Dec. 10, 2002
Villanova football game notes for Saturday's NCAA I-AA Playoff Semifinal contest versus McNeese State. The game featured the Villanova Wildcats (11-3, 6-3) traveling to Lake Charles, Louis., to face the McNeese State Cowboys (12-1, 6-0) at Cowboy Stadium with kickoff slated for 2:00 p.m. EST. The game will be shown in its entirety on ESPN2 in Philadelphia and South Jersey areas, with other areas of the country receiving periodic coverage. Click on the pdf link below for a complete version of the game notes.
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Game No. 15
Villanova Wildcats (11-3 Overall, 6-3 Atlantic 10)
at
McNeese State Cowboys (12-1 Overall, 6-0 Southland Conference)
Saturday, December 14, 2002
2 p.m. Eastern Time
Cowboy Stadium (17,410)
Lake Charles, Louisiana
NCAA I-AA PLAYOFFS --Semifinals
SERIES INFORMATION:
FIRST MEETING
MEDIA INFORMATION:
Interview Requests- All Interview requests should be directed toward Dean Kenefick, Assistant Athletics Director/Communications, (610) 519-4120.
Television: Live on ESPN2 (2 p.m. eastern time) - Play By Play: Mark Malone, Color Analysis: Rodney Gilmore, Sideline Reporter: Stacy Paetz
Radio- Pre-Game Show: 1 p.m. eastern time; Game Coverage: 2 p.m. eastern time on WZZD 990-AM (Play By Play: Joe Eichhorn, Color Analysis: Ryan Fannon)
*All Wildcat games can be heard on the internet at www.villanova.com
ABOUT THE HEAD COACHES
VILLANOVA HEAD COACH ANDY TALLEY: Currently in his 18th season on the Main Line, head coach Andy Talley can feel responsible for every facet of the Villanova football program, having started it from scratch in 1985. In his career at Villanova, Talley has recorded a 125-72-1 mark, making him the all-time winningest coach in Villanova history. Talley's 23-year overall coaching record currently stands at 153-90-2. During his career as the Wildcat mentor, Talley has guided Villanova to six NCAA playoff appearances (1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2002), four Conference titles and one Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy. In 1997, Talley garnered the Eddie Robinson Award and the AFCA/GTE National Coach of the Year. Throughout his Wildcat career, Talley has coached eight first team All-Americans, two Walter Payton Award winners and five conference Player of the Year Award winners. Talley came to Villanova from Division III St. Lawrence University where he led the Saints to a 28-18-1 record in five seasons, including an undefeated regular season in 1982 when St. Lawrence advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Also, in 1982, St. Lawrence claimed the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy as the top team in the East. Talley has also served as an assistant coach at Springfield College, Middlebury College and Brown University.
McNEESE STATE HEAD COACH TOMMY TATE: McNeese State is led by third-year head coach Tommy Tate. In his three-year stint at McNeese, Tate has led the Cowboys to an impressive 28-9 mark, three-consecutive NCAA playoff appearances and two Southland Conference championships. He is the first head coach in McNeese State history to lead his team to three-straight playoff berths. In addition, he has coached three All-Americans and a conference defensive player of the year during his three-year stint as head coach. Tate began his coaching career in 1979 when he became the secondary coach at McNeese State. As a longtime Cowboy assistant, Tate worked under six different head coaches. During his playing days, Tate was a four-year lettermen at McNeese State as a defensive back where he recorded 105 career tackles and three career interceptions. In 1976, he played in the Independence Bowl and helped the Cowboys defeat Tulsa by a score of 20-16. As a senior in 1978, Tate was selected to the Southland Conference All-Academic Team
VILLANOVA NEWS & NOTES
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Villanova is making its sixth NCAA I-AA playoff appearance and its first since 1997. The Wildcats have registered an all-time playoff record of 3-5.
