On a picture-perfect day for football, the Villanova Wildcats hosted the Dukes of James Madison in a Colonial Athletic league homecoming contest on the Main Line. The Wildcats began the day with a record of 4- 2 after last week’s convincing win over the Maine Black Bears.
Flying Wildcats
Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley
Drew Dudzik Just Gets the Pass Away
The Dukes of James Madison came into the game with an identical 4 -2 record. Coached by Mickey Matthews, the Dukes started out their season 3- 0, including a 21 – 16 win over nationally ranked Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Since then, the Dukes have posted a win over Towson and lost to league rivals Delaware (13- 10) and last weekend, to New Hampshire (28 -14). Matthews is the winningest coach in JMU history, and led the Dukes to an NCAA championship in 2004.
Ball Squared
Eric Loper Makes a Flippin Good Tackle
Chris Whitney Gets Hit as He Throws
After a scoreless first period , Villanova got on the scoreboard by driving 80 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown, which came on a 7 yard pass from Chris Whitney to Norman White. Nick Yako converted to make it 7 -0 . The drive featured two fourth down conversions. The first came on a fake punt by Dom Scarnecchia on 4th & 9 at mid-field. Scarnecchia scampered 23 yards for a first down to the JMU 27. Later in the drive , Whitney hit White on a 4th & 8 pass for a 13 yard gain to the JMU 12 yard line.
Touchdown Villanova!
Griff Yancey
Dorian Wells
A few minutes later, with 1:19 to go in the half, the Cats scored again on a 54 yard pass play from Whitney to Mikey Reynolds. The drive covered 71 yards in 4 plays.
Chris Whitney on the Run
Fred Maldonado
Drew Dudzik
Whitney finished the first half completing 13 of 17 pass attempts for 159 yards and the 2 touchdowns. White caught 7 passes for 73 yards and Reynolds caught 3 for 75 yards. Both teams missed a field goal in the first half which ended with the Cats on top 14-0.
JMU Touchdown
JMU's Griff Yancey
JMU came out in the second half and scored its lone touchdown on its first possession . The score came via a 2 yard run by Kavon Seaton. The Dukes drive took 9 plays to cover 73 yards. JMU totally dominated the third quarter holding onto the ball for 12 minutes; Villanova had the ball for only 6 plays during the third quarter.
Tough Yardage
QB Chris Whitney Scrambling Away From Defenders
In the 4th quarter Villanova threatened, driving 67 yards from their 28 yard line to the JMU 10 yard line. However Nick Yako missed for a second time on a 23 yard field goal try (wide left). Nova had another drive late in the fourth quarter to the JMU 2 yard line, but a Whitney fumble on 4th down and 1 was recovered by JMU.
James Pitts
Terence Thomas on the Tackle
On its last drive JMU drove into Villanova territory and as time expired Drew Dudzik’s pass was intercepted by James Pitts in the Cats end zone to preserve the victory.
Kerby Long with the Reception
Scott Noble Carrying for JMU
The Cats gained 209 yards rushing on 47 carries. Angelo Babbaro led the way with 72 yards on 13 carries. Aaron Ball chipped in 56 yards, also on 13 carries, becoming the second leading rusher in Villanova history behind only the great Brian Westbrook. Lawrence Doss added 33 yards on 5 carries. Whitney, who did not complete a pass in the second half (0-2), finished 13 of 19 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Norman White had 7 receptions for 73 yards. Linebacker Marquis Kirkland had 10 tackles to lead the defense.
JMU Gang Tackling
For the Dukes, who were held to 87 yards rushing on 32 carries, Scott Noble led the way gaining 39 yards on 14 carries. Drew Dudzik passed for 213 yards on 22 completions in 32 attempts, with the one pick by Pitts on the game- ending play.
Matt Szczur, still nursing an ankle injury, did not dress for the Wildcats.
Matt Szczur Did Not Dress
Villanova next hosts the Richmond Spiders on Saturday, October 30th in another CAA conference match.
On the local front, Temple & Penn also posted wins. Temple shutting out Buffalo and the Quakers beating Yale.
