Tag: Rob Gau

Wesleyan Needs to Win and Wait to Claim a Share of the NESCAC Title

Trinity (5-2) at Wesleyan (6-1)

Editor’s note: This article was a team effort by the listed author, Sean Meekins, and Carson Kenney

Well, as most of you know, Trinity lost a heartbreaker last weekend at Amherst. This weekend Trinity will head up to Middletown to try to play spoiler on any hopes that Wesleyan has of a repeat of a NESCAC championship. Because of the late start in Amherst on Saturday, all eyes will be on this game. If Trinity leaves with a win, Amherst’s outright title will be secured, but if the Cardinals are victorious, they will be glued to their television sets all afternoon, rooting for the Ephs. Trinity had the same record at this time last year and embarrassed Wesleyan at The Coop with a stunning 40-10 victory, stealing the Cardinals’ outright crown. There is definitely no love lost between both teams, as the Connecticut rivalry will provide fans with a hard-nosed game.

Mike Weatherby '14 Pressures Jesse Warren '15 in last years game (Courtesy of Greg Sullivan http://www.sevenstrong.net/)
Mike Weatherby ’14 Pressures Jesse Warren ’15 in last year’s game (Courtesy of Greg Sullivan http://www.sevenstrong.net/)

Wesleyan:

Wesleyan will come at Trinity with a well-balanced offensive attack. Jesse Warren ’15 is the anchor behind center putting together some very impressive statistics. Warren has thrown for 14 touchdowns this season and averages over 186 yards a game through the air. The Trinity defense will have to force Warren to make mistakes because he has only turned the ball over twice in seven games. Wesleyan also looks to come at Trinity with a strong running attack. Lou Stevens ’17 has taken over as the feature back for the Cardinals, tallying 78 carries and 393 yards (5.04 yards per carry) over the last three weeks. Stevens’ productive running opens up windows for Warren to throw to his big-time receivers, Jay Fabien ’15 and Josh Hurwitz ’15. They have combined for nine touchdowns this season, with Fabien at second in the league with 61.7 yards per game. The Cardinals’ offense was slightly better statistically in 2013, but compared to the rest of the league, the Wesleyan offense has been far more impressive, averaging 5.8 more points per game than second-ranked Middlebury.

Once again, Wesleyan’s defense has been elite, allowing more than 21 points only once this season. In the last two games the Cardinals have outscored their opponents 57-0, albeit against the league’s seventh and tenth-ranked offenses. Wesleyan is now on top of the league in yards allowed per game. Trinity’s offense has struggled mightily in their last few games, and if Wesleyan’s defense continues to step up to the challenge another shutout could be possible.

On another note, Wesleyan is also playing for a share or potential outright title of the Little Three crown. Having already lost to Amherst a few weeks back, the Cardinals will need a win and an Amherst loss to steal the Little Three crown while also nabbing a share of the NESCAC title.

Trinity:

What will Trinity have to do to win this game? They will need to rely on the defense, best against the run in the NESCAC, to stop Stevens. If there was ever a bigger time for the Trinity defense to step up and prove a point, it will be now.  Led by the three big senior linebackers Mike Weatherby ’15, Tom Symanski ’15 and Rob Gau ’15, Trinity’s defense is going to have to dominate on that side of the ball. Amherst could not get it going at any point during the Bantams’ last game, but neither could the Bantams’ offense. With QB Henry Foye ’15 sidelined last week due to a neck injury during the Middlebury game, the Bantams attempted just nine passes, throwing as many interceptions as completions. What’s more, since Chudi Iregbulem ’15 missed Week 5 due to a leg injury, he has yet to score a rushing TD and has seen his yards per carry drop from 5.46 to 2.71. Last week Iregbulem still saw the ball plenty with 29 carries, but Darrien Myers ’17, normally a WR/KR, and Spencer Aukamp ’18, who came into 2014 as a quarterback, were much more effective running the ball.

Prediction: Trinity 13 – Wesleyan 6

Trinity still struggles offensively, but even though the Cardinals’ offense has been proficient, the Bantams showed last season that they have the guts and talent to stop the Weselyan attack.

Trinity Team Preview – The Bantams Try to Keep Streaking

Editor’s Note: This preview was co-written by Trinity seniors Carson Kenney ’15 and Sean Meekins ’15.

2013 Record: 6-2

Returning Starters: 16 (8 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists)

Offensive Overview:

Losing the explosive trio of Evan Bunker ’14, Ben Crick ’14, and A.J. Jones ’14 to graduation will not make it easy on the Bantams offense this year; however they are very optimistic about avenging last season’s 6-2 record. There is a major QB battle that seems to have Henry Foye ’16 leading the pack. Hayden Jardine ’17, Ryan Murphy ’17, and highly touted recruit Spencer Aukamp ’18 are also in the QB mix for this season. Chudi Iregbulem ’15 and Jacob River ’15 are hoping to pick up where the dominant running back tandem of Crick and Bunker left off. Returning starters, Chris Ragone ’15 and Ian Dugger ’16, are going to be the main targets for Foye.

