MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Bates football head coach Matt Coyne takes on his alma mater for the third time as the Bobcats visit undefeated Wesleyan Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Corwin Stadium. 

Bates (0-2) hasn't had much luck against the Cardinals (2-0) in recent years, as the Bobcats look to beat Wesleyan for the first time since 2005, and for the first time on the Wesleyan campus since 1981. 

The Bobcats will count on their much-improved defense, which ranks third in the conference through two games, as Bates has only allowed an average of 259 yards of total offense per contest. They face a big-time test against the Cardinals, who rank second in the NESCAC at 373 yards of total offense per game. This game pits the No. 1 rushing offense in the conference, with Wesleyan averaging 160.5 yards per game, versus the No. 2 rushing defense, as Bates has only allowed 91 rushing yards per game.

When on offense, the Bobcats will rely heavily on sophomore Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.), who has carried the ball 50 times for a conference-best 180 yards and one touchdown so far this year. Tyler Flynn is his counterpart on Wesleyan, and Flynn ranks third in the NESCAC at 67.5 yards per game on the ground, averaging five yards per carry. He leads the conference with three rushing touchdowns.

Neither team has had a lot of success passing the ball. Three Bates quarterbacks have combined to throw six interceptions and Wesleyan quarterback Niko Candido has only completed 38.64 percent of his passes.

But when the Cardinals do complete passes, they have a big weapon in Chase Wilson, who leads the NESCAC with seven catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensively, fans can expect to see Wesleyan's Ben Carbeau and Bates sophomore linebacker Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) around the ball a lot. They are tied for the conference lead in tackles so far this year, with both players averaging 9.5 tackles per game. Carbeau has also sacked the opposing quarterback three times.

Hidden yardage could be an advantage for the visitors. Wesleyan has been penalized 13 times for 121 yards through two games while Bates has only been penalized twice for 15 yards.
 

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THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (0-2) at Wesleyan (2-0)

When: Sat., Sept. 28, 1 p.m.

Where: Corwin Stadium (Middletown, Conn.)

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Wesleyan leads 37-4

Previous Meeting: Wesleyan 28, Bates 17 (Sept. 15, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine)

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WESLEYAN'S LAST TIME OUT:

The Cardinals used a strong defensive effort and big plays on offense and on Special Teams to defeat the visiting Tufts University Jumbos by a score of 20-9 last Saturday under the lights at Corwin Stadium.

Wesleyan wasted no time scoring first, with quarterback Niko Candido finding Chase Wilson for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. 

The Cardinals missed the extra point and Tufts battled back to tie the game at six on a pair of field goals. 

Late in the first half, Wesleyan's Austin Baker blocked a Tufts punt, giving the Cardinals great field position at the Jumbos 14 yard line. A Candido scamper moved the ball to the two and Tyler Flynn punched it in for a 13-6 lead after the extra point.

Another Tufts field goal cut the Wesleyan edge to 13-9 at halftime. But the Cardinals blanked the Jumbos in the second half, and added an insurance tally when Candido found Angelo LeRose for an 11-yard touchdown with 10:28 left in the third quarter.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the contest as the defenses took over. Candido finished 7-25 for 152 yards, making two of his seven completions count, as they went for touchdowns. Flynn finished with 55 rushing yards.

BATES' LAST TIME OUT:

The Bates football team got a solid effort from their defense and a career-high 102 rushing yards from sophomore Ryan Lynskey in a 28-7 loss to perennial NESCAC power Trinity last Saturday at Garcelon Field.

The Bobcats (0-2 NESCAC) got a stop on defense to start the game, but Trinity (2-0 NESCAC) faked a punt and upback Jack Tosone ran the ball 56 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Bantams an early 7-0 lead they did not relinquish.

Down 21-0, the Bobcats got on the board early in the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 13 from their own 19, senior captain quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) found senior captain tight end Steven Guerette (Bow, N.H.) for a 42-yard gain to the Trinity 39. It was the first pass completion for positive yards on the day for Bates.