Article by Stephen Miller
{All photos credits for this article appear courtesy of Michael Green Photography: www.mpgreenphotography.com}
Before the football game the Villanova Men’s Basketball team held its Blue/White Scrimmage game for fans.
To see photos of the game, please follow this link:
The Villanova Wildcats (2-1) squared off against its Big Five rival the Penn Quakers (1-0) of the Ivy League at Villanova stadium last night.. Overall, coming into the game, Villanova lead the series between the teams 9-5. Last year the Wildcats beat the feisty Quakers 14 -3 at Franklin Field. Penn has not beaten Villanova in football in 99 years.
Wildcat
Last week, Villanova beat up on CAA league opponent Towson 43- 7. Penn, playing its first game of the season last weekend, beat Lafayette 19- 14. Both teams appeared in the latest Sports Network top 25 poll – Villanova in the top-spot and Penn at number 24.
Quaker Meeting
Just as in previous years, Villanova and Penn engaged in a backyard brawl. Penn got on the board first on a 2 yard touchdown run by Brandon Colavita culminating a 17 play, 80 yard drive with 11:37 left in the second quarter.
Penn Head Coach Al Bagnoli
During the drive, Penn lost starting running-back Lyle Marsh with a broken forearm. Villanova got on the board a few minutes later on a safety when Penn snapped the ball over quarterback Billy Ragone’s head and the ball was batted out of the end zone.
Penn QB Billy Ragone
The Wildcats came right back on their next possession, a 7 play, 42 yard march, with Angelo Babbaro slashing in for a touchdown from a yard out.
Babbaro was filling in for Matt Szczur who was injured early in the game with an ankle sprain and did not return. At the half, Villanova led 9-7.
Matt Szczur Watches From the Sideline
After a scoreless, but exciting third quarter Penn drove from its own 10 yard line to the Villanova 2 yard line where the drive stalled. Andrew Samson kicked a 19 yard field goal to put the Quakers up 10-9 with just over 9 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley
Villanova rallied and drove the ball down field and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 21 yard hook-up from Chris Whitney to Norman White. Whitney was 10 of 12 passing on the day for 155 yards. White caught four balls for 61 yards to lead the Wildcats. Villanova tried for a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful.
Blue N. White
On Penn’s next possession, Villanova sealed the game when James Pitts intercepted the ball and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown to put Villanova ahead 22-10.
QB Billy Ragone Handing-off
In addition to Szczur’s injury, Villanova linebacker Anthony Johnson left the game with a knee injury.
Normally Peaceful Quakers Using a Shotgun (formation)
“They played their usual hard-nosed, tough, tough game against us,” Villanova coach Andy Talley said of Penn’s effort.
Chris Whitney Lined Up at WR
Aaron Ball led the Wildcats with 81 rushing on 16 carries (including a 51 yard run which ended when the ball was punched out from behind by the Quaker’s Josh Powers, which Penn recovered). Lyle Marsh led the Quakers with 40 yards on 8 carries.
Final Score
Up next for the Wildcats is a road game this coming Saturday against league rival William & Mary.
For more photos from the game, check out our photo gallery:
Villanova opened its defense of the CAA title against the Towson Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Villanova Stadium before a sell out crowd of 12,111. Prior to the game, Villanova head coach Andy Talley and the 2009 FCS Championship football team was honored by Villanova University president Peter Donohue, O.S.A .
2009 FCS Champion Villanova Wildcats
Villanova started slowly in their first home game of the season taking the lead 2-0 on a safety in the first quarter. At the end of the quarter they led 9-0 after QB Chris Whitney added a rushing touchdown. In the second quarter the Wildcats roared to life, exploding for four touchdowns to stretch the lead to 36-0 at the half. Leading the way was Whitney who completed 9 of 12 passes for 115 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more.
2009 FCS Champions
Dorian Wells caught two touchdowns including a 22 yard strike from Whitney and a 44 yard bomb from wideout Matt Szczur. Angelo Babbaro also caught a 17 yard touchdown pass from Whitney.
2010 Villanova Team Captains
Aaron Ball led the ground game for Villanova scoring a touchdown and gaining an impressive 100 yards on just 8 carries. It was Ball’s second straight game with 100 or more yards rushing.
