The 2022 football season opens with an enticing week 1 matchup featuring a Wesleyan squad headlined by a host of returning All-NESCAC performers from a year ago with the opposition fronted by former Cardinal coach and Wesleyan alum Matt Coyne '12 who enters his first season as the head coach of the Bobcats.

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Pumping the excitement up even more for this season opener is the thriller in Lewiston last season that saw Wesleyan score the go-ahead touchdown with 4:29 remaining and then the Cardinal defense forced two turnovers in the final minutes to seal a thrilling 27-24 win in what was Bates' Homecoming game. QB David Estevez '22 dominated, going 12-for-12 passing for 123 yards and 2 TDs while he also ran 16 times for 57 yards and caught two balls for 61 yards and another touchdown as he accounted for all three Wesleyan scores that day. Wesleyan's defense had a big day as the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year Nick Helbig '23 and Colton Weier '24 combined for 4.5 TFL while CB Darreyl Willams '24 intercepted Bates QB Brendan Costa with 52 seconds left and the Bobcats driving deep into Cardinal territory to seal the victory.
 
That win sent continued an undefeated start to the 2021 campaign, a streak that lasted through the large part of October as Wesleyan started last season 6-0. Bates, meanwhile, started 1-6 before ending last season on a high note with close wins coming at Bowdoin and home against Hamilton to finish 2021 with a 3-6 mark. Wesleyan is 35-4 all-time against Bates and 18-1 at home, but with last season's battle combined with Coyne now in-place, this contest has all the makings of another thriller.
 
Cardinal fans can expect to see plenty of familiar faces from a year ago as Wesleyan returns a pair of experienced QBs while the skill positions are loaded with talented returners and the offensive line features three returners as well. On defense, its much of the same as seven of the Cardinals' top eight leading tacklers from 2021 are back again in 2022 including Helbig, who became just the second Wesleyan player in program history to earn NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and All-NESCAC First Team selection CB Danny Banks '22 (NESCAC-leading 6 INTs in 2021) and Second Teamer LB Harry LeGoullon '23 (47 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2 sacks in 2021).
 
Wesleyan's offense was well-balanced in 2021 with the Cardinals ranking fourth in the NESCAC in total offense (373.9 yards/game) featuring the third-best ground game (150.4) and fourth-best passing attack (223.4) in the league. The Cardinals greatly benefit from the return of three All-NESCAC performers on the offensive side including First Team selection WR Logan Tomlinson '23 who burst onto the scene in his debut season on the field. After missing his entire freshman year due to injury in 2019 and despite facing constant double teams as the primary outside weapon, Tomlinson managed to haul in 59 catches for 849 yards and 5 TD in nine games. Estevez is back at QB this season after being named All-NESCAC Second Team in 2021. He closed out the year with 1360 passing yards with a 64% completion percentage while tossing 11 TD against just 4 INT. The dual-threat QB also led the team in rushing as he added 746 yards (4.9 yards/carry) with 4 rushing TD, ranking fourth in the NESCAC in rushing yards (tops among QBs) with the second-best completion percentage. The third All-NESCAC returner is. along the offensive line as G Sam Folse '23 is back after starting all nine games and helping pave the way for Wesleyan which scored 30+ pinots three times last season. RB Charlie McPhee '22 (524 yards, 4 TD) is also back while WR Matt Simco '22 is ready to make an impact as he missed the bulk of last season due to injury but led the team in catches (44), yards (761) and TD (6) as a sophomore back in 2019.
 
The Cardinal defense was one of the best in the NESCAC last season and return a boat load of players from a unit that ranked third in the league in scoring defense (18.4) and total yards allowed (353.1) in 2021. Wesleyan intercepted opponents 14 times last season, easily the best in the league, with six of those coming from Banks who was an All-NESCAC pick for the second time in his career. Banks ranked Top 10 nationally with his 6 INTs while his playing making abilities were on full display as he tied the school record with three picks against Trinity. Helbig's impact in the middle is a constant headache for opponents as the one-man wrecking crew led the team in tackles with 50 (33 solo) while sitting tied for second in the NESCAC in both TFL (11) and sacks (5.5). Through two seasons of competition, Helbig has 89 career tackles, 24 TFL and 13 sacks in 18 games played. LeGoullon made the All-NESCAC Second Team with a strong finish to the year, highlighted by an incredible all-around performance against Trinity that featured 11 tackles (seven solo), 2.5 TFL and one sack.
 
After a five-year stay on the Wesleyan coaching staff, Coyne takes over a Bates squad that ranked seventh in the league in both total offense and defense in 2021. The graduation of Costa at QB is a hole as he finished third in the NESCAC in passing (210/game) but the Bates defense should be a vaunted unit in 2022 as First Team All-NESCAC LB Tony Hooks is back after leading the conference in tackles last season with 92 (10.2/game) to go along with 4.5 sacks.