1989 Lost at Georgia Southern in 1st round 52-361991 Lost at Youngstown State in 1st round 17-161992 Lost at Youngstown State in 1st round 23-201996 Lost at East Tennessee State in 1st round 35-291997 Defeated Colgate in first round 49-28 Lost to Youngstown State in quarterfinals 37-342002 Defeated Furman in first round 45-38 Defeated Fordham in second round 24-10
** Of the five playoff losses, Georgia Southern (1989) and Youngstown State (1991, 1997) won the national championship, while the 1992 Youngstown State team lost in the title game.
VILLANOVA IN THE POST-SEASON: Besides the five I-AA playoff appearances, Villanova has been involved in five postseason bowl games. In those five bowl games, the Wildcats compiled a 2-2-1 record. When you combine the I-AA playoff games and the bowl contests, Villanova has an all-time record of 5-7-1 in post-season play.
1937 Bacardi Bowl Tied Auburn 6-61947 Great Lakes Bowl Lost to Kentucky 27-71949 Harbor Bowl Defeated Nevada 27-71961 Sun Bowl Defeated Wichita 17-91962 Liberty Bowl Lost to Oregon State 6-0
McNEESE STATE REPORT: McNeese State enters play this week with a 12-1 overall record with their lone loss coming at Nebraska on Oct. 5. The Cowboys, who are the No. 1 seed in the 2002 I-AA playoffs, won the Southland Conference championship with a perfect 6-0 record. McNeese is making its 10th appearance in the I-AA playoffs and have an all-time record of 10-9 in the playoffs. Last year, the Cowboys were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Atlantic 10 Conference member Maine. In the first round of the 2002 playoffs, McNeese defeated Montana State at home by a score of 21-14 and last week the Cowboys came from behind to defeat defending National Champion Montana by a count of 24-20 in a game played in Lake Charles. Montana led 17-0 late in the third quarter, before McNeese State tallied 24 of the game's final 27 points to earn the victory. Back-up quarterback Ryan Corcoran came off the bench to replace starter Scott Pendarvis to spark the Cowboy comeback. Corcoran completed 12-of-21 for 197 yards and two scores. Both touchdowns were registered by junior wide receiver B.J. Sams who had seven catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. For the game, McNeese had 335 yards of total offense compared to Montana who amassed 224 yards of offense. For the year, Pendarvis has completed 132-of-235 for 1,660 yards to go with nine touchdowns and five interceptions, while Corcoran has completed 37-of-82 for 531 yards to go with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior Jermaine Martin leads the Cowboys in receptions with 38 for 648 yards and two scores, while Sams has 36 catches for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Vick King has recorded a team-high 1,077 yards on 209 carries and nine touchdowns. Defensively, junior linebacker Roderick Royal has made a team-high 136 tackles to go with a team-high tying 18 tackles for loss and five sacks. Junior linebacker Ryan Garrison has 129 tackles and four sacks to his credit. Junior safety Rod Gulley has recorded nine interceptions.
MAKING HISTORY: Villanova will be playing in its first NCAA Division I-AA semifinal playoff game when the Wildcats take on McNeese State on Saturday, Dec. 14. Prior to this year, the farthest the Wildcats had advanced in the playoffs was in 1997 when No. 1 ranked Villanova lost to Youngstown State in the quarterfinals.
SEMIFINAL EXPERIENCE: Even though this is Villanova's first trip to the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs, there are two members of the Wildcat program who have been a part of an NCAA semifinal game. Villanova head coach guided St. Lawrence University to the Division III semifinals in 1982. Talley's quarterback that year at St. Lawrence was current Villanova assistant head coach/offensive line coach Mark Ferrante. Talley and Ferrante, who was the Division III National Player of the Year that season, lost to Augustana in that semifinal contest.
