Oct. 12, 2005

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TALLEY'S TENURE: Currently in his 21st 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 Villanova career, Talley has recorded a 140-85-1 mark, making him the all-time winningest coach in Villanova history. Talley's 26-year overall coaching record currently stands at 168-103-2. During his career as the Wildcat mentor, Talley has guided Villanova to six NCAA playoff appearances, four conference titles and two Lambert Meadowlands Trophies. In 1997, Talley garnered the Eddie Robinson Award and the AFCA/GTE National Coach of the Year Award.

PATRIOT LEAGUE COMPETITION: Villanova travels to Lewisburg, Pa., this Saturday to take on Patriot League member Bucknell University. Since becoming a I-AA program in 1985, Villanova has registered a 16-2 record versus Patriot League opponents. The Wildcats are 9-0 versus Fordham, 4-0 against Bucknell, 3-0 versus Colgate and 0-2 against Holy Cross.

ALL TIED UP: The series between Villanova and Bucknell cannot be any closer. Entering play this Saturday, the all-time series between the schools is tied at 11-11-2. Even though the teams have played 24 times, only four of the games have been played since 1945. In the four modern day meetings, Villanova is 4-0 with wins in 1988 (30-17 at Bucknell), 1991 (40-0 at Bucknell), 1992 (34-0 at Villanova) and 2004 (20-14 at Villanova).

NON CONFERENCE FINALE: Saturday's game at Bucknell will be the final non conference game of the year for the Wildcats. Following Saturday's contest, Villanova will play five consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference games to finish the season. Villanova is currently 1-1 this season versus non conference opponents. The `Cats lost at I-A Rutgers (38-6) and defeated Penn (28-24).

COMMON OPPONENT: Bucknell and Villanova have had one common opponent this season. The Wildcats defeated Penn in week three by a score of 28-24, while the Bison lost last week to the Quakers by a 53-7 score. Both games were played at Franklin Field.

END OF THE ROAD: Villanova will end its three-game road trip this Saturday at Bucknell. The road stretch began on Saturday, Oct. 1 with a 45-17 loss at No. 1 New Hampshire and continued last Saturday with a 38-20 setback at Richmond. Villanova last played on its campus in week two versus Northeastern. Even though the Penn contest on Sept. 24 was considered Villanova's home game, the game was played at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

MAKING THE LIST: Senior linebacker Brian Hulea was rewarded for his play this year by being named to the Buck Buchanan Watch List. The Buchanan Award is given to the top defensive player in Division I-AA football. After five games, Hulea leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in tackles with 59. In addition to his 59 stops, Hulea has two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 2.5 tackles for loss.

IN SEARCH OF 400: Entering play this Saturday at Bucknell, Brian Hulea has 355 career tackles to his credit which ranks as the most of any active player in the Atlantic 10. With 45 more tackles, Hulea will become just the third player in Villanova history to record 400 career tackles. Curtis Eller (1989-92) owns the school record for career tackles with 429, while Shaun Lyons is second with 410. After four games this year, Hulea has registered 59 total tackles.

THREE FOR 300: Sophomore quarterback Frank Jankowski currently boasts a streak of three consecutive 300-yard passing games. In last week's loss at Richmond, Jankowski was 30-of-54 for 351 yards to go with three touchdowns and three interceptions. In a 28-24 win over Penn on Sept. 24, Jankowski posted his first career 300-yard passing game by completing 23-of-36 for 345 yards to go with four touchdowns and two interceptions. His second 300-yard game came at New Hampshire when he was 36-of-55 for 385 yards to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. After five games, Jankowski has completed 122-of-202 (60.4%) for 1,531 yards. He also has 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions to his credit.

FIRE AWAY: In the last three games combined, sophomore quarterback Frank Jankowski has attempted 144 passes for an average of 48.0 per contest. Of the 144 attempts, 109 have come in the last two weeks.

CENTURY MARK PERFORMER: Senior wide receiver J.J. Outlaw tallied his third-straight 100-yard receiving game last Saturday at Richmond with a 10 catch, 124-yard, two touchdown performance. The three-game streak began on Sept. 24 when he made eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown versus Penn and continued the next week when he had 10 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns at New Hampshire. In the last three weeks combined, Outlaw has registered 28 receptions for 227 yards and five touchdowns. For the year, he has a conference-best 41 receptions for 505 yards and five touchdowns.