Michael Budness ’15 is going to be a key-returning factor for the Bantams offense. Budness will fill the roll as the wildcard in the offense because he is able to line up at many positions. Brendan Oliver ’15 will return at tight end hoping to also play a major part in the offense this season. The rest of the offense is going to need to step up this season to be the major contender in the NESCAC, but none will be more important then the always consistent offensive line. Tackles Matt Porter ’16 and Will Lynner ’16, guards Connor Flynn’16 and Connor Golden ‘15 and center Joe Magardino ’15 all return. The line has had major success in past years, and looks to continue it success behind captain Magardino. As long as the O-Line stays healthy the Bantams’ offense will have major success.

Defensive Overview:

With a lot of returners including four of the five top tacklers from last year, expect a big year for the Bantam defense. Linebackers Rob Gau ’15, Mike Weatherby ’14, Tom Symanzski ’15, and Frank Leyva ’16 , who missed a lot of the year last year due to injury, look to anchor a D that ranked third in the NESCAC last year in yards per game. Gau and Weatherby combined for 88 tackles last year (16 for a loss), and Symanski was an All-NESCAC linebacker. This year’s freshmen class of backers is also one of Trinity’s best in recent history. As for the secondary, Mike Mancini ’15 is back at free safety, and Brian Dones ’15 will try to lock down receivers at corner. Mancini totaled 48 tackles last year while Dones finished 11th in the nation with 1.8 passes defensed per game. Word out of camp is that sophomore Cornerback Yosa Nosamiefan ’17 is impressing people with his improvement over the summer. Look for him to see time at corner this year across from Dones. Safety Casey Tanner ’15 and Paul McCarthy ’16 will also help stabilize a Bantam secondary that looks to make big plays.

Up front defensively the Bantams will rely on DE Preston Kelly ’16, NT Kyle McGuire ’15, and DE Lyle Baker ’15. Baker had 27 tackles in the 2012 campaign before missing all of last year. His return along with Kelly and McGuire returning should give offenses around the league plenty of trouble establishing any sort of running game. Coming off a year where Trinity ranked sixth nationally in defensive pass efficiency, expect this veteran laden defense to help ease the pressure placed on the offense which is the biggest question mark for right now. If the defense is able to stay healthy, and the offense is able to limit turnovers and control the time of possession, look for the Bants to make a hard push for the NESCAC title.

Courtesy of Trinity Athletics
Courtesy of Trinity Athletics

Three Big Questions

1. Who will be the starting QB?

Junior Henry Foye is leading the pack up to this point, but it will be interesting to see how the season unfolds. Sophomores, Jardine and Murphy, are looking to be potential candidates behind Foye. Spencer Aukamp is going to have a major eye on him this year, as the New Jersey recruit is also looking to contend heavily for the QB battle. People are hyping up the QB battle due to Puzzo’s departure but Foye (who started 5 games last year, all of them wins) can flat out ball too.

2. Can the veteran linebackers continue to show consistent success?

Gau, Weatherby, Szymanski, and Leyva are all returning linebackers. These linebackers have had immense success in the past and hope to continue to anchor the consistently dominant Bantams’ defense. As long as everyone stays healthy the Bantams will be able to control NESCAC offenses.

3. Can offensive tackle Matt Porter stay healthy?

Porter is without question one of the best tackles in the conference. The question is, will he be able to stay on the field to protect Foye more often than not? He missed time last year due to a sprained knee that was suffered in the middle of the season and will play a very important role this season in anchoring an offensive line that is one of the league’s best. With an offense that lost playmakers, the O-Line will need to be tough up front and create holes early in the season to allow Rivers and Iregbulem to get their feet under them and get going. If Porter is able to stay on the field for the majority of the year, expect the running game to flourish.

Team MVP: It’s no question that Trinity will rely on their offensive line after losing starters at key positions, namely running back. Bunker and Crick were one of the greatest 1-2 punches at RB that the NESCAC has ever seen.  The receiving core is also experienced and will play a big part in Trinity’s success this year. However none of this is possible without the O-Line. Led by Porter, Magardino, Golden and  Flynn, the Bantams offense will be able to take off if the line continues their dominance in the trenches. The backs will be able to establish the running game which will in turn allow Foye to air it out, meaning good things for the Bants.

Biggest Game of the Year (Sean)

Oct. 25 against Middlebury.

Every game at home for the Bantams is a big game because of the 51 game winning streak, and Middlebury shocked the Bantams in Vermont last year in a controversial game that left the Bantams with a bad taste in their mouths. Not saying that game cost the Bantams their season, but in the short eight game sprint, they cannot afford another mishap leading into their last two major games. The Bantams need to be looking at Amherst in the following week of the season with a 6-0 record. That is why the October 25th game is so vital. The Bantams are playing a good Middlebury team, so they must make their presence known.

Biggest Game of the Year (Carson)

Nov. 1 against Amherst.

After losing to Amherst last year in somewhat dramatic fashion, the Bants are eager to get back on the field with the Lord Jeffs. In NESCAC football, every single game is incredibly important, however this will be the biggest game of the year. Aside from wanting revenge from last year, this game is also the last home game for Trinity of the year, which hopefully means the last chance to extend their winning streak at home. If the Bantam’s are still in contention for the title come November 1st, expect Hartford to be buzzing as Amherst makes the trip to the Coop.

Best Tweet of the Offseason: Not many NESCAC teams can claim they made SI. #NPITC

Trinity reloads instead of rebuilding, and despite the loss of stars from 2013, the Bantams will be right back in the thick of the title race.