The Game: #2 Villanova (4-0, 1-0) vs. #5 William & Mary (4-0, 1-0)
Location: Villanova Stadium in Villanova, PA
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast: VERSUS
Brief Rundown: Villanova is coming off a complete shellacking of Northeastern in their conference opener last week. The running game was dominant for Villanova as they racked up over 300 yards on the afternoon. Chris Whitney and Antwon Young split time at QB and both performed very well. Expect more of that this week.
William & Mary started off the year knocking off Virginia in a big-time upset 26-14. They also won their conference opener last week by beating Deleware 30-20. Unlike ‘Nova, The Tribe get most of their yardage through the air behind QB R.J. Archer. Their defense is just as stifling as ‘Nova’s however, allowing just 15 points per game.
Last year Villanova won the game 38-38. Expect a war on Saturday afternoon.
3 Keys to Victory:
- Don’t shy away from the run – W&M allows just 59 yards rushing per game. Villanova averages 228. I wouldn’t expect ‘Nova to run wild (although you never know) but they can’t get deterred if they don’t find success early. Stay with it, and wear them down.
- Contain R.J. Archer – The Tribe’s QB averages almost 230 yards of total offense per game, with a lot of that coming through the air. Villanova’s defense has been adept at getting to the QB and that is going to have to happen again this week with a strong QB behind center.
- Feed off the crowd – The Villanova homepage right now is a video of ‘Nova players telling the fans to get rowdy and push them to a victory. I agree. This should be like a big basketball game. The students should be going crazy and the alumni should pack the place.
Links:
…Let’s Go Nova…c’mon boys let’s do this…I’m fired up for football!…
