I Bleed Blue and White

No, not the basketball team. The Villanova football team will be hosting the National Semi-Final game vs. William & Mary at Villanova Stadium this Friday night. The game begins at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN2.

No, I never thought I’d see the day when our football team was on national TV. Now that it has arrived, I’m beyond excited to watch this team continue it’s march towards a National Championship!

…That stadium better be packed with students, alums, and fans in general…this team has been amazing all year and we need to take advantage of the homefield edge and make sure W&M doesn’t have a chance…

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!…

Football coach Andy Talley came out and defended starting QB Chris Whitney just two days after he pulled him in favor of 5th year senior Antwon Young. Talley stated that Whitney “wasn’t happy” about being pulled (ya think?) but that he will be the starter this weekend against Northeastern. So for now, no controversy.

But if Whitney struggles this weekend, and Young (who was replaced by Whitney as the starter last year against Penn, ironically) does well leading the team, what is next? I find it unusual that the #2 team in the country has this issue, but it is what it is. Hopefully Whitney rebounds and this can all end. On to some morning reading…

• Speaking of the Quakers, at least one man thinks that Penn doesn’t need Villanova in football. Usually you want to play the best competition, but not those Ivy Leaguers! Keep on striving boys!
• Tim Thomas had surgery on his right knee to repair torn cartilage. No word on how long he’ll be out.
• Tweeted this earlier, but in case you aren’t on Twitter the CAA announced that the October 3rd football game between William & Mary and Villanova will be broadcast nationally on VERSUS, at 3:30 p.m. It will be the first time a CAA regular season game has been broadcast nationally. Now I won’t have to watch us on crappy backdoor internet links, at least for one week.
• Time may be running out for the injury-prone Brian Westbrook in Philadelphia. As a Giants fan, let me extend a thank you to the Eagles’ front office.