A pair of big Lynskey runs put the ball at the Trinity 14 as the third quarter came to a close. Five straight Lynskey runs to start the fourth quarter ended with a one-yard plunge into the end zone to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 12:50 remaining in regulation after sophomore Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point.

Lynskey was a workhorse, carrying the ball 30 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, his first career 100-yard game. But three Bates quarterbacks combined for only four completions in 16 attempts for 64 yards and four interceptions.

Sophomore linebacker Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) led Bates in tackles for the second straight game, finishing with 10 total stops, with six solo tackles. First-year Marquez Narvaez-Estrada (Montgomery Village, Md.) broke up two passes and chipped in six total tackles, including a tackle for loss. 

Saturday's game marked the fewest points Bates has allowed against Trinity since 2013. It was the fewest total yards for the Bantam offense (326) against any opponent since 2021.

BATES' AND WESLEYAN'S LAST MEETING:

The new-look Bates football team debuted at Garcelon Field in 2023, falling 28-17 to Wesleyan in a Friday night game under the lights that saw a number of rookie Bobcats deliver impressive performances. 

The Bobcats struggled to stop Wesleyan senior wide receiver Thomas Elkhoury, who tallied 12 catches for 147 yards on the night. The Cardinals got a big performance from their quarterback Niko Candido, who completed 28-37 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. 

Despite these eye-popping numbers from the Wesleyan offense, Bates did not back down, keeping the game close in front of an excited home crowd. 

The Cardinals got the ball to start the game and marched down the field, only to turn it over, as Bates' Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ripped the ball out of Wesleyan tight end Matt Luttenberger's hands at the nine-yard line. Walker fell on the ball for a fumble recovery.

Bates' offense went three-and-out, and Kade Doverspike got a hand on the punt, setting up Wesleyan with great field position at the Bates 32-yard line. 

Elkhoury picked up a first down on second and six to the Bates 19. Then Candido connected with Chase Wilson on third and 10 for a 19-yard touchdown pass, putting the Cardinals up 7-0 after the extra point with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Bobcats failed to score on their next drive, moving the ball to the Wesleyan 31 before turning it over on downs. Quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) did connect with wide receiver Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) for a 21-yard gain on the drive. But the Cardinals were able to stop a Bosselait run on fourth and three to get the ball back.

Wesleyan's offense proved difficult to stop, as the Cardinals went 69 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing drive. Candido found running back Tyler Flynn out of the backfield for a nine-yard touchdown to put the visitors up 14-0 after the extra point with 10:57 left in the second quarter.

The teams traded punts before the Bates offense finally got going on the Bobcats' final drive of the first half. A 19-play, 60-yard drive from the Bobcats ate up more than five minutes, with Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) churning out some tough yards on the ground and Beltran ripping off an 11-yard run on a jet sweep to get Bates into field goal range. 

On fourth and 10 from the Cardinal 20, kicker Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) drilled a 37-yard field goal, the longest field goal made by a Bobcat kicker since 2017. 

The made kick came with just 40 seconds left in the half, and the Cardinals ran a couple plays before time expired. Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.) sacked Candido to end the half.

Down 14-3 at intermission, Bates fell down by three scores when the Cardinals got the back to start the third quarter and went 80 yards in 11 plays, taking 5:49 off the clock in the process. One again, Candido had success finding a running back out of the backfield, connecting with Ezra Jenifer for a 16-yard touchdown. 

Special teams set the Bobcats up nicely on their next drive, as Bates returned the kick-off 37 yards to the Bates 47. The Bobcats fed Lynskey three straight times and he caught a pass for four yards to move the ball to the Wesleyan 26. A 10-yard Bosselait run put the ball at the 16 and a pass interference call in the end zone set up Bates with a first and goal at the two. Lynskey punched it in from there for his first collegiate touchdown and Bates trailed 21-10 with 6:04 left in the third quarter after Ruiz made the extra point.