NATIONAL EXPOSURE: The Villanova football team will be making just its second national television appearance since beginning play as a I-AA program in 1985 this Saturday in a semifinal match-up with McNeese State. Saturday's game at McNeese can be seen live on ESPN2. The Villanova/McNeese game, as well as the other semifinal contest between Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky, will both begin at 2 p.m. eastern time. Villanova's game will be seen in its entirety in the Philadelphia area and South Jersey, while the rest of the country will see periodic coverage of both games. Villanova's only other national television appearance came in 1987 when the Wildcats played Holy Cross in a Thursday night contest on ESPN.
CLOSING IN: A win this Saturday at McNeese State will tie a Villanova record for wins in a season with 12. The only other team in school history to win 12 games in a single season was the 1997 Wildcat squad that went 12-1 and was eliminated from the playoffs in the quarterfinal round. In the 105 years of Villanova football, the Wildcats have tallied three 10+ win seasons including 2002 (currently 11-3), 1997 (12-1) and 1991.
A LONG ROAD: Villanova is in the midst of the longest season in school history. Saturday's semifinal game with McNeese State will be Villanova's 15th game of the year and will establish a school mark for games played in a season. The previous record was 14 games by the 1896 Wildcat team that went 10-4-0.
HEROIC EFFORT: Senior quarterback Brett Gordon's performance last Saturday versus Fordham was simply amazing. In the second to last play of the first quarter, Gordon suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand when he was sacked by a Fordham defender. Despite the injury, Gordon remained in the game and from that point, completed an incredible 22-of-26 for 189 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Gordon's status for the Saturday's game at McNeese State is questionable.
WARMING-UP: If starting quarterback Brett Gordon is unable to play this Saturday at McNeese State, redshirt freshman Joe Casamento will be under center for the Wildcats. Casamento has played in three games this season and has completed two passes in four attempts for 13 yards. All four of his pass attempts came against Rhode Island on Nov. 16 in a 45-3 win. Casamento's last extended playing time came as a senior at Christian Brothers Academy in upstate New York where he played for his father Joe Sr. As a senior at Christian Brothers Academy, Casamento set a New York state record for passing yards in a season with 2,767. During his schoolboy career, Casamento registered 5,017 passing yards, 1,400 rushing yards and 53 touchdown passes.
TOP HONORS: Wildcat senior quarterback Brett Gordon was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year in a voting by league head coaches. The postseason awards and All-Conference teams were announced on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This marks the fourth time in the last six years that a Villanova player has earned this award. Wide receiver Brian Finneran claimed the honor in 1997, while running back Brian Westbrook garnered the distinction in 2000 and 2001. In 12 regular season games in 2002, Gordon completed 309-of-460 (67.2%) for 3,467 yards to go with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He led the league in passing yards per game (288.9 yards per game), total offense per game (281.0 yards per game), touchdown passes (29) and pass efficiency (146.1). For his efforts this year, he earned Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week distinction on four different occasions.
AIMING FOR 4,000: Entering play this Saturday at McNeese State, senior signal caller Brett Gordon is just 64 yards shy of becoming the first Villanova quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. After 14 games, Gordon is 362-of-530 for 3,936 yards to go with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In the first round playoff win against Furman, Gordon broke Chris Boden's single season school record of 3,707 passing yards set in 1997.
CONFERENCE SUPREMACY: After throwing two touchdown passes last Saturday versus Fordham, Wildcat quarterback Brett Gordon now has 81 career touchdowns to his credit. The 81 scoring strikes ranks Gordon second on the Atlantic 10 Conference career list for passing touchdowns. Gordon trails only Villanova alum Chris Boden (1996-99) who is the Atlantic 10 record holder with 99 career touchdowns.
BACK-TO-BACK: In Villanova's win over Rhode Island on Nov. 16, Brett Gordon registered his second-straight 3,000 yard passing season. By reaching the 3,000-yard plateau, Gordon becomes just the second Villanova quarterback in school history to have two 3,000-yard passing seasons to his credit. Chris Boden (1996-99) accomplished the feat three times during his Villanova career. Gordon tallied 3,107 passing yards last season and 2,293 as a sophomore in 2000. For his career, Gordon has registered 9,285 passing yards which ranks third all-time on the Villanova list behind Boden (10,146 yards) and Kirk Schulz (9,676 yards from 1986-89).
