MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Turnovers plagued the Wesleyan football team as the Bantams made the Cardinals pay the ultimate price in a 58-6 loss at Corwin Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan sees their eight-game home winning streak come to an end as the Cardinals finish the 2023 season with a 6-3 record. The Bantams move to 7-1 on the year.
 
Right from the opening drive, the Cardinals were up against it as QB Niko Candido '25 threw one of his five interceptions, getting picked off by Hunter Tully who returned the ball to the Cardinals' 15-yard line. On a 3^rd-and-4 play on the ensuing drive, Bantam QB Spencer Fetter found Tyler DiNapoli open in the flat who took it in for the game's first touchdown just three minutes into play.
 
A response looked imminent for the Cardinals who drove down the field on a 12-play drive, reaching the Trinity 7-yard line but Candido's second interception cost Wesleyan at least a chance at a field goal as Darren Warren snagged the INT for a touchback.
 
Trinity put together a 15-play, 80-yard drive that consumed nearly seven minutes of game clock, ultimately punching home a rushing score from 1-yard out by Colin McCabe to make it 14-0 Bantams.
 
It went from bad to worse as Candido was stripped on a rushing attempt up the middle as the loose ball was recovered by Sean Ryan, giving Trinity the ball back in great field position. On the very next play, Fetter hit Sean Clapp for a 29-yard scoring strike and it was 21-0 Trinity.
 
After forcing a Wesleyan three-and-out, the Bantams scored again on their next possession, with Fetter hitting Clapp once again to make it 27-0 after a missed extra point.
 
It was 30-0 Trinity midway through the second quarter before Wesleyan put together their first and only scoring drive of the game. Candido hit WR Colby Geddis '26 for 16 yards to start the drive and the junior quarterback picked up 18 yards on a scamper to put Wesleyan in the red zone. Three plays later, Candido found WR Rickey Eng '25 open over the middle for a 7-yard touchdown.
 
Trinity put the game to bed midway through the third quarter with 21 points in a span of just over four minutes. Fetter found Clapp once again, this time for 37 yards out. Then another Wesleyan fumble led to a Fetter-Clapp TD and it was 51-6 Bantams after Fetter hit Mathew Laughlin from 10 yards out.
 
Trinity outgained Wesleyan 495-275 for the game and 359-134 through the air. The Cardinals outgained Trinity on the ground 141-136, but seven turnovers proved too much to overcome against a Bantam side that didn't turn the ball over once in the proceedings.
 
LB Kade Doverspike '24 led the Cardinal defense with nine tackles while CB Sean Walker '25 had two pass breakups and DB Luke LaSaracina '25 had the lone tackle for loss on the team.
 
Wesleyan concludes the 2023 campaign with another winning season, the 10^th straight for the Cardinals and the longest run of winning seasons in the 140+ year history of the program.