Aaron Ball Rushing
The second half opened the same way the first half ended with Villanova scoring a touchdown to expand their lead to 43-0. With the game well in hand, coach Andy Talley substituted liberally, resting his starters and giving his bench some serious playing time.
Tiger-Like Speed
Facing Villanova’s second and third string players, Towson finally got on the board in the third quarter as back-up QB Mark Blanchard hit Hakeem Moore for a 59 yard touchdown strike.
Touchdown Villanova
That would prove to be the final score as the game ended with Villanova rolling over Towson to move to 1-0 in (Colonial Athletic Association) conference play. With the loss Towson begins their CAA season 0-1.
Touchdown Tandem
This is the second blow-out victory for Villanova (who has been invited to join the Big East Conference) after opening their season with a loss (in the final seconds) to Temple in the Mayor’s Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. The Wildcats will next take on the Quakers from the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday night at Villanova Stadium. The Quakers (1-0) opened their season with a win. Villanova won last year’s match-up with Penn at Franklin Field.
To view the full photo gallery from this game please follow this link:
The 2010 area college football season kicked off with a matchup between the Villlanova Wildcats and the Temple Owls. Both teams are coming off of very successful seasons in 2009. Villanova won the FCS division championship with a stirring win over Montana to cap a 14-1 season. Temple concluded its season against UCLA in the Eagle Bank Bowl game. Last year’s matchup ended with the Wildcats squeaking out a narrow come from behind 27- 24 win at the final gun in the inaugural Mayor’s Cup.
Villanova won the coin toss and elected to receive. Matt Szczur picked up right where he left off last season returning the opening kick 43 yards. Chris Whitney went seven for seven on the opening drive but kicker Nick Yako missed a 38 yard field goal to keep the game scoreless.
In front of the second largest crowd all time for an Owl’s football game at Lincoln Financial Field (32, 193) Temple took over on their own 21 yard line and drove the ball down the field to score the game’s first touchdown on a 17 yard run by Matt Brown and took a 7-0 lead.
End Zone View
Villanova was already driving when the second quarter began but an interception by quarterback Chris Whitney gave Temple the ball back on their own 38 yard line. The Nova defense bailed Whitney out forcing a three and out and the Wildcats took over at the Villanova 28 yard line. Aaron Ball, Matt Szczur, and Chris Whitney all added valuable rushing yards and Szczur completed a pass of 26 yards to Angelo Babbaro and Nova found themselves knocking at Temple’s door. On a third down and two (yards to go) Whitney hit Szczur for a three yard gain for Villanova’s first touchdown of the season. Yako added the extra point to tie the game 7-7.
Villanova's Captains
Temple again quickly went three and out and Villanova got the ball back on their own 26 yard line. Villanova rushed for 26 yards on their first three plays to move the ball to mid-field. Whitney then hit Szczur for 11 yards to move the Cats into Temple territory. After a short run by Aaron Ball, Whitney hit Norman White & Mikey Reynolds on back to back plays and Villanova had a 1st and Goal at the Temple 9 yard line. Aaron Ball rushed the ball into the end zone on first down and Villanova took a 14-7 lead.
Temple quarterback Chester Stewart completed three passes of 10 yards or more (two of them to Rod Streater) to quickly move the ball into Villanova territory where the drive stalled at the 31 yard line. With time winding down, Temple field goal kicker Brandon McManus hit a career long 53 yard field goal to bring Temple within four.
Owls on Offense
Villanova took a 14-10 lead into the locker room at half time.
Temple got the ball to start the third quarter and again went three and out. Villanova took over, drove down the field and set up a 43 field goal attempt for Yako but the kick missed after it was partially blocked. Temple took over on their 36 yard line and drove down the field to set up a 44 yard field goal for McManus (which he connected on). This brought the score to 14-13 in favor of Villanova. Villanova received the kick-off and drove from their 35 yard line to the Temple 24 to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter began right where the third left off with Villanova at the Temple 24 on a second down and eight. After a three yard run by Whitney and a Villanova time-out, Whitney threw a 21 yard touchdown strike to Norman White to complete the 7 play, 65 yard drive. After another extra point by Yako, the Wildcats led the Owls 21-13.
