Nearly 700 days have come and gone since Wesleyan completed the 2019 season with an 8-1 record, putting a cap on one of the program's most-successful seasons in recent memory. It's been a long, long wait for Coach DiCenzo's group and the Cardinal faithful but Wesleyan is primed and ready with a talented roster, aiming to make a run at a league title.
The 2021 NESCAC football season kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, September 18, as Wesleyan University heads to Waterville, Maine to square off against Colby College for the 43
rd meeting in the all-time series. The Cardinals hold a 25-17 lead in the series which dates back to 1927 but come in with a 10-game win streak entering Saturday's season opener. During the current streak, Wesleyan has outscored the Mules 315-140.
Back in 2019, the Cardinals opened their last season with a dominating 30-10 win over the Mules at home. In his first career start,
Ashton Scott '22 shined at QB as he went 17-for-29 for 200 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT while also rushing 13 times for 76 yards. Despite the +20 differential, the yardage total wasn't as dominating as Wesleyan outgained Colby by less than 100 yards (454-364) but the key stat in that last meeting was +4 in turnover differential in favor of the Cardinals. Colby QB Matt Hersch was intercepted twice while the Wesleyan defense also forced two fumbles in the decisive victory.
Scott led the Cardinals in both passing and rushing as he put up over 300 yards of total offense in what was the then-sophomore's first career start.
Charlie McPhee '22 added 63 yards on the ground on just nine carries while do-everything offensive weapon
David Estevez '22 totaled 63 yards (54 rushing, 9 receiving).
Matt Simco '22 finished with team-leading totals in receptions (4) and receiving yards (65) as he scored on a 22-yard pitch-and-catch from Scott to make it 30-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Chase Pratt piled up 10 total tackles, including one sack, to lead the Cardinal defense while
Danny Banks '22 and Ben Thaw '20 each tallied an INT. Banks was stellar from his CB spot, chipping in two pass breakups as well as four tackles (three solo) in the outing which saw Wesleyan allow a season-low opponent point total.
Mason von Jess '23 also went 3-for-3 on field goals in his first career game, hitting from 38, 39 and 40 yards away.
Colby recorded 364 yards of total offense with 244 passing and 120 rushing. Hersch went 22-for-40 for 244 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. RB Chris George averaged 5.8 yards a clip, finishing with 104 yards on 18 carries while WR Rory Glavin eclipsed 100 yards, totaling 104 on six receptions. The Mules didn't record a sack or takeaway but did combined for 5 TFL as a defensive unit while Marcus Bullard tallied a game-high 12 total tackles (seven solo). Third down was a massive problem spot for Colby in that 30-10 loss as the Mules went 1-for-11.
The 2021 campaign marks the 138
th season with competitive games of Wesleyan football as the Cardinals look to conclude the fall with 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. DL
Nick Helbig was named NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year in 2019 while OL
Bryce Jenkins '21, P'22 was an All-East Region selection.
Offensively, Wesleyan ranked fourth in the NESCAC in scoring (28.1) in 2019 and fifth in total offense (378.8 yards/game). The Cardinals threw for 234.9 yards per game and rushed for 143.9 per contest while recording 18 passing TDs and 13 rushing scores. Wesleyan led the league in 4
th down conversions (9-for-14, 64.3 percent) while the Cardinals sat fourth in 3
rd down defense (34.4) and second in time of possession (32:23/game). QB
Ashton Scott led the league in completion percentage (61.3), threw the second-fewest INTs (three) and was second in efficiency rating (150.0). WR
Matt Simco returns in 2021 after an impressive sophomore year that saw him catch 44 passes for 761 yards and 6 TD. DL
Nick Helbig was also impressive as a rookie in 2019, a league-leading 7.5 sacks to go along with 13 TFL in nine games. CB
Danny Banks also returns this season following a sophomore season where he tied for second in the NESCAC in pass breakups (12) and tied for third with 4 INTs.
Defensively, Wesleyan ranked third in scoring (19.1 points allowed/game) and fourth in total defense (346.2 yards allowed/game) while surrendering 151.0 rushing yards and 195.2 passing yards per game. Wesleyan's defense relied on big plays as the Cardinals tied for second with 16 INT as a team in 2019 while also putting up the second-most sacks (25). A lot of new faces enter the lineup in 2021 as Wesleyan has just three returning starters from the 2019 season. Luckily, there is one returning starter on each level of the defense (DL Helbig, LB
Isaiah Miller, DB Banks) as the trio's leadership and experience will be leaned on heading into the new season. On special teams, the return of All-NESCAC K/P
Mason von Jess '23 is a luxury for the Cardinals as he was the NESCAC's leader in PAT percentage (31-of-32) while he went 8-for-12 on FG attempts including 2-of-3 from 40-49 yards out.
David Estevez '22 figures to be back returning punts and kickoffs as he averaged 10.2 yards per punt return as well as 29.1 on kickoffs that included a 94-yard TD against Williams.
Colby finished the 2019 campaign with a 2-7 record with wins over Bates (23-20) and Bowdoin (47-34). The Mules were 1-3 at home and 1-4 on the road in their last competitive season but nearly pulled out a thrilling upset at undefeated 2019 NESCAC Champion Middlebury. Colby was trailing in that near-upset 27-13 with 14:49 remaining but managed to back-to-back scores, the second of which on a fumble recovery in the end zone but the ensuing PAT attempt was missed and that one point was the difference in the end.
The offense finished towards the bottom of the NESCAC rankings in several categories including points per game (17.4) and total offense (300.2/game) while the Mules were the league's worst rushing attack (89.3/game), averaging 25.1 fewer yards per game than ninth place Tufts. Colby leaned on their passing attack which averaged 210.9 yards/game, which ranked fifth in the conference. Hersch is back as a two-year starter for the Mules and he posted 1898 yards with 8 TD and 8 INT in his sophomore year in 2019. Colby's top two leading rushers from 2019 both graduated, leaving senior Devin Marrocco (121 yards on 35 carries in 2019) as the team's leading returning rusher. Colby will also feature several new weapons at WR as five of their top six leaders in receiving yards from 2019 have graduated. Their leading returning receiver is TE Pat Sweetnam who put up 13 catches for 200 yards and 3 TD last season.
On the defensive side, Colby finished ninth in scoring, allowing 30.6 points per game. The Mules finished ninth in total defense, surrendering 406.3 yards per game while allowing 198.0 on the ground and 208.3 through the air. Colby players accounted for 12 sacks and 6 INT as a team in 2019 while the defense allowed opponents to convert on 45.8 percent of their third down opportunities, a percentage that ranked ninth last season. The team's top three leading tacklers from 2019 have graduated, leaving senior LB Will Terzi (38 tackles, 6.5 TFL in 2019) as the leading returning tackler for the Mules in 2021.
