Wesleyan University

AMHERST, Mass. – Leading and in full control behind a stellar defensive display, the Wesleyan football team allowed a 97-yard touchdown and then saw Amherst march 85 yards down the field for a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining to give the Mammoths a 15-9 win over the Cardinals on Saturday from Pratt Field. Wesleyan (5-1) falls in a battle of the unbeatens while Amherst (6-0) lands their first win over the Cardinals since 2021.
 
A thrilling contest that came down to the final minute was dominated throughout by the two defensive units. Wesleyan pitched a shutout through three quarters, allowing just three yards in the first quarter alone, while generating a pair of big play interceptions from Gavin Woo '29 and Tommy Kilroy '29. The Amherst defense allowed just one touchdown on the day, holding Wesleyan scoreless for the final 40+ minutes of play while the Cardinals allowed six Amherst sacks as Matt Fitzsimons '27 was under heavy pressure throughout this Little Three clash.
 
Playing on a picturesque fall afternoon on Amherst Homecoming Weekend, the day started with Wesleyan overcoming a 1^st-and-20 on their opening drive to cross midfield but fell short on 4^th-and-2 from the Amherst 35-yard line as Matt Diaz '28 was tackled short of the first down marker.
 
The first points of the game came late in the first quarter as a snap on an Amherst punt went over the head of punter Efe Ilgar who picked up the ball at the Amherst 7-yard line. With multiple Cardinals bearing down on Ilgar, who picked up the ball running towards the end zone, the Amherst punter alertly ran out of the back of the end zone to take a safety.
 
Wesleyan started on offense with good field position on their own 40-yard line to start the second quarter and proceeded to drive down the field for a touchdown to make it a 9-0 game. Fitzsimons hit Donte Kelly '29 for a 20-yard gain early in the possession and the drive ended with five straight run plays, the last of which being a Diaz plunge up the middle for the score on 3^rd-and-goal from the 3-yard line.
 
Amherst turned the ball over on downs on each of their next two drives in the second quarter, but the Cardinals couldn't take advantage, punting on their next two drives. Amherst had a last-gasp drive with 23 seconds left before halftime that ended with a Woo interception on a hail mary attempt.
 
A scoreless third quarter featuring four punts was followed by an explosive fourth quarter that started with a Kilroy interception deep in Amherst territory that led to a game-changing sequence over the next few minutes. Taking over at the Amherst 20-yard line, Wesleyan gained 17 yards in two plays to have a 1^st-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Diaz was stuffed for a 2-yard loss on first down and after an incomplete pass and Angelo LaRose '27 3-yard gain, it was one more rush attempt for LaRose who needed two yards for the score but only got one as Wesleyan turned the ball over on downs.
 
Then on the ensuing Amherst drive that started on the Mammoths' 1-yard line with 11:46 remaining, it was 3^rd-and-8 after the initial two plays when Marek Hill rolled to his right before hitting Cam Fowler near midfield. Fowler secured the catch and was in behind the entire Wesleyan defense, running 97 yards down the field for a game-breaking score.
 
Looking for a response, Wesleyan drove into Amherst territory on their next possession, but stalled out at the 42-yard line and a punt went to the Amherst 15-yard line as the Mammoths took over with 6:22 left on the clock.
 
In need of some magic, Amherst strung together a 13-play, 85-yard game-winning touchdown drive that saw the Mammoths converted three third downs including a 3^rd-and-9 early in the possession and finally a 3^rd-and-8 from the Wesleyan 21-yard line that had Hill hit Christian Moore in the deep right corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. The two-point conversion was successful and Amherst led 15-9 with 22 seconds left.
 
Wesleyan tried to string some late plays together but the clock ran out with a strip sack on the final play from scrimmage as Amherst fans rushed the field at the end of the thrilling comeback win.
 
Fitzsimons finished 14-for-23 throwing for 181 yards but he was under pressure all day as Amherst sacked the senior quarterback six times. Diaz led the rushing attack with 64 yards and 1 TD on 14 carries. Kelly led the receiving unit with four catches for 67 yards while Sean Cannon '27 added four catches for 53 yards.
 
Kilroy led the defense with a career-high 11 tackles (five solo) to go along with his fourth interception of the year. Quinn Seeberan '29 totaled 1.5 sacks on the day while Dylan Minnick '28 had one sack and six tackles. The Woo interception is the first of his career.
 
Wesleyan looks to rebound in Week 7 with a trip to Bowdoin on Saturday.