19
WinnerWesleyan (Conn.)WESLEYAN3-1 , 3
7
HamiltonHAMILTON0-4 , 0
Winner
Wesleyan (Conn.)WESLEYAN
3-1 , 3
19
Final
7
HamiltonHAMILTON
0-4 , 0
Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WESLEYAN Wesleyan (Conn.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 |
HAMILTON Hamilton | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Game Recap: Football |
Cardinals bounce back from their first defeat of 2024 with a late push to defeat the Continentals
CLINTON, N.Y. – Trailing 7-0 for over 36 straight minutes, the Wesleyan football team regrouped and rattled off 19 unanswered fourth quarter points to defeat the Continentals 19-7 at Steuben Field on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan (3-1) bounces back from last Saturday's home defeat to Bates, taking down Hamilton (0-4) for the fifth straight meeting and the 11th time in the last 12 games between the NESCAC foes.
After coming up empty on their first six possessions of the game, Wesleyan's offense came to life on a 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by QB Niko Candido '25 hitting WR Chase Wilson '25 for the score on a 3rd-and-goal play form the 5-yard line. K Gage Hammond '27 knocked the extra point through the uprights to make it a 7-7 game with 14:51 left.
On the ensuing Hamilton drive, the Continentals crossed midfield and had the ball on a 3rd-and-2 from the Wesleyan 38, only to see Alastair Orr fumble which was then picked up by DB Aiden Nelson '27 who ran 49 yards for the go-ahead score that made it 13-7 Cardinals after the failed extra point attempt.
Hamilton started their next drive from their own 6-yard line and were met by a vaunted Cardinal defense that saw LB Ben Carbeau '25 and DL Owen McDevitt '27 combine for a sack on third down.
Punting back to the Cardinal offense, which had just marched 80 yards down the field on their last series, Wesleyan succeeded in executing a nine-play, 65-yard TD scoring drive that put the game on ice. Big plays on the possession included a 23-yard pass completion to WR Rickey Eng '25 while Candido also hit WR Will Livingston '25 for 11 yards and RB Angelo LaRose '27 for 16 yards that put Wesleyan on the Hamilton 8-yard line with a 1st-and-goal. Just one play later, Candido connected with Wilson again, scoring from six yards out that put the score at 19-7 in favor of Wesleyan.
Hamilton made one last comeback bid, crossing over midfield and into Cardinal territory with the clock becoming more of a factor. Then on 2nd-and-10 from the Wesleyan 35-yard line, Carbeau forced a fumble from Nate Wildman and the ball was recovered by CB Sean Walker '25 to give the Cardinals the ball back with 1:42 remaining. The Cardinals ran the ball on all three downs, forcing the Continentals into calling both of their remaining timeouts, before getting the ball back with just 15 seconds on the clock. Enough time for one play that ended in another fumble, this time recovered by Hamilton, but the damage had been done with Wesleyan landing the 19-7 win.
The Continentals took an early lead when Henry Rubey connected with Ezra Lombardi for a 51-yard score on a 3rd-and-9 play. That score, however, was the final points of the game for Hamilton as Wesleyan held the Continentals scoreless for over 51 minutes of play.
Wesleyan's defense was stellar throughout in this one, holding Hamilton to just seven points and 37 yards rushing on 19 attempts (1.9 yards per carry). The Continentals were outgained 360-254 and forced into seven punts throughout the Week 4 showdown. Leading the defensive unit was DB Dylan Connors '26 who put up nine tackles (seven solo) with two tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups.
The Cardinal offense was led by the tandem of Candido and Wilson. Wesleyan's signal caller Candido finished 20-for-27 passing for 291 yards with 2 TD and no interceptions. He hit Wilson eight times for 109 yards and 2 TD, giving Wilson 25 catches for 375 yards and 8 TD in three career games against Hamilton.
Other contributors on offense included a career day for WR Blake Newcomb '27 who went for three catches for 71 yards. RB Tyler Flynn '26 led the team with 34 rushing yards to go along with three catches for 32 yards.
Wesleyan is back at home for Week 5, playing host to Colby in a revenge game of sorts for Wesleyan as the Mules defeated the Cardinals last season for the first time since 2009. In a rain-soaked affair in Maine, Wesleyan fell to Colby 20-13 in overtime last season. Wesleyan is 27-18 overall against Colby and 16-7 at home against the Mules.
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