I Bleed Blue and White

Whitney and Szczur hoist it up.

Hopefully you planted yourself in front of a TV on Friday night. If you didn’t, you missed Villanova’s 2nd National Championship of the year, and first ever in football. You missed a great game, one in which our boys were down 14-3, and everything looked to be slipping away. But in classic Villanova fashion, they rallied back, thoroughly dominated Montana in the 2nd half, and took home the title, 23-21.

Matt Szczur was spectacular, totaling a career-best 159 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 270 all-purpose yards. Oh, and if you didn’t know, he’s a pretty decent guy off the field too. Chris Whitney went over 100 yards on the ground and through the air, and the defense put up one of the most dominating 2nd half performances I’ve ever seen. I could be wrong, but in the 4th quarter I’m pretty sure I saw ‘43′ under total yards for Montana in the half. That’s quite good.

So now that we’ve won it all, what’s next? Are you content with our FCS program or do you want to see the team (and school) reach new heights? With word spreading that the Big Ten conference is about to raid the BIG EAST for a football team, the BIG EAST is going to be looking for new members, and we already know they’ve reached out to Villanova. So doesn’t it make sense to make the move now?

Our program has currently reached the status of top-tier in the FCS. There is no debating that, and when you look at the talent on our roster, we’re going to be at the top for a while. We CAN compete in the FBS, as we saw when we beat bowl-bound Temple earlier in the year. And let’s be honest, the BIG EAST isn’t exactly known for great football. I’m fairly certain we could step in and be very competitive (top-half finishes) in the first few years.

So just a few problems in my eyes, and we’ll tackle these one at a time:

1. The Fanbase
2. The Stadium
3. Money

In terms of the fanbase, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s bad. And I can’t even point the fingers at others. I probably only attended 7-8 games over my entire 4 years at school. I was anything but loyal. In my defense, we were bad up until last year. Good teams will draw crowds. So it’s a good thing this team has become good, and more importantly exciting to watch. We still need more support from the students if it is going to work. And I mean at least 5,000 at every home game. This isn’t a basketball lottery. We can all fit. And football is f*cking awesome. Come on kids.

Then comes the alumni aspect. I don’t know what our current numbers look like. But they aren’t pretty. But in talking with my friends at the basketball game on Saturday, if Villanova announced a move to FBS, we would immediately buy our season tickets, and I have to think a lot of other people would too. So I think a move would definitely result in more attendance.

In terms of the stadium, we would need an expansion, but this isn’t that difficult. I originally thought the minimum size was around 30,000, but after looking around, there are plenty of FBS teams with stadiums under 20,000. I think the minimum is probably somewhere around 15K. Right now, we’re sitting at an official capacity of 12,500. Just add some endzone bleachers, solve the track problem somewhere else, and you’re good to go. Originally I thought this was a major issue. It’s not as bad as I thought.

Lastly, the money. I’ve heard that our football team currently loses money every year. Not surprising. While it would initially cost more to move to the FBS ranks, I think the long-term benefits make this a no-brainer. Besides the revenue-sharing you’d get from the conference, if you can successfully build up your program, there is no telling how great it could get. Sure, it’s a risk. No denying that. But it’s a risk worth taking. And when your students/alums see you are taking that risk, they’ll back you. At least I would. And I know all my friends would. And the various alums I’ve met, I know they would too.

It’s time, baby.

Terrible job on my part for just completely abandoning football coverage around here. That team deserves the coverage after a stellar regular season. The football team went out on Senior Day and pounded rival Deleware 30-12 for their 4th straight victory over the Blue Hens, and a win that increased their series lead to 22-20-1.

Whitney had a career day.

The win meant a lot of things for Villanova — most notably a CAA Championship. The conference title means that Villanova was automatically invited to the FCS playoffs, and earned the #2 seed in the process. That ensures homefield advantage all the way to the Championship game in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Wildcats reached 10 wins for the 6th time in school history.

As for the game that got them there, it was the usual cast of characters putting in the majority of the work. Chris Whitney ran for a career-high 138 yards, Matt Szczur recordd 179 all-purpose yards and the Villanova defense was it’s usual stifling self limiting the UD offense to just 12 points.

The football team takes on Holy Cross this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. as part of a dual-sport double-header with the basketball team who hosts LaSalle at 3:30 p.m. Make sure you get out there early and support the football team. A National Championship is on the horizon!

