Sept. 21, 2002
Villanova Postgame Notebook
Villanova 45, New Hampshire 3
Saturday, September 21, 2002, Villanova Stadium
DYNAMITE DEFENSE: It has been the story of the early weeks of the 2002 campaign and was again on a warm Saturday afternoon at Villanova Stadium. Villanova limited New Hampshire to 131 yards of total offense, including only 32 on the ground.
"We went into this game with a pretty good feeling that we would be able to score," said head coach Andy Talley. "What's happened in the past - and those who have watched our games with New Hampshire have seen it - is that our defense was as porous as theirs, so it ended up being 52-51 or something like that.
"Our defense was the difference. We have been making strides on defense. Their offense has scored points against everybody. In the three games they played prior to this they really piled up the yardage. They do a lot of things that are tough to defend so I really think this game was won by our defense. It really gave us an opportunity to have more possessions."
The Wildcats intercepted UNH quarterback Mike Granieri twice and sacked him on six other occasions.
"We are still a real young team on defense so it took us a couple of quarters to get a feel for what they were doing," said linebacker Jamison Young, who had one of those interceptions. "Once we were comfortable with what they wanted to do, we were on our way."
Young made another observation about the confidence that seems to be growing with regards to Villanova's defensive unit.
"I think the offense is starting to feed off of us," noted the senior. "It's nice to be able to give them a lift."
The three points are the fewest a Villanova team has allowed in Atlantic Ten play since the 1996 season. Villanova posted shut out Delaware 10-0 and downed Richmond 20-3 in that campaign.
FAST STARTS AND STRONG FINISHES: Coaches love to have their squads break quickly from the gate and close with a flurry. The Wildcats have done exceptionally well in both departments in their 3-1 start.
Villanova broke out to a 7-0 lead when sophomore running back Terry Butler scored on a four yard run less than four minutes in to Saturday's game. The 'Cats now own a 31-7 scoring advantage over their opponents in the opening period.
The fourth quarter has also been a time where the Wildcats have prospered. Villanova's defense has only surrendered one touchdown in the fourth quarter thus far in 2002.
STUDENT BODY RIGHT: A potent passing attack has long been the signature of Villanova football. But the Wildcats of Saturday more closely resembled one of the high-powered running games featured at USC during the heyday of the late John McKay. After receiving the opening kickoff, Villanova drove down the field to score in seven plays. The drive covered 71 yards and not one of the seven plays was a pass.
You read that right.
Butler and company led the charge, attacking UNH in the middle of the field in a pattern that continued for the rest of the afternoon. The Wildcats ended the day with 316 rushing yards on 59 carries. Butler led the way with 95 yards on 18 carries while Henry Ridley chipped in with 57 yards on eight carries.
"We went out running the ball today a little bit more than we usually do because we could," said Talley. "We had a good rhythm in the running game and that takes a lot of pressure off Brett.
"It was good for Terry to get the ball moving north and south and for Henry Ridley as well. We wanted to play Henry today so that he could take some pressure off of Terry. We thought last week that we had put a little too much pressure on Terry in our running and passing games. That gave us a nice 1-2 bunch and they both had good legs on a warm day.
"The other player that we put into the game, Mo Gibson, is going to be a real fine tailback for us. It was nice to see him get in because he's got some quicks and some movement.
"Our offensive line did a good job all day. We rarely give them a chance to come off the ball running as much as we did today."
GORDON'S GAINS: Although Villanova's fifth-year senior quarterback relied more on the ground game than is typically the case, Gordon did pass another milestone on Saturday. His 168 passing yards (14-of-20) lifted Gordon past the 1,000 yard mark in passing yards for third consecutive season. The native of Ambler, Pa., now has 1,127 passing yards through four games.
SILENT PUNTER: Villanova did not punt once against New Hampshire. Freshman Adam James - who handles both punting and placekicking chores - saw his only action on PAT's (6-6) and a 37 yard field goal he converted in the fourth quarter. UP NEXT: Villanova travels to James Madison to meet the Dukes on Sept. 28 at 6:00 p.m.
