I Bleed Blue and White

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.

Game: #4 Villanova (6-1, 3-1) vs. Rhode Island (1-5, 0-3)

Location: Villanova Stadium in Villanova, PA

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Broadcast: 950-AM ESPN Radio

Brief Rundown: Villanova is coming off a solid bounceback win as they trounced James Madison 27-0 and spoiled their homecoming festivities last weekend. They remain one of the best teams in all of FCS.

On the other side, well, the Rams just aren’t very good. Their lone victory was against Fordham to start the year, and they’ve lost all of their games since. Defense has been the main issue, as the Rams are giving up nearly 34 points per outing. On paper, this one shouldn’t be very close.

3 Keys to Victory:

1. Smashmouth – Judging by the Rhode Island defensive statistics through 6 games, their defense employs the Matador style. Villanova’s offense is predicated around the run, and if they stick with that strategy they’ll have no issues on Saturday.
2. Suffocate them early - The longer Rhode Island hangs around, the tougher this will get. Villanova can’t be looking ahead to Richmond, or they could find themsevles in trouble.
3. Enjoy the atmosphere - The stadium will be packed this weekend as ‘Nova fans from all over the country descend on The Main Line for Homecoming. Make sure to soak up every minute of it.

Links:

• Villanova Game Notes (PDF)

…Lets Go Nova!…