Two wins through two weeks has the Cardinals flying high heading into a Week 3 showdown against Bates, who are coached by Wesleyan alum and former assistant coach Matt Coyne '12. Wesleyan looks to keep pace with the three other remaining undefeated teams in the NESCAC (Amherst, Trinity, Williams) after having scored impressive wins over Middlebury (43-7 in Week 1) on the road and Tufts (20-9 in Week 2) at home in front of a packed crowd last Saturday night.
 
The story of the season thus far has been the play of the Wesleyan defense, as the senior-laden unit has allowed just one touchdown and 16 total points through two weeks. Every other NESCAC team has allowed at least two touchdowns on the season while the Cardinals lead the NESCAC in takeaways (six) with four fumbles forced and two interceptions. Opponents are converting just 19.4 percent of their third down opportunities against Wesleyan's defense and opposing quarterbacks are completing 43.8 percent of their attempts in two weeks.
 
Individual standouts on the defensive side of the ball include LB Ben Carbeau '25 who leads the NESCAC in tackles (19) and sacks (three) this season. The 2023 All-NESCAC First Team selection recorded 11 tackles with two sacks in last week's 20-9 win over the Jumbos. Safety Nick Donatio G'25 has made an immediate impact after transferring in from Colby as a graduate student, ranking second on the team in tackles (14) and pass breakups (three) while he also has a tackle for loss and forced fumble. The cornerback tandem of Wesley Abraham '25 and Sean Walker '25 are both tied for the NESCAC-lead in passes defended with four apiece.
 
Wesleyan's offense came out firing in Week 1, putting up 43 points and 459 total yards of offense on the vaunted Middlebury defense on the road. The Cardinals struggled to get much going offensively against Tufts, but still managed 135 rushing yards and just one turnover despite some injuries suffered along the offensive line and at the skill position group.
 
After opening with 186 rushing yards and 3 rushing TD against Middlebury, Wesleyan backed that performance up with 135 rushing yards against the Jumbos as the Cardinals lead the NESCAC in rushing yards per game (160.5), rushing touchdowns (4), and are second in yards per carry (4.0) and rushing attempts (81). The only team that has ran the ball more times than Wesleyan this season is Bates (96), but the Bobcats are ninth in the NESCAC in yards per carry (2.8).
 
Only Williams has scored more touchdowns through two weeks than Wesleyan's eight while the Cardinals' 373 total yards of offense per game is second to only Tufts in the NESCAC. RB Tyler Flynn '26 leads the Wesleyan rushing attack with 135 yards on 27 carries with 3 TD, averaging 5.0 yards per carry in 2024. RB Angelo LaRose '27 scored his first career touchdown last week against Tufts and has 63 rushing yards on 18 carries. RB James McHugh '26 is averaging 5.1 yards per rush on 11 carries.
 
QB Niko Candido '25 has a 4-1 TD:INT ratio through two weeks with 425 passing yards on just 17 competitions, averaging 25 yards per completion. WR Chase Wilson '25 leads the NESCAC in receiving yards (252) through two weeks, averaging 36 yards per reception with 2 TD.
 
Special teams have played a big role in the first two weeks of the season, as DB Dylan Connors '26 was named NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week after Week 1 and LB/LS Austin Baker '27 earned the same award on Monday for his Week 2 performance that featured a blocked punt and forced fumble on a Tufts punt return.
 
Bates is coming off an 0-9 campaign in 2023 and are winless through two weeks in 2023, having suffered a 19-7 loss at Amherst in Week 1 followed by a 28-7 setback at home against Trinity in Week 2. The Bobcats' two touchdowns are tied with Hamilton for the lowest scoring output in the NESCAC through two weeks while the Bates defense has allowed 23.5 points per game (7^th in the NESCAC).
 
On a yards per game basis, Bates ranks third-best in the NESCAC, allowing just 259 total yards per game, but the offense has struggled to get anything going with an average of just 197.5 yards per game which ranks last in the league. Three quarterbacks have played for the Bobcats in two games, with the trio combining for just 124 yards and a 33.3 completion percentage with 1 TD and 6 INT.
 
No team in the NESCAC has attempted more run plays this season than the Bobcats as the NESCAC's leading rusher through two weeks is Ryan Lynskey who has 180 yards on 50 carries. Ryan Gleason is the team's leading receiver with four receptions for 45 yards and 1 TD in two games.
 
On defense, Bates is led by sophomore LB Ryan Rozich who has 19 tackles (11 solo) and 2 TFL. The Bobcats have just one sack as a team this season and have forced just one turnover in two weeks, sitting with a -6 turnover margin in 2024.
 
The all-time series has been dominated by Wesleyan as the Cardinals come into the Week 3 showdown with a record of 37-4 against the Bobcats with a 19-1 record at home. Wesleyan has won 17 straight meetings dating back to 2006 but have been involved in a couple of close games including a 27-24 nailbiter in Lewiston back in 2021.