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’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!…

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…

In a great New York weekend where the Jets punished the Patriots and the Giants spoiled Jerrah-World’s grand opening, the Villanova athletics scene was too bad either. Villanova athletes took home 3 awards this past week, in another successful week all across the ‘Nova Sports landscape.

• WR Matt Szczur was named the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week after returning the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. That’s 1.
• Krista Andersen was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after she helped the volleyball team to a championship over the weekend. That’s 2.
• Megan Goelz and Meredith Sabatini were named to the Big East Honor Roll after solid weeks for the field hockey team. That’s 3 and 4.

See, I wasn’t kidding. Now let’s get to the teams and recap their weeks.

Football (3-0)

• If you hadn’t heard yet, they beat Penn 14-3 at Franklin Field on Saturday night. Not the prettiest win, but we’ll take it. They are currently ranked #2 in the country. They’ll open their CAA slate next week at home vs. Northeastern.

Women’s Basketball

• Not playing until November, but they announced their schedule today. Check it out.

Field Hockey (4-2, 1-0)

• In their first home game, and BIG EAST contest of the season, the ladies dismantled Rutgers 7-1.
• They continued their winning ways on Sunday by beating Bucknell 4-2 on goals from Sabatini, Meg Ryan, Lauren Wuzzardo and Dana Ramsden.

Women’s Soccer (7-1-1)

• In their first setback of the season, the ladies got smoked in their BIG EAST opener at Georgetown when they lost 4-0.
• Katie Ryan was the savior on Sunday when she scored in the 90th minute to hand her team a 1-0 win over Fordham.

Men’s Soccer (4-2-1)

• Jordy Griffith staked the team to a 1-0 lead over UConn, but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats fell 2-1 in their BIG EAST opener.
• Kyle Soroka scored just over 4 minutes into the match, and the team held on to beat Providence 1-0 on Sunday.

Men’s Golf

• The team finished 12th out of 18 teams at the McLaughlin Invitational hosted by St. John’s.

Women’s Volleyball (11-2)

• The women traveled to Virginia for the Marriott Cavalier Invitational and they came away the big winner. First, they defeated Albany 3-2 behind 18 kills from Krista Andersen.
• The next day, senior Amy Gulyas and Andersen both posted double-doubles as the ladies won again, defeating hosts Virginia 3-1.
• Later in the day Villanova won yet again as they defeated Virginia Tech 3-2 as Gulyas and Andersen shined again.

If you’re keeping score (I am), then you’ll know that Villanova sports cruised to a 8-2 overall record, and a 12th place finish for the golf team. Good times, keep on comin’.

It isn’t always pretty, but the good teams always find ways to scrap these types of games out. Villanova defeated Penn 14-3 on Saturday night at Franklin Field, but it was a hard fought contest that had ‘Nova fans nervous everywhere.

Young gave the 'Nova offense a big lift.

Things couldn’t have started much better for Villanova as WR Matt Szczur took the opening kickoff back 87 yards for a touchdown, but after that, nothing came easily. Villanova gained just 187 yards of offense on 50 plays and QB Chris Whitney struggled mightily throughout the night, finishing 3-7 for 38 yards and an interception.

QB Antwon Young accounted for Villanova’s other score late in the 3rd quarter when he came in to replace Whitney. Young led the Wildcats on a 78 yard drive which culminated in a TD pass to WR Brandyn Harvey. Young also had a 24 yard run on 3rd-and-11 early in the drive.

The Villanova defense were the stars of the night, holding Penn to 239 yards and just 3 points while they were on the field far more than they would have liked.

The win pushes Villanova to 3-0 as they await a visit from Northeastern next weekend when they kick off their CAA schedule.

…Ugly, ugly, ugly…but we deal with this in basketball and it’s even more true in football: a win is a win…Glad to see Antwon Young get a chance to make an impact, and do so to provide Villanova some cover late in the game…

…I said it at the top and I’ll say it again, good teams win these types of games…when you’re not at your best you still find ways to win…good for Villanova…

It was all good for Villanova in their home opener on Saturday night as they took care of business and defeated Lehigh 28-17 behind a monster rushing attack. QB Chris Whitney had a career rushing day, finishing with 130 yards on the ground and 106 in the air. He accounted for 3 touchdowns in all (2 through the air, 1 on the ground).

Whitney had a career day.

Whitney was just the tip of the iceberg for the Wildcats however. WR Matt Szczur had his first career 100-yard effort carrying the ball, including a 75-yard scamper that set up a ‘Nova field goal. In all, Villanova amassed 310 yards on the ground.

RB Angelo Babbaro and WR Norman White caught passes from Whitney for scores, and DE Marlon Johnson returned a fumble 19-yards for a touchdown near halftime that effectively put the game out of reach.

Make sure you check out Lehigh Football Nation’s report on the game. Sounds like they were very impressed with ‘Nova last night.

…I really wish I could watch these games…I probably won’t be able to watch a game until homecoming weekend but I really like what I’m hearing about the team…sounds like Whitney is efficiently running an offense that has the potential to be very high powered…

…Good, solid win by the football team…they take on Penn next weekend at Franklin Field…

LB Osayi Osunde

I’m getting bored waiting for basketball season. It’s a long time until October when things really start moving on that front. So I decided that from now on we’re going to at the very least update you on the other ‘Nova sports teams as their seasons progress. We won’t be going nearly as in-depth as we do for basketball, but being a graduate, I have come to realize that I’m going to end up pulling for more than just the basketball team.

So, we’ll do our best to get some more sports into the rotation. To start off, let’s talk about the football team, which just had their annual Media Day last week. Head Coach Andy Talley and several players were on hand to talk to the media about the upcoming season, which kicks off when the Wildcats play Temple at The Linc on September 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

Villanova is returning an obscene amount of talent on offense, headlined by a couple of juniors; RB Aaron Ball and WR/RB Matt Szczur. The Wildcats were picked as pre-season CAA co-champions with Richmond, and are expected to be among the best teams in the country.

Four players were selected as pre-season 1st team All-CAA; Szczur, LB Osayi Osunde, OT Ben Ijalana, and DE Tim Kukucka. Osunde was also given pre-season All-American honors by the FCS. Osunde has led the team in tackles for the last two seasons.

Lastly, check out this article by Mike Kern of the Philadelphia Daily News, in which he talks with Osunde and others about the bad taste that was left from last season.

…I’m really glad the football team has big aspirations…Villanova has been primarily known for the basketball team, but it’d be great if another team could consistently be on the national radar…who knows, maybe in a few years they’ll even make the jump to the FBS if the Big East looks to expand…