The teams traded punts before the Cardinals pulled off one of the few chunk plays of the night. On first and 10 from the Bates 49, Candido found Elkhoury for a 47-yard gain to the Bates two. A roughing the passer penalty put the ball at the one and Flynn gained the yard he needed on the next play for a touchdown, extending the Wesleyan advantage to 28-10. 

Down by 18 to start the fourth quarter, the Bobcats answered with vigor. On third and 14 from their own 43, Bosselait connected with Beltran for 17 yards and a first down. Then on third and four, Lynskey showed off his pass-catching abilities, as the rookie running back beat his defender and Bosselait aired it out. Lynskey caught the pass on the far side of the field for a 34-yard touchdown reception, trimming the Wesleyan lead to 28-17 with 11:48 left in regulation.

An inspired Bates defense forced a turnover-on-downs on the next Wesleyan possession. But the Bobcat offense couldn't get anything going, and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock on a final drive that lasted 6:47, ending the game with three straight QB kneels in the red zone. 

BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 73 Peter Simplicio Sr. 6-4 290
OL 51 Ryder Smith Fy. 6-0 265
OL 63 Matthew Pierotti Fy. 6-2 270
OL 66 John Antolik So. 6-2 290
OL 72 Kevin McDonald So. 6-3 260
TE 89 Steven Guerrette Sr. 6-3 230
WR 83 Ryan Gleason So. 5-9 165
WR 82 Jeff Vidou Fy. 6-0 190
WR 80 Maverick Selementi Jr. 6-0 185
RB 4 Ryan Lynskey So. 5-11 195
QB 1 Seneca Moore So. 6-3 185

DEFENSE
DB 2 Matthew-Michael Assivero So. 5-11 190
DB 5 Michael Spencer So. 5-11 180
DB 21 Johnny Walker Sr. 6-0 185
DB 30 Marquez Narvaez-Estrada Fy. 5-9 160
LB 18 Colin Pierce Jr. 6-1 190
LB 39 Ryan Rozich So. 6-0 215
LB 9 Matt Juneau Sr. 6-2 225
DL 44 Jackson Collins Jr. 5-11 225
DL 99 Finn Duffey Sr. 5-10 250
DL 41 Shane Broughton Jr. 5-11 255
DL 40 Josh Ezerioha So. 6-1 245

SPECIALISTS
P 97 Parker Huynh-Benningfield Jr. 5-11 180
K 49 Marcos Ruiz So. 5-8 185

WESLEYAN'S PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
QB 10 Niko Candido Sr. 6-2 200
RB 22 Tyler Flynn Jr. 5-10 195
TE 88 Will Gardner Jr. 6-1 205
WR 6 Chase Wilson Sr. 6-1 195
WR 4 Rickey Eng Sr. 5-11 170
WR 81 Blake Newcomb So. 6-2 200
OL 79 Ryan Caserta Sr. 6-4 305
OL 52 Gavin Tatum Sr. 6-4 285
OL 75 Gerard Garofolo So. 6-2 290
OL 69 James Fordham Sr. 6-2 270
OL 62 Mario Lee Sr. 6-1 250
 
DEFENSE
DL 55 Declan Welch Jr. 6-2 255
DL 95 Pat Boujoukos Gr. 6-3 270
DL 9 Mike Rowan Sr. 6-3 265
DL 99 Dean Sokaris Jr. 6-5 265 
LB 8 Ben Carbeau Sr. 6-1 215
LB 45 Jake Edwards Gr. 5-11 220
LB 7 Adam Elsais Sr. 6-0 210
CB 1 Wesley Abrarham Sr. 5-10 190
CB 20 Sean Walker Sr. 5-10 175
S 2 Nick Donatio Gr. 5-11 195
S 14 Dylan Connors Jr. 5-11 195

SPECIALIST 
K/P 31 Gage Hammond  So. 6-0 215