.1 yards per game, 3
rd in NESCAC; RB
Charlie McPhee – 60.3; 8
th) while WR
Logan Tomlinson is the NESCAC's fourth-leading receiver, as the junior comes in averaging 94.8 receiving yards per game (51 catches for 758 yards, 5 TD in eight games). DT
Nick Helbig '23 and DE
Jackson Eighmy '22 are standouts on the defensive front, each coming in with 4.5 sacks on the season which is tied for fourth-most in the NESCAC. CB
Danny Banks '22 and FS
Jack Nally '24 are tied atop the NESCAC leaderboard with 3 INTs apiece.
Trinity (7-1) – At a Glance
The Bantams have rolled through nearly all competition this season, as Trinity has outscored their opponents 271-75 (+196, +28/game) in their seven wins in 2021. Unfortunately, the Bantams ran into the Ephs in week 7 and were handed a 42-3 defeat that could very well be the difference in who is crowned NESCAC Champion this season. QB Spencer Fetter is in the midst of one of the most seasons from a NESCAC QB in recent memory as he heads into the season finale with 2324 yards (290.5/game) with 26 TD and 2 INT while completing 74.1 percent of his attempts this season. He is coming off a 26-for-32 showing, throwing for 345 yards and a career-high 6 TD (matched school record) in a 49-7 blowout of Amherst at home last week. His 290.5 passing yards per game average is nearly 60 yards higher than the next leading thrower in the NESCAC while his completion percentage is 12 points higher than second place. Trinity features a pair of senior wide receivers as DeVante Reid (58 catches, 857 yards, 6 TD) and Jonathan Girard (56 catches, 782 yards, 11 TD) form a dynamic one-two punch at the position. Girard became Trinity's all-time leading receiver with 158 career catches in the win over the Mammoths last Saturday. On the ground, RB William Kirby has 694 yards (4.3 yards per carry) with 11 TDs, ranking third in the NESCAC in yards per game (86.8) heading into Saturday. Trinity's scoring offense (34.3) and defense (14.6) both rank second in the league while the Bantams' rush defense (89.3) is tops in the NESCAC.