ON TARGET: Senior quarterback Brett Gordon will finish his Wildcat career as the school's most accurate passer. Entering play versus McNeese State in the semifinal round of the I-AA playoffs, Gordon has completed 809-of-1,197 for a 67.5 percent completion rate in his career. The current school record for career completion percentage is 61.5 percent by Chris Boden who played at Villanova from 1996-99.
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE: Due to his stellar play during the 2002 campaign, senior quarterback Brett Gordon is currently one of three finalists for the Walter Payton Award which is given to the top player in NCAA I-AA football. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 18 at a banquet in Chattanooga, Tenn. Villanova and the University of Idaho are the only two schools to have produced two Walter Payton Award winners. In 1997, Villanova's Brian Finneran became the only receiver to ever win the award, while Wildcat running back Brian Westbrook garnered the award last year.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Quarterback Brett Gordon is the third member of his family to be the starting quarterback at Villanova. His grandfather, Andrew, was a Villanova quarterback from 1946-48, while his father, Drew, was a Wildcat signal caller from 1969-71. Andrew Gordon was the quarterback of the Villanova teams that played in the 1947 Great Lakes Bowl (24-14 loss to Kentucky) and the 1949 Harbor Bowl (27-7 win over Nevada). Drew Gordon ranks ninth on Villanova's career passing yards list with 2,370 yards.
THE DRIVE: If it were not for the final drive of Villanova's season finale at arch rival Delaware, the Wildcats would be at home preparing for final exams instead of being in Lake Charles, Louisiana to play in the national semifinals of the I-AA playoffs. After Delaware kicker Scott Collins missed a 42-yard field goal attempt, Villanova took over on their own 26-yard line and trailing 34-31 with 1:49 to play in regulation with no timeouts. The Wildcats proceeded to drive 76 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown when quarterback Brett Gordon connected with wide receiver Brian White on a seven-yard touchdown on third and goal with just 15 seconds left in regulation in front of 20,850 fans at Delaware Stadium. On the drive, Gordon completed seven passes in 11 attempts.
ATLANTIC 10 ACCOLADES: In addition to quarterback Brett Gordon earning Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and being named to the All-Conference first team, several other Wildcats earned All-League distinction. Junior tight end Matt Chila was the only other Wildcat to garner first team honors, while senior wide receiver Brian White was a second team choice. Six Wildcats were named to the All-Conference third team including junior center Mike Finn, senior offensive tackle Sean McCarthy, senior linebacker Jamison Young, redshirt freshman linebacker Brian Hulea, senior safety Gary Johnson and sophomore defensive end Terence Taylor.
TOUGH ROAD: The Villanova Wildcats have played a demanding 2002 schedule. Of Villanova's 14 opponents this year, eight were ranked at the time of the game, and in those eight contests the 'Cats are 5-3. Villanova has beaten then No. 23 James Madison (30-26 on 9/28), then No. 24 Penn (17-3 on 10/10) then No. 12 William & Mary (41-20 on 11/2), No. 6 Furman in the first round of the playoffs (45-38) an last week against No. 21 Fordham (24-10) in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Wildcats have lost to then No. 6 Maine (21-14 on 9/14), then No. 20 Massachusetts (17-16 on 10/19) and to then No. 18 Northeastern (38-13 on 11/9). From a non-conference perspective, the Wildcats have wins over I-A and Big East member Rutgers, Co-Patriot League champion Colgate and Ivy League champion the University of Pennsylvania.
CLIMBING THE LADDER: Senior wide receiver Brian White continues to climb the all-time Villanova career reception list. Entering play this week at McNeese State, White has 172 career catches to his credit which ranks fifth all-time in school history. In his last three games, White has 20 receptions for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Despite missing the Maine and New Hampshire games and playing sparingly versus James Madison this season due to a hamstring injury, White has tallied 68 receptions for 767 yards and eight scores. White was named to the 2002 All-Atlantic 10 second team.
