Undefeated Year At Stake For Trinity Football In Season Finale At Wesleyan Saturday
Hartford, Conn., Nov. 4 -- The Trinity College football team, which won its ninth straight game last weekend against Amherst, 30-13, will close the 2008 season against the Wesleyan University Cardinals on Saturday, Nov. 8 at noon in Middletown. The Bantams, coached by Jeff Devanney (3rd season, 19-3) have already clinched their fifth New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title in the last seven years, are will complete the program's 11th undefeated season and its fourth perfect season in the last six years. Saturday's game will be webcast for audio live at www.teamline.cc (team code 2055) or for audio and video at www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/sportsinfo/news/webcastsfall08.html.
The Bantams hold a 54-52-1 lead in the historic all-time series against Wesleyan, after downing the Cardinals, 32-14, at home last fall for their seventh triumph over Wesleyan in a row. In last year's game, current senior S John Marinelli (New Canaan, Conn.) made a pair of interceptions, while junior Oliver Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J.) rushed for 113 yards, and senior PK Adam Cox (Garden City, N.Y.) booted a pair of field goals. Trinity is currently ranked No. 2 in the New England Division III Poll and No. 7 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Lambert Meadowlands Division III Poll, while the Panthers are No. 8 in New England. This week's New England Division III Poll: 1. Trinity, Conn. (7-0), 2. Plymouth State (8-1), 3. 4. Curry (8-1), 4. WPI (6-2), 5. Williams (5-2), T6. Amherst (5-2), T6. Husson (5-2), 8. Maine Maritime (6-3), 9. Bridgewater State (6-3), 10. Mass.-Dartmouth (6-3). This week's ECAC Lambert Meadowlands Poll: 1. Cortland State (8-0), 2. Muhlenberg (8-0), 3. Wesley (6-1), 4. Renssaeler (7-0), 5. Ithaca (7-1), 6. Washington and Jefferson (7-1), 7. Trinity, Conn. (7-0), 8. Salisbury (7-2), 9. Montclair State (7-1), 10. Hartwick (6-1).
Against Amherst, Starnes scored on touchdown runs of one, 69, and 12 yards, as Trinity won their 31st consecutive home game. Trinity never trailed in the game, as senior QB Eric McGrath (Lynn, Mass.) added a 28-yard touchdown pass to sophomore WR Michael Galligan (Shoreham, N.Y.) and Cox booted a 33-yard field goal, but missed an extra-point attempt, to round out the scoring. Bantam senior tri-captain ILB Tyler Berry (East Lyme, Conn.) intercepted two passes, including one at his own goal line, and Marinelli blocked a late Amherst field goal attempt and returned it deep into Lord Jeff territory to set Starnes up for his third touchdown.
The Trinity defense held Amherst to 48 rushing yards on 24 carries, as Berry and freshman LB Walter Fallas (Everett, Mass.) led the way with nine tackles apiece. Senior tri-captain Conor Quinn (Milford, Mass.) added eight hits and a pair of pass breakups, while Marinelli made six tackles and broke up three passes. Starnes finished with 116 rushing yards on 19 carries, while McGrath totaled 171 yards passing without an interception. Senior WR Connor Wells (Haddam, Conn.) caught six passes for 76 yards. Berry and Starnes were selected as the NESCAC Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their fine performances.
Trinity ranks second in the NESCAC in total offense (402.6 ypg), rushing offense (137.1 ypg), passing offense (265.4 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (109.9 eff. rating), while McGrath ranks second in passing yards with 261.4 per game, and senior CB Harryl Smith (Ridgewood, N.J.) is second in the league in interceptions with four to go with his team-high six pass breakups. Galligan is second in the league in pass receptions with 42 and fourth in receiving yards with 84.3 per game (590), while Wells sits at third in receiving yards with 89.3 per game (625) and sixth in catches with 5.43 per game (38). Starnes is third in the conference with 581 rushing yards, followed by junior RB Robert Jackson (Atlanta, Ga.) in ninth with 334 yards on the ground. McGrath has completed 137 passes in 240 attempts for 1,830 yards with a league-best 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Berry ranks sixth in the conference in tackles with 61, while junior DE Kyle Williams (Bethesda, Md.) is 10th in sacks with three. Quinn adds 44 tackles, two interceptions, and four pass breakups, while and sophomore OLB Matt Allen (Agoura Hills, Calif.) has 42 tackles and two interceptions. Junior Grant Kunkel (New Canaan, Conn.) is second in punting average at 37.0 per attempt and Cox is third in scoring among kickers with 5.6 ppg.
The Wesleyan football squad, under the direction of Head Coach Frank Hauser (17th season), lost its third straight game, 48-14, at Williams on Saturday to fall to 1-6. The Cardinals' other five losses were all by 10 points or less. Wesleyan ranks second in the league in pass defense with 172 yards allowed per game, and freshmen Cyprian Oyomba (Norwalk, Conn.) and Cameron Davila (Yorba Linda, Calif.) are third and fifth, respectively, in the league in tackles with 9.6 and 8.8 per game. Senior Kevin Leamy (Westville, N.J.) has been a productive receiver for the Cardinals with 40 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns, while rookie QB Blake DuBois (Santa Ynez, Calif.) has thrown for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns with nine interceptions. Cardinal senior Chris Helsel (Ridgewood, N.J.) is the league's top punter with 38.1 yards per attempt.