CONFERENCE SUPREMACY: In the latest Atlantic 10 stats released on Sunday, Oct. 9, Wildcat wide receiver J.J. Outlaw ranks in the top three in four different categories. Outlaw leads the A10 in receptions per game (8.2), ranks second in both all-purpose yards per game (140.0) and punt return average (13.1) and he is third in receiving yards per game (101.0).

WHERE J.J. RANKS: Senior wide receiver J.J. Outlaw continues to climb on Villanova's career reception list. Entering play this Saturday at Bucknell, Outlaw ranks seventh all-time on Villanova's career list.

VILLANOVA CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS: 1. Brian Finneran (1994-97) 265 2. Murle Sango (1998-01) 236 3. Brian Westbrook (1997-01) 219 4. Bob Brady (1986-89) 187 5. Brian White (1999-02) 178 6. Josh Dolbin (1994-97) 175 7. J.J. Outlaw (2002-present) 157 8. Mike Siani (1969-71) 148 9. John Mastronardo (1973-76) 140 10. John Dieser (2002-present) 135 11. Scott Donald (1989-92) 127 12. Steve Ward (1997-00) 122

SENIOR STANDOUT: J.J. Outlaw isn't the only Wildcat receiver putting up big numbers this season. Senior wideout John Dieser continues to be one of the team's top playmakers. Last week at Richmond, Dieser tallied his second 100-yard receiving game of the year with six catches for 109 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown catch. Two weeks earlier versus Penn, he had five receptions for 102 yards and a score. For the year, Dieser has registered 24 catches for 405 yards and three touchdowns. He currently has 135 career receptions which ranks him 10th all-time on the Villanova career reception list.

SAFETY NET: One of the top defenders on the Villanova squad has been junior safety Allyn Bacchus. In last Saturday's outing at Penn, Bacchus had a career-high 15 tackles (9 solo) and a fumble recovery. The 15 tackle performance was his third double figure tackle game of the season. Bacchus, who will be making his 28th consecutive start this Saturday at Bucknell, is currently second on the team in tackles with 52.

YOUTHFUL GROUP: In last Saturday's loss at Richmond, Villanova played the majority of the fourth quarter with five freshmen along the offensive line. The Wildcats normally start two redshirt freshmen, but due to an injury to junior guard Mike Costanzo, three redshirt freshmen (Jonathan Krohe, Mike Keller, Idriz Bauta) started the contest. True freshman Michael Sheridan came into the game in the first half when junior tackle John Finneran left the game with an injury. Late in the third quarter, junior center Christian Gaddis suffered an ankle injury and was replaced by redshirt freshman Michael Probasco. The health of Gaddis, Costanzo and Finneran will determine how many rookies see action this week at Bucknell.

CAREER BEST: Punter Adam James recorded the best punt of his career last Saturday at Richmond. With the Wildcats facing a fourth and one and their own 17-yard line, James booted a career-long 65 yard punt. James had a strong day punting for the Wildcats, recording a 42.8 yards per punt average on eight total attempts. For the year, he is averaging 41,2 yards per punt.

KICKERS BLOCK: Villanova has struggled on its extra point execution this year. The Wildcats are just 10-of-14 in PATs with three of the four misses coming as a result of a blocked kick. The fourth miss was due to a fumbled snap.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Entering play at Bucknell on Saturday, Oct. 15, five different Wildcats have double figures in receptions. Senior J.J. Outlaw leads the way with 41 followed by John Dieser with 24, Dequese May with 22, and Matt Sherry and Chris Polite with 16 each.

RUNNING LOW: Villanova has struggled to get its running game going this season. After five games, the Wildcats have gained just 327 yards on the ground for an average of 65.4 yards per contest. The Wildcats are averaging just 2.1 yards per carry. Last week at Richmond, the Wildcats had just 17 yards rushing.

BIG TARGET: The most improved player on the Wildcat offense is sophomore tight end Matt Sherry. After five games, Sherry has 16 receptions for 167 yards (10.4 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came in week three versus Penn. Sherry had eight catches for 74 yards all of last season. Sherry missed the entire second half last week at Richmond due to an arm injury.