…You can see the FCS Playoffs bracket here…we got a good draw because of the #2 seed…but we also avoided Richmond, who would have been out for revenge, and we potentially get another crack at New Hampshire, who is our only loss this season…

…I really do feel bad about not covering this team more…they are a special group…I was raised on basketball at ‘Nova and when I came in the football team was an afterthought…ironically many of my freshman classmates helped and are still helping this program turn into a national power…

…So I just want to congratulate the entire team on a great season — you’re not done yet though…let’s have a solid run through these playoffs and win it all…

Here is the recap and box score for anyone who missed the game.

Chris Whitney came up big and delivered one of the best performances of his career, finishing with 277 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. He was backed by a Villanova defense that continued to stand on its head throughout the game and deny the Spiders the endzone.

Brandyn Harvey will go down as the hero in this one for his game-winning TD grab with 59 seconds left. On 4th an 10, Andy Talley drew up a play for the senior WR, and Harvey delivered with a one-handed catch. But there was still plenty of game left to be played after that.

Richmond was able to drive back down the field and get into field-goal range. It wasn’t meant to be for the Spiders though, as the kick went wide left. The moment will be remembered in Villanova football history forever.

Some quotes:

“The play was designed to go to me. [Whitney] saw me and I was open,” Harvey said. “I should probably have caught the pass with two hands but you can’t put your arms as far out as with one hand. Once I made the catch, I knew someone was behind me but I just wanted to make sure I scored.” -- Brandyn Harvey

“Like Brandyn said, the play was designed to go to him,” Whitney added. “On fourth-and-10 I didn’t have much choice but to go to him. We have counted on Brandyn all year. He is 6-4 and a big target. I thought I might have overthrown it at first but I am glad that it worked.” -- Chris Whitney

“The game pretty much went accordingly to what we expected coming in.” “I thought both teams were very evenly matched and we were comfortable playing here because we thought we had a chance to get after [Richmond] if we could shut down their running game. We maybe had an opportunity to close it out earlier but Richmond is a very good team and they were everything we thought they would be. We have a lot of respect for them. They did a great job and the game could have gone either way.” -- Andy Talley

Here’s a bonus, dug up by Brian of VUHoops. One less person is employed today.

Here’s the recap and box score for anyone who missed the game.

Brandyn Harvey had 7 catches for 77 yards and a TD.

Even with a steady rain putting a damper on the Homecoming festivities, the football team made it look easy en route to a 36-7 win over Rhode Island. It was the 200th career victory for Andy Talley, and he had to be proud of the way his team played.

Both the offense and defense put forth dominating performances. The defense held the Rams to just 30 yards rushing and 151 yards overall and the offense racked up over 500 yards of offense, including 376 on the ground (the 3rd time this year they’ve eclipsed the 300 mark).

Matt Szczur was again at the forefront of the ‘Nova attack as he ran it in from 1 yard on the team’s first possession of the game and then later threw a 3-yard pass to Mikey Reynolds as ‘Nova built a 21-0 halftime lead. Aaron Ball and Chris Whitney both ran the ball well, finishing with 99 yards and 124, respectively.

The rain seemed to have an effect as Villanova’s scoring slowed down as the rain picked up in the 2nd half, but their dominating rushing attack ensured that their was no comeback in the minds of the Rhode Island players.

It was a solid win, and they did what was expected against a weaker opponent. They now head into their bye week sitting at 7-1 overall, and 4-1 in the conference. In 2 weeks they travel to Richmond to face the #1 team in the country, and a team they’ll be looking to take revenge on after losing to them at home last year.

Box score and recap for those who missed the game. And by the way, the team moved up to #4 in the country following their win.

Terence Thomas and the 'Nova 'D' were stifling.

Andy Talley gained the 199th victory of his career and saw his defense put on a dominating performance that more than made up for last year’s two defeats while spoiling homecoming weekend for the hosts. Terence Thomas and Fred Maldonado led the way with 10 and 11 tackles, respectively and John Dempsey forced 2 fumbles on the afternoon.

Chris Whitney had one of the best games of his career as he threw 3 touchdowns on the afternoon while posting 97 yards on the ground. Matt Szczur was again in the thick of it all as he caught 2 touchdown passes for the first time in his stellar career.

