Wesley College looks to advance again in the NCAA Division III football playoffs Saturday.
The Wolverines entertain MIT in a second round contest in Dover.
MIT is undefeated with a 10-0 record, and can put points up. The Engineers are averaging 39 points per game behind Division III’s fourth leading rusher Justin Wallace.
Wallace is averaging 156 yards per game and has scored 17 TD’s, but Wesley head coach Mike Drass says you can’t just key on him.
“They do it running and throwing the football. They’re running for 200 yards and throwing for 200 yards. So, there’s a lot of balance going on there," said Drass. "When you look at them you’d say ‘Boy, they’ve got a big bruiser at tailback and they’re going to keep running him.’ They don’t do that. They have a lot of balance."
Meanwhile, Wesley has become accustomed to putting many of its opponents away early. The Wolverines tend to score early and often, outscoring opponents 214-28 in the first quarter this year.
Last week, the Wolverines jumped out to a 42-0 first quarter lead en route to a 52-7 first round win over Hampden-Sydney.
Wesley safety and punt returner Sean Hopkins says he and his teammates have focused on fast starts this season
“In the past, we’ve sometimes scored and them let up," said Hopkins. "Now, we just want to put the hammer down and just keep out foot on the pedal throughout the whole game to just make a statement every game week in and week out.
Wesley is 10-1 and making its 10th straight second round playoff appearance.
The Engineers are in the post-season for the first time and needed overtime last week to get past Husson 27-20.
Kick-off Saturday at Scott Miller stadium is at noon.