Aug. 31, 2002
Villanova Football Postgame Notebook at Rutgers; Aug. 31, 2001
IT'S THE FIRST: Saturday night's 37-19 Villanova victory over Rutgers was the Wildcats first ever over a Division I-A school. The 'Cats entered the contest 0-7 lifetime against Division I-A schools and that included a 34-21 loss to Rutgers in 2000.
"Villanova," said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, "was the better team tonight."
The Wildcats never trailed and held a 17-13 edge at halftime. Rutgers closed to within five points with 1:30 to go in the third quarter but the Wildcats dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 13-0 in the final period.
"I think it's as good an opener as we have had, "said Wildcats head coach Andy Talley. "Frankly, it was a little unexpected. We had some question marks going into the game, particularly on the offensive line.
"The one thing we did know was that our defense was improved and I think it showed tonight. Our defense played a magnificent game. We made it tough on them to run the ball and that forced them to pass it a little bit more than they may have wanted to."
DYNAMIC DEFENSE: Entering play on Saturday night, one of the question marks surrounding Villanova focused on its inexperienced defense. The Wildcats starting lineup featured only two seniors, linebacker Jamison Young and defensive back Gary Johnson, and one of those (Johnson) was forced to the sidelines in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Yet the young Cats prospered. Rutgers first touchdown was scored after a special teams mistake set the Scarlet Knights up 17 yards from the Villanova end zone. And the Wildcats held Rutgers to a net 269 yards of total offense.
"It was great to be able to show people that we are doing a better job," said Young. "We have a lot of young guys but they are really poised. They have a lot of passion and really want to prove that they belong. As the older guys, Gary and I just try to lead them by example."
Young contributed seven tackles and two for a loss. Cornerback Clarence Curry also chipped in with seven tackles.
The Wildcats recorded five sacks of Rutgers quarterback Ryan Cubit, including two by junior linebacker Dan Silva.
BRIAN'S SONG: It didn't take long for Villanova senior wide receiver Brian White to kick his game into high gear in the Wildcats' season opener. A mere five minutes and ten seconds after the season began here, White was in the end zone, courtesy of a 45 yard pass from Brett Gordon.
By the end of the first half, White had collected eight receptions for 119 yards. It marked the most receptions in a half in White's 32 game career as a Wildcat.
It marked a sweet homecoming for White, a native of Hamilton, N.J. His 12 receptions for 165 yards set single game career highs in both categories. His previous best came against Connecticut in 1999. On that afternoon, White generated 91 yards receiving and 10 receptions with one touchdown. His performance earned him Atlantic Ten Conference Rookie of the Week plaudits.
SLIGHT OF HAND: Villanova head coach Andy Talley's teams have employed a variety of trick plays to their advantage through the years and Talley's troops were at it again against the Scarlet Knights.
In the second quarter, Gordon pitched the ball to running back Terry Butler. The play was designed to be tossed by Butler back to Gordon as part of a flea flicker. But the Scarlet Knights broke up the play and Butler was forced to hold on to the ball before being tackled for a two yard loss.
Villanova reached back into its David Copperfield collection in the second half and was handsomely rewarded.
Early in the third quarter, Gordon again pitched the ball to Butler on an apparent sweep to the right side. Butler, though, stopped, pivoted and lateraled the football back to Gordon. Gordon then tossed the ball down the middle of the field to a wide open Shaz Brown at the 24 yard line of Rutgers. Brown grabbed the ball and scooted into the end zone to give the 'Cats a 24-13 advantage.
PHIL'S FIRST: The 18 yard first half scamper by sophomore running back Phil DiGiacomo gave the Wildcats a 17-7 edge with 11:39 remaining on the second quarter clock. It was the first rushing touchdown of DiGiacomo's Villanova career. He then added a six yard touchdown pass from Gordon in the fourth quarter to cap the Wildcats 7:36 13-play drive.
As a freshman, DiGiacomo recorded one receiving touchdown, when he caught a two yard pass from Gordon in a victory over Massachusetts.
KEY DRIVE: Early in the fourth quarter, Villanova was in need of a boost from its high-octane offense and got it. After a Rutgers punt, Villanova put the ball into play on its own 20 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Gordon was sacked for a 10 yard loss. But over the course of the next 12 plays and seven minutes, the 'Cats ate up 90 yards of offense. The drive was capped by a DiGiacomo six yard touchdown, his second of the game.
"To me, that was a major turning point," said Gordon. "It was a drive that we as an offense needed to have. We had a couple of big third down conversions that really put us into position to score the touchdown."
THE BUTLER DID IT: Sophomore running back Terry Butler has the unenviable task of stepping into the tailback position vacated by 2001 Payton award winner Brian Westbrook. Butler, though, got off to a strong start in his own right. He gained 131 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.8 yards per carry), including a 41 yard touchdown run that effectively sealed matters with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter.
GORDON WAS SMOOTH: Senior quarterback Brett Gordon engineered another smooth performance at the helm of the 'Cats offense on Saturday night. He completed 24 of his 39 attempts for 321 yards. It was the seventh time in his Villanova career that Gordon has thrown for 300 yards in a game.
Of course, Gordon is no stranger to success at Rutgers Stadium When the two teams met in 2000, he threw for 285 yards in a 34-21 loss after rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament for much of that summer. In two career games against the Knights, Gordon is 53-of-87 for 606 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
And one huge victory.
A GOOD SIGN: Among the many good things Talley observed on Saturday night, one in particular stood above the rest.
"We played better in the second half than we did in the first," he said. "That's a sign of a good team, especially when you are able to do it against a team of this caliber."