But the defense was the main story for Villanova, which posted its first shutout in nearly 7 years. A year after losing twice to James Madison, this one was never close. ‘Nova scored on their first possession of the game and built a 20-0 halftime lead before controlling the ball for 18 minutes in the 2nd half, never giving the hosts a chance to climb back into the game.

Some eye-openers:

• JMU only got into ‘Nova territory twice, and never reached the redzone.
• They gained just 116 yards rushing, by far the strongest asset of their team.

Most importantly though, this was the kind of game this team needed after a gut-wrenching loss the week prior. This reaffirms their confidence in themselves, and gets them back on track to make the FCS playoffs, while effectively eliminating a rival in the process (always a great feeling).

Great game men. Homecoming game is next weekend vs. Rhode Island. Should be great!

Apologies for the late post. Had a very busy weekend and busy Monday.

Szczur was unstoppable for 'Nova.

Here is the game recap and box score for those who missed the game.

Villanova (5-1, 2-1) overcame an early 16-point deficit early in the 3rd quarter, but it couldn’t hold on as New Hampshire (5-0, 2-0) notched a pair of field goals in the 4th quarter to steal the game away from the visiting Wildcats.

It wasn’t the best day by any means for ‘Nova, and their head coach was quick to voice his displeasure.

“We have shown at this point in time in the season that we do not have the ability to go on the road and win a tough game,” Villanova head coach Andy Talley said. “Until we do that, we’re not a serious football team. I’m very upset with this football team because we had a great opportunity for ourselves and we didn’t get off the bus ready to play.”

Matt Szczur was the star on the day for ‘Nova, totaling 283 yards of offense, including his 58-yard scamper that gave ‘Nova it’s first and only lead of the day. Antwon Young and Chris Whitney again split time, and both seemed to perform admirably well, although it was a Whitney interception inside his own 20-yard line that led to the final FG for New Hampshire.

New Hampshire QB R.J. Toman finished just shy of 300 yards passing (292) on a day when he picked apart the Wildcat defense. ‘Nova returns to action next weekend for yet another Top-10 matchup when they travel to James Madison.

…Hard not to be disappointed…but when you fall behind early on the road it is always difficult to pull out a win, and we nearly did it…now it is time to refocus for next weekend when they travel to JMU…another tough matchup and one that a team with National Championship aspirations does not want to lose…

…Keep your heads up fellas and rebound and kick the piss out of JMU next weekend!…

The Game: #2 Villanova (5-0, 2-0) at #5 New Hampshire (4-0, 1-0)

Location: Cowell Stadium in Durham, New Hampshire

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Broadcast: 950-AM ESPN Radio

Brief Rundown: Villanova is coming off the 1st game of a brutal stretch, but they made it look relatively easy last week disposing of then #5 William & Mary at home. Villanova’s rushing attack didn’t live up to it’s season averages, but they made it count scoring 3 rushing touchdowns. Chris Whitney and the passing attack picked up the pace though, scoring on a long pass on the 1st offensive play of the game. ‘Nova’s defense continued it’s opportunistic ways, holding William & Mary under it’s season averages in points despite giving up huge chunks of yardage.

New Hampshire moves into the Top 5 after they remained undefeated last week by crushing Towson 57-7 on the road. New Hampshire hasn’t played the stiff competition that Villanova has thus far, but they are a solid program with a very good defense, which currently ranks 1st in all of FCS. Keep an eye on QB R.J. Toman, who is suffering from a bout with turf toe.

3 Keys to Victory:

1. May the best defense win - I’ve got a feeling this one isn’t going to be particularly high-scoring, despite both programs averaging over 30 points per game. New Hampshire has forced 18 turnovers on the year, and like Villanova, can get after the QB and force bad decisions. Whichever defense comes out and sets the tone for their team is probably going to be the difference in this game.
2. Stick with the run – It’s the strength of the team, with 5 guys capable of impacting the game with their legs (including both QB’s). It wasn’t the easiest time on the ground last week for Villanova, but that should only motivate the OL and RB’s to really bring it this week. Aaron Ball has been the main workhorse for ‘Nova.
3. Unity – This is the first conference road game of the year, and as Coach Andy Talley described it, a pseudo-playoff game. Rally around each other and scrape out a win. It isn’t supposed to be pretty on the road. Grind this one out and come home with a  win.

Links:

• Villanova Game Notes (PDF)
• New Hampshire Football Report
  

Recap and box score for those who missed the game.

