Wesleyan University

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Heavy rain and a change of fields was far from a deterrent for the Wesleyan football team who steamrolled past Tufts in a 42-7 win on Saturday afternoon from Citrin Field. Between the end of the first quarter through the final snap, Wesleyan (2-0) scored a touchdown on five straight drives while holding the Jumbos (1-1) to 135 total yards of offense, the fewest for Tufts in a game since 2013.
 
Wesleyan rushed for 191 yards on 44 carries, averaging over four yards per carry, while five of the six touchdowns for the Cardinals came on the ground. Wesleyan outgained Tufts 375-135 on the day and held a 23-9 edge in first downs. Wesleyan also didn't turn the ball over for the second straight week to open the year while Tufts was made to pay for a muffed punt in the opening minutes of the contest.
 
That muffed punt came after a three-and-out for the Wesleyan offense on the opening possession of the game, as Gage Hammond '27 punted to the Tufts 23-yard line where Cameron Pineda saw the ball hit off his shoulder pads and the loose ball was recovered by Yogi Culver '29. Just two plays later, Angelo LaRose '27 rushed off tackle and dove for the pylon for a 17-yard TD less than four minutes into play.
 
Wesleyan's defense followed that LaRose touchdown, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs for the Jumbos on offense, giving the ball back to the Cardinals who gained positive yardage until it was 3^rd-and-2 from the Tufts 19. Matt Fitzsimons '27 took the shotgun snap and with Tufts blitzing on the play, Fitzsimons pump faked, tucked the ball and ran 19 yards past the goal line for another TD to make it 14-0 Wesleyan late in the first.
 
Tufts showed some life on their next drive, marching 75 yards down the field in 13 plays in a drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. The Jumbos converted a pair of fourth downs on the drive, including a 4^th-and-10 deep in Wesleyan territory, setting up a Hudson Weidman pass to a wide open Ned Righellis in the end zone.
 
Undeterred by the Tufts score, Wesleyan learned on the ground game as Matt Diaz '28 picked up 16 yards on the opening play of the next Cardinals drive. Diaz then rushed for 25 yards down the left sideline before a critical 4^th-and-3 call from the Tufts 8-yard line saw Fitzsimons look to his right for Blake Newcomb '27 who hauled in the catch at the 1-yard line. Diaz did the rest, driving 1-yard up the middle to make it 21-7 Wesleyan with 3:57 left before halftime.
 
Tufts took over at their own 22-yard line and nearly got to midfield before a deep pass down the field for Granville Anderson II hit the turf on a 3^rd-down call and with the clock running out, the teams went into the locker rooms with the score 21-7 Wesleyan at the half.
 
Wesleyan's defense forced another three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, while the Cardinal offense overcame a holding call on the opening play of their first series in the third quarter to drive 85 yards down the field in seven plays for another TD. The big play of the drive came on 2^nd-and-15 from the Wesleyan 20-yard line as Fitzsimons hit Diego Velez '28 on the near side at midfield and Velez sprinted for over 20 yards before being tackled out of bounds for a 55-yard pickup. It was 3^rd-and-goal from the 1 when Diaz registered his second TD of the game to make it 28-7 Cardinals.
 
Tufts was forced into another punt on their next drive, but the pooch punt from Weidman was a good one, downed at the Wesleyan 2-yard line. Deep in their own territory, the Cardinals started with a 19-yard pitch and catch from Fitzsimons to Jared Lindstrom '27 for a first down. Marcus Griffin '30 flashed some speed on a 13-yard pickup to cross midfield and on what was the first play of the fourth quarter, Newcomb got loose behind the Tufts defense and Fitzsimons hit him with a 29-yard TD to make it a 35-7 game.
 
The Jumbos turned the ball over on downs in their first drive of the fourth quarter and the Cardinal offense finished the game with what was a fifth straight TD-scoring drive to cap the scoring. Wesleyan rushed for positive yardage throughout the drive before Ryan Villano '27 finished it off with a 9-yard score.
 
Diaz led the Cardinals with 98 rushing yards and 2 TD while LaRose finished with 55  rushing yards and 1 TD. Fitzsimons finished 11-for-14 for 184 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INT while he rushed in the first TD of the game from 19 yards out. Fitzsimons completed passes to seven different receivers.
 
Dylan Minnick '28 posted seven tackles and two quarterback hurries to lead the Cardinal defense while Quinn Seeberan '29 and Owen McDevitt '27 each posted a sack while Seeberan added a forced fumble.
 
Next up for the Cardinals is a trip to Clinton, New York to face Hamilton at 1 PM next Saturday.