VILLANOVA CAREER RECEPTION LIST 1. Brian Finneran (1994-97) 265 2. Murle Sango (1998-2001) 233 3. Brian Westbrook (1997-2001) 214 4. Bob Brady (1986-89) 187 5. BRIAN WHITE (1999-present) 172 6. Josh Dolbin (1994-97) 169 7. Mike Siani (1969-71) 148 8. John Mastronardo (1973-76) 140 9. Scott Donald (1989-92) 127 10. Steve Ward (1997-00) 122
TWO-HEADED MONSTER: As Villanova was preparing for the 2002 season, the big question surrounding the team was who would replace all-everything running back Brian Westbrook who earned the Walter Payton Award last year as the top player in Division I-AA football. All Westbrook did during his Wildcat career was set 42 school records, 13 Atlantic 10 Conference marks, five NCAA records, become the all-time all-purpose yards leader in the history of college football and become the first player in the history of college football at any level to rush for 1,000 yards and receive for 1,000 yards in the same season. When the season started, sophomore running back Terry Butler handled the tailback duties. As the season has progressed, Villanova has gone to a two-back attack with Butler and freshman running back Mo Gibson. After 14 games, Butler has tallied 803 yards rushing on 190 carries (4.2 yards per rush) and eight scores, in addition to recording 34 catches for 279 yards and three scores. Last week versus Fordham, Butler had 81 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown. Gibson has come on strong the last four games, tallying 644 yards of all-purpose offense in the four games combined. In the first round win over Furman, Gibson registered a 96-yard kickoff return for a score to go with six carries for 29 yards, two receptions for 16 yards and a total of 197 yards on kickoff returns. For the year, Gibson has 327 yards on 67 carries (4.9 yards per rush) and five touchdowns, 13 catches for 172 yards and one score and 30 kickoff returns for 722 yards and one touchdown.
MOVE THE CHAINS: Villanova has tallied 335 first downs in 14 games this year for an average of 23.9 first downs per game. The 289 first downs the 'Cats recorded during the regular season led the Atlantic 10 and was 43 ahead of Massachusetts who finished second in the category with 246. The 335 first downs also sets a Villanova school record for first downs in a season. The previous record of 280 was set in 12 games by the 1991 Wildcats.
PRESSURE PLAYS: In addition to leading the Atlantic 10 in first downs during the regular season, the Wildcats also led the conference in third down conversions. In 171 third down opportunities, Villanova converted 80 times for 46.8 percent during 12 regular season contests. Including last week's playoff game versus Fordham, Villanova has converted 90-of-195 (46.1%) third down opportunities.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Villanova passing offense has been multi-dimensional all season long. After 14 games, eight different players have made 20 receptions or more. Senior wide receiver Brian White leads the way with 68 catches for 767 yards and eight scores.
GAINING CONTROL: Villanova has owned the first quarter of games this year. After 14 games, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 92-37, in the first quarter of games and they have outscored the opposition 213-115 in the first half of games this season.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Unlike the Villanova defense that has five starters who are either freshmen or sophomores and will return nine starters next season, the Villanova offense boasts five starters who are fifth-year seniors. The five fifth-year senior starters on offense include quarterback Brett Gordon, fullback Cameron Cross, tackle Sean McCarthy and wide receivers Brian White and Shaz Brown.
TOUGH D: With last week's 24-10 win over Fordham, the Villanova defense has now had six games this season where they have allowed 10 points or less. Entering play this Saturday at McNeese State, the Wildcats are allowing 17.1 points per game and 272.6 yards of total offense per contest. The Villanova defense is without question the most improved area of the Wildcat squad. Last year, in 11 games, the Wildcats gave up 27.8 points per game and 379.5 yards of total offense per contest.