Villanova's Matt Szczur Waives Off a Punt
With 14:41 to go in the fourth quarter, Temple returned the kick-off to their 29 yard line. After driving to the 41 yard line Temple faced a third down and 11 but Chester Stewart hit Michael Campbell on a 14 yard reception to keep the drive alive for the Owls.
After hitting on two much longer field goals for Temple earlier in the game, McManus missed a 36 yard attempt at the 10:24 mark that would have brought the Owls within five points of Villanova.
Temple QB Chester Stewart Directing Traffic
The Wildcats took over on the 20 yard line and after going three and out they were forced to punt for the first time this season. After a great 28 yard return by Ryan Alderman, Temple got the ball back at the Villanova 28 yard line.
Able to gain only four yards on three plays, Brandon McManus again found himself with a field goal attempt. This time he again found his stroke and connected on a 40 yarder that brought the score to 21-16 with just under 6:30 to play.
Villanova started on their 19 yard line but a five yard penalty killed their drive and they had to again put (this time from their 22 yard line).
Temple WR Michael Campbell had a Career Day
On the first play for Temple, Stewart again connected with Campbell on a 62 yard pass and the Owls scored their second touchdown of the day. The time of possession on this drive was just nine seconds. This put Michael Campbell over 100 receiving yards (in a game) for the first time in his career at Temple.
As the Owls lined up to go for the two point conversion they were called for a five yard false start penalty and immediately took a time out.
Campbell was not able to hold onto the two point conversion. With 4:07 left to play, Temple kicked off to Villanova holding onto a 22-21 lead over the Wildcats.
Villanova RB Aaron Ball Grabs a Much Needed Drink
Nova took over on the 20 yard line and after to incomplete passes by Chris Whitney found themselves facing a third and ten. Whitney was forced to roll to the sideline and again couldn’t connect on a pass to Matt Szczur. It was Nova’s third straight third and out of the quarter.
Villanova’s punter Dominic Scarnecchia hit a booming 59 yard kick that was fumbled (and then recovered for a loss of ten yards) and Temple took over on their 16 yard line.
On a third down and one Temple fumbled the ball and Villanova’s John Dempsey recovered it on the Temple 25 yard line. Down one, the Wildcats were about to take over with 2:17 to play when Temple challenged the ruling the runner wasn’t down before fumbling. Temple lost the challenge and was charged with a time out.
After Whitney lost two yards on first down, Temple called their final time out at the 2:08 mark. Whitney’s pass on second down was tipped and landed incomplete, and yet again he couldn’t connect on third down. With kicker Nick Yako facing a 41 yard field goal attempt, Villanova burned their final time out.
Chicago Cubs 5th Round Draft Pick & Villanova Superstar, Matt Szczur
The third time was the charm for Yako. After missing his first two attempts, he connected with 1:51 to go and Villanova retook the lead 24-22.
It was a little strange the Villanova opted against running the ball on the previous possession as Temple was out of time outs and they could have run a minute or more off of the clock.
After Yako kicked off, Temple returned it 16 yards to their 28 yard line and took over with 1:43 to play, down two, with no time outs.
Will D. Cat
Campbell again hauled in an 11 yard pass and stepped out of bounds to give Temple a first and 10 at their 39 yard line. Stewart again tried to hit Campbell but overthrew him and the ball landed out of bounds. On second down Stewart hit Tight End Evan Rodriguez for nine yards to give Temple a third and one near mid-field.
Bernard Pierce ran for five yards to give the Owls a first down in Villanova territory with 52 seconds to play. Temple rushed for another first down but couldn’t get out of bounds. They again passed the ball but couldn’t get out of bounds.
With 8 seconds to go McManus hit a 43 yard field goal to give Temple the lead 25-24. The Temple fans went nuts. Only 3 seconds remained in the game.
Temple Fans
After a squib kick, Villanova was unable to return the kick for more than a few yards and eventually fumbled the ball which Temple returned for a touchdown.
Last year Villanova won the game by three on a field goal by Nick Yako as time expired. This year it was Temple hitting the last second field goal.
To check out more photos of the game, head over to our PHOTO GALLERY page!
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