The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season last week, falling to Middlebury 24-10 up in Vermont. Wesleyan's offense struggled to get going throughout the contest, managing only one touchdown on the day. The Cards 10 points is the least number of points they have scored against the Panthers since 2007, a home game in which they also lost 24-10. They look to bounce back in Week 3 in their matchup against the 1-1 Hamilton Continentals. The two teams will match up for the 51^st time in their storied histories, with Wesleyan holding the series lead 31-18-1.

Wesleyan has dominated the recent matchups against the Continentals, taking eight of the last nine games. In those eight wins, the Cardinals have won by an average of 20 points with their only loss in that span coming in 2018, 33-29. In their most recent matchup last year, the Cards handled the Continentals 30-14. They dominated from kickoff, scoring 27 unanswered points to open the game. Three important skill position players return for the Cardinals who played in that game in: Ashton Scott '22, David Estevez '22, and Logan Tomlinson '23. Scott and Estevez combined for 225 yards and four touchdowns through the air in their 2021 meeting, while Estevez added 69 yards on the ground. Tomlinson had a multiple touchdown game as well, reeling in two TD grabs as part of his seven-catch 81-yard performance. The trio looks to duplicate that success Saturday in their 2022 matchup.

The Cardinals have had little trouble when traveling to Clinton, NY over the years posting a 16-7-1 record against the Continentals on the road. In fact, they have actually faired better in the Empire State (16-7-1, 68.8 win %) then at home (15-11, 57.7 win %) in their history. Wesleyan has taken the last four games in Clinton, with the Continentals last home win against the Cardinals coming all the way back in 2011 where they won 7-6. In their most recent clash in New York, it was all-Cardinals as they took the game 28-10 to improve to 2-0 in the young 2019 season.

WESLEYAN (1-1) – At a Glance
After a convincing win to open the 2022 season against Bates, the Cardinals were unable to keep the momentum going as they fell in Week 2 to the Middlebury Panthers 24-10. Wesleyan struggled to convert on offensive chances throughout the day against the Panthers. Despite moving the ball down the field multiple times, beating Middlebury in total yards (403-346), and starting drives with good field position, the Cards only found the end zone once on a trick play in the 2^nd quarter. Through two games it has been a pass-heavy style of play for the Cardinals. Wesleyan leads the NESCAC in pass attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and yards per game through the air. The air-raid attack is led by a two-quarterback system in Scott and Estevez. After a pretty evenly split first game against Bates, the Cardinals leaned on the arm of Scott for the majority of the Middlebury contest. Scott threw a career-high 41 passes for 252 yards and two interceptions in the Cards Week 2 loss. Their main target is WR Logan Tomlinson, the 6'3 senior put up an impressive 146 yards receiving last week and is known for making contested catches. Tomlinson currently ranks 4^th in the NESCAC in receptions (13), 3^rd in yards (196), and is tied for 2^nd with two touchdown grabs. He also showed off his arm with a 22-yard TD pass last week. Wesleyan's defense has done a good job forcing turnovers through two games, as they have forced three fumbles and three interceptions. They also currently rank 1^st in the NESCAC in sacks with five, all of which were credited to DT Nick Helbig '23 (5 sacks, 3 FF, 9 tackles) who has been a one-man wrecking crew so far this season. CB Danny Banks '23 has held it down in the secondary for the Cardinals, leading the NESCAC with two interceptions.
 
HAMILTON (1-1) – At a Glance
Hamilton heads into Week 3 riding a big 24-10 win over Amherst last weekend. The Continentals bounced back after a tough 41-13 opening week defeat at the hands of the Bowdoin Polar Bears. Hamilton actually fell behind early to the Mammoths in Week 2, trailing 7-0 before scoring 24 unanswered points to take control of the game in the 2^nd half. Unlike the Cardinals, the Continentals offense is built on the ground with RB Kamau Hopewell. Hopewell is the workhorse for Hamilton, compiling a NESCAC-best 55 carries through two games. He might have rushed for even more had the Continentals not been down by multiple scores for most of the season opener. Hopewell has been productive with his carries, rushing for 165 yards through two games which is good for 3^rd in the NESCAC. When they do go to the air, it's QB Matt Banbury. Banbury ranks middle of the NESCAC in yards and completions, while ranking 4^th in completion percentage at 66.7%. Their threat on the outside is WR Lucas Perez-Segnini. The 6'3 wideout ranks 7^th in the NESCAC in receiving yards despite only having nine receptions. Of his nine catches, two of them have gone for Continentals scores. The Hamilton defense ranks middle of the pack in most statistical categories, however they are the only NESCAC team to not record a sack yet this season. LB George Johnson leads the Continentals on that side of the ball, recording 19 tackles (4^th NESCAC) to go along with 1.5 tackles for loss.