TOP TACKLER: Senior linebacker Jamison Young continues to lead Villanova in the defensive statistics. After 14 games, Young has made a team-high 109 tackles, a team-best 17 tackles for loss and a team-high 10.5 quarterback sacks. In the first round win over Furman, Young was dominant as he recorded 11 solo tackles, five tackles for loss, one quarterback sack, one interception and one pass break-up. Last week versus Fordham, Young had six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a pass break-up. Young, who was named to the 2002 All-Atlantic 10 third team, led the team in tackles last year as a junior with 89 tackles. For his career, Young has amassed 271 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks.
COMING UP BIG: Despite being the smallest guy on the field most Saturdays, senior safety Gary Johnson is usually one of the most productive players on the field. The 5-8 senior has been outstanding in Villanova's two playoff wins. In the two playoff victories, Villanova has forced five turnovers and Johnson has played a part in three of those turnovers. In the first round win over Furman, Johnson made a game-high 12 tackles (nine solo/three assisted) to go with two fumble recoveries, while last week versus Fordham in the quarterfinal round, he registered an interception on Villanova's 12-yard line to stop a Fordham drive. After 14 games this year, Johnson is fourth on the team in tackles with 73 and he is tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. Last year as the team's starting cornerback, Johnson led the Atlantic 10 in pass break-ups with 20.
OVERTIME HISTORY: During head coach Andy Talley's tenure at Villanova, the Wildcats have played in nine overtime games and in those nine games the Wildcats are 6-3. Villanova has played five of the nine games in the last four seasons and have won four of the last five overtime contests. Of the nine overtime games, seven have been played at Villanova Stadium. Villanova played one extra session game last season and that came against James Madison in week four when the 'Cats outlasted the Dukes, 45-44, in double overtime. The last overtime game before the James Madison contest came in 2000 when the Wildcats suffered a 48-41 loss to William & Mary. In 1999, Villanova played two overtime games. On Oct. 16, 1999 Villanova defeated UConn, 48-45, in triple overtime in a game played in Storrs, Conn. In the 1999 season finale at Villanova Stadium, the 'Cats rallied from a 45-24 deficit with 8:37 remaining against Delaware to win a 51-45 thriller in one overtime.
ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY: With standout Brian Westbrook being named first team All-American by virtually everyone last season, the Villanova football program has had a first team All-American in six of the last eight years. In the program's history, 20 different players have earned All-American distinction.
1994 LB Tyrone Frazier1996 WR Brian Finneran1997 WR Brian FinneranQB Chris Boden1998 RB Brian Westbrook2000 KR Brian Westbrook2001 RB Brian Westbrook
NOTE: In 1999, wide receiver Murle Sango was a second-team All-American.
VILLANOVA PICKED SIXTH: The Villanova Wildcats were picked sixth in the 2002 pre-season Atlantic 10 Conference poll as voted on by coaches and media. When it was all said and done, the Wildcats finished second with a 6-3 league mark behind Maine and Northeastern who were both 7-2 in league play.
1. William & Mary (18) 2. Maine (8) 3. Massachusetts 4. Hofstra 5. Delaware 6. VILLANOVA 7. Richmond 8. New Hampshire 9. Rhode Island 10. Northeastern 11. James Madison
PLAYING ON SUNDAYS: Villanova running back Brian Westbrook became the first Wildcat player to be drafted since Howie Long in 1981 when he was selected in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. With Westbrook a member of the Eagles, Villanova now has two players currently playing in the NFL. Wide receiver Brian Finneran (Villanova 1994-97) is in his third season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002. Westbrook and Finneran both won the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in NCAA I-AA football, during their seasons at Villanova. Finneran is currently the starter at flanker for the Falcons and has become Michael Vick's favorite target with a team-high 46 receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns, while Westbrook is listed as the No. 3 running back on the Eagles depth chart. For the year, Westbrook has 131 rushing yards on 36 carries and eight receptions for 87 yards.
