MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On a picturesque Homecoming out on Andrus Field, the Wesleyan football team put forth a dominating showing to defeat the reigning NESCAC Champion Williams, 35-21, on Saturday. Combined with the Cardinals' 13-7 overtime win at Amherst last week, Wesleyan (6-2) takes home the 2022 Little Three Championship, marking the second Little Three title in the past three seasons for Wesleyan.
In a game the Cardinals never trailed, the yardage totals tell the story as Wesleyan piled up 496 yards of total offense compared to just 215 for the Ephs. Wesleyan held the ball for over 36 minutes, picking up 27 first downs while Williams generated just 12 for the game. Mixing in both the pass and run, Wesleyan threw for 337 yards and gained 159 on the ground including a game-breaking 78-yard touchdown run from QB David Estevez '22 late in the first quarter.
Estevez's big day included 293 total yards of offense as the senior threw for 176 yards and 2 TD, going 15-for-19 on his passing attempts. He also gained 117 yards on just nine carries, averaging 13 yards per rush largely on the strength of his season-long 78-yard TD run.
QB Niko Candido '25 mixed in with Estevez and recorded 161 yards through the air with 1 TD while going 11-for-17 in the contest. Candido also punched in a 2-yard TD to seal the victory for Wesleyan, putting the Cardinals up by two scores with just 4:09 remaining.
The passing attack funneled through WR Logan Tomlinson '22 who put up a monster game, recording a career-high 12 catches for 210 yards and 2 TD. Recording his first double-digit catch performance of the season (third of his career), Tomlinson picked up chunk yardage throughout as he moves his season totals to 62 receptions for 867 yards and 9 TD, ranking second in the NESCAC in all three stat categories.
WR Matt Simco '22 chipped in with season-highs across the board as he added seven catches for 79 yards with 1 TD on the day. As a duo, Tomlinson and Simco recorded 289 of the Cardinals' 337 total receiving yards in the win.
Several individual standouts led an inspired effort on the defensive side once again for Wesleyan. Reigning NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year DT Nick Helbig '23 continues another stellar campaign, recording a team-high eight tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Helbig now ranks second in the NESCAC in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (8.0) this season while his five forced fumbles in 2022 are three more than the next-closest players in the conference.
DE Mike Rowan '25 posted six tackles with 1.5 sacks, DE Zach Thannum '24 registered 2.5 TFL and a sack while both CB Danny Banks '22 and SAF Jack Nally '24 recorded interceptions. Nally also added two pass breakups as the Cardinal secondary held Williams to just 100 passing yards on 25 attempts.
The first score of the game came on a drive where the Cardinals converted a 3rd-and-19 to avoid a three-and-out. Candido looked to his right and found Simco open in the seam, gaining 23 yards on the play to move the chains. Candido followed that up with a 35-yard completion to Tomlinson in the deep middle of the field, making it 1st-and-goal from the 10-yard line. One play later, Estevez looked to his left where Simco had created some separation from his man, as the two connected for the game's first touchdown.
After forcing a Williams three-and-out, the Cardinals started deep in their own territory on the 8-yard line. Estevez tossed a 14-yard pass to Simco, setting the stage for a game-breaking 78-yard rush as the dual-threat QB was aided by some great downfield blocking by the Cardinal skill position group to make it 14-0 Wesleyan.
Williams came back and marched 75 yards down the field in eight plays, finishing off the lengthy drive with a 1-yard rush from QB Dan Vaughn that cut the deficit down to 14-7 early in the second.
Big plays featured in the next Cardinal possession as Estevez picked up 25 yards on a scramble up the middle before finding Tomlinson for 20 more yards, moving into Williams territory. Four plays later, Candido subbed in and lofted a deep pass into the end zone which was hauled in by Tomlinson who made a highlight-reel one-handed catch with the Ephs' defensive back draped all over him.
??? YOU GOT MOSSED, ARE YOU SERIOUS ??
Nothing to see here, just a one-handed TD grab from Logan Tomlinson '22 to help lift @Wes_Football to a win over Williams and secure the Little Three Championship ??
??? @chrisgrace82 @ESPNAssignDesk | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/vvPdYlz0QR
— Wesleyan Athletics (@wes_athletics) November 6, 2022
Points continued to fly back and forth as the Ephs answered right back with another long drive, going 75 yards down the field in nine plays capped by a Vaughn pass to Joel Nicholas in the flat as the Ephs' running back took it over the goal line to again lower the gap to one score at 21-14.
A sixth straight drive ending in a touchdown came right before half as Estevez started the drive with a 34-yard pickup on the ground. Five plays later, it was Candido who tossed to Estevez on the near sideline. Candido's throw was behind the sophomore quarterback, meaning Estevez could launch a pass himself. As the senior rolled to his right, he threw a rainbow that fell right into the arms of Tomlinson at the goal line as another Wesleyan score made it 28-14 with 3:24 left before halftime.
Candido ?? Estevez ?? Tomlinson 6?
The trio combined for this TD pass, capping an incredible day for all 3 ??
Estevez - 293 total yards, 3 TD
— Wesleyan Athletics (@wes_athletics) November 6, 2022
Candido - 161 passing yards, 1 TD
Tomlinson - career highs in catches (12), receiving yards (212) and TD (2) pic.twitter.com/n65gn2ATC1
Neither side scored in the third quarter but a big play from the Cardinal defense kept the 14-point lead intact. After Williams recorded a strip sack deep in Wesleyan territory, on the first play of the ensuing drive, Nally secured a deflected pass attempt for an interception to deny Williams in a great scoring opportunity.
With neither offense doing much, it was a big defensive play that represented the first score of the second half. On a 3rd-and-8 play on the Wesleyan 23-yard line, Estevez was stripe sacked by Chaz Cotton and with the ball bouncing all the way into the end zone, Coleston Smith jumped on the loose ball for an Ephs touchdown to make it 28-21 with 11:10 remaining.
In need of a response, Wesleyan got just that, as the Cardinals took over seven minutes off the block in a 13-play, 93-yard drive that made it 35-21. Candido took the snaps at QB throughout the possession, converting a pair of third downs before taking it in himself from 2-yards out after a crucial pass interference call on the Ephs in the end zone.
Williams saw a last-gasp attempt stall out as Banks intercepted Vaughn to secure Wesleyan the Little Three title and a perfect 4-0 record at home in 2022.
The Cardinals look to finish the season on a high note as Wesleyan heads to Trinity for the final week of the season, looking to spoil the Bantams' attempt at an undefeated season as the league leaders come in with an unblemished 8-0 record while coming off a 63-14 demolition at Bates today. The Link Lonk
November 06, 2022 at 01:25PM
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LITTLE THREE CHAMPS! Football Leads Wire-to-Wire in 35-21 Triumph over Williams on Homecoming - Wesleyan University - athletics.wesleyan.edu
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