In the first ever nationally televised CAA event, Villanova did not disappoint as they controlled things from the first play of the game all the way until the end. Chris Whitney hooked up with Brandyn Harvey for a 57-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, setting the tone for a very impressive performance on the afternoon.

Whitney was stellar for 'Nova on Saturday.

On a day when Villanova’s vaunted rushing attack wasn’t as dominant, Whitney responded to the critics by finishing 10-13 through the air for 146 yards. Whitney was helped out by 3 Villanova rushing touchdowns (all inside the 5 yard line) including the first two of the year by Matt Szczur. Angelo Babbaro rounded out the Villanova scoring with his 3-yard touchdown run.

Despite Villanova seemingly controlling the game throughout (personally, I was never worried), a lot of credit has to be given to Villanova’s defense, which was very much a bend-but-don’t-break style on Saturday afternoon. R.J. Archer threw for 354 yards and the Tribe out-gained Villanova by nearly 200 total yards in offense.  But it was Villanova’s defense that came up with big play after big play.

James Pitts made a couple of enormous plays to help seal the victory. The first came late in the 2nd quarter when he recovered a fumble and returned it 20 yards to set ‘Nova up deeep in W&M territory for a drive that eventually led to 7 points.

Pitts was at it again in the 3rd quarter. The Tribe had driven down deep into Villanova territory but Pitts was able to get his hands on a pass and Marquis Kirkland hauled it in to give the ball back to Villanova. In my opinion, the play of the game and one that really sealed the deal.

Villanova will travel to New Hampshire next weekend in yet another tough CAA matchup of ranked opponents.

…Would have liked to see Antwon Young get a little more time, but Whitney really did have a great game…that shouldn’t be the end of Young though because he has definitely earned more PT in my eyes…really weird to see Villanova Stadium on TV like that…I’ve seen it before but it wasn’t as big a broadcast….

…Fans looked great and the students came out which was also great to see…this team still needs more support though as the stands were definitely not all the way full…

…I could really get used to being able to watch ‘Nova on TV…great win by the team but no time to relax…another tough game awaits next weekend…

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

• Philadelphia Inquirer
• Villanova Game Notes (PDF)

…Let’s Go Nova…c’mon boys let’s do this…I’m fired up for football!…

The past few weeks have been nothing short of spectacular for the various Villanova teams. Maybe it was the soft non-conference schedule that each team stole from the basketball program, or maybe it was just one of those weeks. Now that conference play has begun all across the country, things are only going to get tougher.

It was still a good though as the ‘Nova athletics program record of 4-3-1 for the week.

Football (4-0, 1-0)

• It was all smiles Saturday as the football team demolished Northeastern 56-7. A week after being benched, QB Chris Whitney split time with Antwon Young and both performed well in the rout. They’ll be hosting William & Mary next week in a nationally televised game.

Men’s Golf

• The team traveled to North Carolina for the Sea Trails Intercollegiate and came away with a 6th place team finish in the 16 team field. Junior Brendan Kelly led the team with a 13th place individual finish.
• Assistant coach Jake Moran received the GCAA Meritorious Service Award. Moran is in his 2nd season as assistant coach after stepping down from the head coaching spot after 15 years.

Men’s Soccer (5-3-1, 2-2)

• An early goal was all Georgetown needed as it held on to defeat ‘Nova 1-0 last Friday.
• The team rebounded nicely with a 4-1 victory at Seton Hall on Sunday. Mike Seamon had a career-night with 2 goals and 2 assists in the victory.

Field Hockey (6-2, 1-0)

• In a midweek contest, Villanova defeated Penn 4-0 to continue their winning ways. Emily Donaldson and Meg Ryan both recorded 3 assists in the team’s 4th consecutive win.

Women’s Soccer (8-1-2, 1-1-1)

• The women took advantage of two goals from Heidi Sabatura in the 1st half and cruised to a 3-1 win over visiting Seton Hall on Friday afternoon. Kelly Eagan had the other goal for ‘Nova.
• Two overtimes couldn’t separate Villanova and Rutgers on Sunday as the teams finished in a 1-1 deadlock. Rachel Schuyler scored her first career goal on 25 minutes for ‘Nova in the draw.

Women’s Volleyball (11-4, 0-2)

• Things came crashing down for the volleyball team this week as they began BIG EAST play. After a string of 6 consecutive wins, the team fell 3-0 to Cincinnati in their conference opener and then again 3-1 to Louisville.