WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Wesleyan (6-1) and Williams (7-0) meet on the gridiron this Saturday, November 6
th for the 126
th time in the storied rivalry between Little 3 foes. The Cardinals come into Saturday's matchup riding a seven-game win streak against the Ephs, the longest-ever unbeaten run in the all-time series for Wesleyan. The Cardinals are coming off their first defeat of the season, a heartbreaking 16-14 Homecoming loss to their other Little 3 rival Amherst, while the Ephs are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the NESCAC and are coming off a dominating 42-3 win over previously unbeaten Trinity.
The Cardinals saw their six-game unbeaten run to start the season come to an end last Saturday when they lost to Amherst (5-2), 16-14, in a game that was decided in the fourth overtime period. The 6-0 start was Wesleyan's best to open a season since 2013. That year, the Cardinals finished in a there-way tie for first place in the NESCAC with a 7-1 mark, while also claiming the Little 3 title for the first time in 43 years.
Wesleyan currently sits in a tie for second place in the NESCAC standings alongside Trinity while Williams heads in with a 7-0 mark, sitting alone atop the league leaderboard. Both Wesleyan and Williams are 6-0 against common opponents thus far in the season but Williams has been pummeling league competition, outscoring opponents 258-76 (+26 average per game scoring margin), through seven games.
Wesleyan and Williams has been particularly one-sided of late, as the Cardinals are 7-0 against the Ephs since 2013 which includes three wins in Williamstown (21-14 in 2018, 59-14 in 2016 and 22-0 in 2014). In the series history, however, Williams owns a sizeable 76-44-5 record against the Cardinals and prior to the recent Wesleyan unbeaten streak, the Ephs had won 13 straight meetings between the two sides between 2000-12. Last year's showdown was one for the books as Wesleyan scored the game-tying touchdown with 17 seconds remaining in regulation and on the first play of overtime,
David Estevez '22 ran in for the game-winning touchdown to win it for the Cardinals and secure the program's third Little 3 title since 2013 on Homecoming. In that contest, Williams outgained Wesleyan 419-296 (296-65 on the ground) but the Cardinals scored on a pair of big plays (52-yard TD catch from
Delando Clarke and 94-yard kickoff return from Estevez) to keep the score close.
The 2021 campaign marks the 138
th season of Wesleyan football with competition as the Cardinals have already secured a ninth-straight winning season. 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.
The Cardinals (6-1) – At a Glance
Bothered by torrential rain and a strong Amherst defense, Wesleyan's offense was held under 21 points for the first time all season in last week's 16-14 loss in four overtimes. Despite last week's struggles, the Cardinals still rank 3
rd in the NESCAC in scoring offense, averaging 27.1 points per game, having scored 30+ in three of their seven games in 2021. The Cardinals also have the league's fourth-best scoring defense, allowing only 18.1 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 and holding the Mammoths to 16 points last week. Wesleyan's rush defense in particular has been strong all year, holding opponents to just 71.6 yards per game which easily ranks first in the NESCAC (Trinity is second-best at 97.7 yards allowed per game) and 19
th in the nation. Another key for this squad has been controlling the turnover margin as the Cardinals are +4 on the season, snagging at least one interception in all but one game (2 INTs in four contests). 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 29.5 percent (26-for-88) on third downs in 2021 while also holding opponents to just 1-for-15 (6.7 percent; 2
nd in NCAA Div. III) on fourth downs, both of which lead the NESCAC by wide margins. On offense, the Cardinals are second-best in the NESCAC in terms of yardage, averaging 416.6 per game which is just behind Tufts' league-leading 422.1/game average. Much of that damage has come on the ground as the Cardinals have rushed for 180+ yards five times this season and four straight overall. In seven games, Wesleyan is averaging 177.1 rushing yards a contest (2
nd in NESCAC) to go along with 239.4 passing yards (3
rd in NESCAC). Wesleyan has two players inside the top 5 on the NESCAC leaderboard in rushing yards per game (QB
David Estevez – 92.7 yards per game, 2
nd in NESCAC; RB
Charlie McPhee – 67.9; 5
th) while WR
Logan Tomlinson is the NESCAC's second-leading receiver, as the junior comes in averaging 100.3 receiving yards per game (47 catches for 702 yards, 5 TD in seven games). Wesleyan has outgained their opponents in rushing yards in all seven games this season.
The Ephs (7-0) – At a Glance
Williams has been a league juggernaut this season, outscoring opponents by a combined total of 258-76 (+26 per game). The Ephs are coming off a 42-3 beat down of previously unbeaten Trinity last week while Williams has also beaten Middlebury (41-13), Bowdoin (28-3), Colby (42-0) and Hamilton (35-7) by four-plus scores already this season. Williams comes in with the top-ranked offense (36.9 points scored per game) and defense (10.9 points allowed per game) in the NESCAC this season. The Ephs offense has scored at least four touchdowns in every game this season and have scored 40+ points three times in seven games. The Williams defense, meanwhile, hasn't allowed a touchdown in 3-of-7 games this season. On offense, Williams relies heavily on the ground game as the team averages 228.1 yards per game, tops in the NESCAC and 50+ yards more than the NESCAC's second-best rushing offense (Wesleyan – 177.1 yards per game). The Ephs have scored 24 rushing touchdowns in seven games, the next-highest mark in the NESCAC belongs to Trinity (10 rushing TDs). It'll be strength vs. strength on Saturday as Wesleyan's rush defense has been atop the NESCAC leaderboard all season. Williams has been efficient through the air (12 TDs against 4 INTs) but the volume is quite low as the Ephs' 175.4 passing yards per game average is last in the NESCAC. On the flip side, Williams' pass defense is easily the best in the league, allowing opponents to throw for just 153.9 yards per game in the air while opposing QBs are competing an absurdly low 45.4 percent of pass attempts through seven games. The Williams rush defense is also solid as the Ephs are allowing just 3.3 yards per carry while opponents are averaging just 13.9 first downs per game (1
st in NESCAC).