YOUNG GUNS: The 2005 Villanova Wildcats are one of the younger teams that head coach Andy Talley has had during his Main Line career. In last Saturday's game at Richmond, Talley used nine true freshmen and seven redshirt freshmen in the game. Of the 16 first-year performers that played, four earned a start in the game.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Senior running back Moe Gibson owns three career kickoff returns for touchdowns. Gibson and former Villanova star and current Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook are the only two players in school history to have at least three kickoff returns for a touchdown. Westbrook totaled a school record five during his Villanova career. As a freshman in 2002, Gibson registered a career-long 96 yard return versus Furman in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, while in 2003 he took the opening kickoff at New Hampshire 90 yards for a score. Last season, he began the William & Mary game by taking the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

PAINFUL BEGINNING: Villanova had a tough start to its year in the season opener at Rutgers. In addition to suffering a 38-6 loss to the Scarlet Knights, the Wildcats lost starting quarterback Marvin Burroughs for the year when the junior signal caller broke his left arm on the first possession of the second half. Before the injury, Burroughs completed 16-of-22 for 150 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore last season, Burroughs completed 209-of-334 for 2.486 yards to go with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

CAPTAINS: Three fifth-year seniors will serve as captains in 2005. Wide receiver John Dieser, linebacker Brian Hulea and defensive lineman Darrell Adams earned their captain status by a vote of Wildcat players.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT: Dating back to the 1996 campaign, Villanova has averaged 30 points or more in eight of the last nine seasons. The only season where the Wildcats did not average 30 points or more was in 2003 when Villanova averaged 28.5 points per game.

COACHING CHANGES: Wildcat head coach Andy Talley will have four new assistant coaches in 2005. On defense, secondary coach Mark Reardon has been promoted to defensive coordinator. Reardon replaces Joe Trainer who left to become the head coach at Millersville University. Also, on defense, Sean Spencer will be the new linebackers coach, Brendan Daly will take over as the defensive line coach and Billy Crocker will coach the Wildcat cornerbacks. On the offensive side of the ball, Brian Flinn will be the new wide receivers coach. Daly, Flinn and Crocker have previously coached at Villanova and all three will be in their second stint on the Main Line.

WILDCATS PICKED FOURTH: In the pre-season Atlantic 10 Conference poll, the Villanova Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the South Division according to a pre-season poll of the league's 12 head coaches and 18 selected media members.

NORTH DIVISION 1. Massachusetts (12) New Hampshire (14) 3. Hofstra (4) 4. Maine 5. Northeastern 6. Rhode Island SOUTH DIVISION 1. James Madison (16) 2. Delaware (6) 3. William & Mary (6) 4. VILLANOVA (2) 5. Richmond 6. Towson

ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY: The Villanova football program has had a first team All-American in seven of the last 11 years. In the program's history, 21 different players have earned All-American distinction. 1994 LB Tyrone Frazier 1996 WR Brian Finneran 1997 WR Brian Finneran QB Chris Boden 1998 RB Brian Westbrook 2000 KR Brian Westbrook 2001 RB Brian Westbrook 2002 QB Brett Gordon

NOTE: In 1999, wide receiver Murle Sango was a second team All-American, while in 2004 defensive end Jamil Butler was a second team All-American selection.

OVERTIME HISTORY: During head coach Andy Talley's tenure at Villanova, the Wildcats have played in 10 overtime games and in those 10 games the Wildcats are 7-3. With the double overtime win at Temple on Sept. 6, 2003, Villanova has won five of its last six overtime contests. Of the 10 overtime games, seven have been played at Villanova Stadium. Before the 2003 overtime game with Temple, the Wildcats last overtime contest came in 2001 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.

PLAYING ON SUNDAY: Three former Villanova products are currently on NFL rosters. Wide receiver Brian Finneran (Villanova 1994-97) is currently in his sixth season with the Atlanta Falcons as the team's third wide receiver, while running back Brian Westbrook (Villanova 1997-2001) is in his fourth season with the Philadelphia Eagles as the franchise's starting running back. 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. A newcomer to the NFL ranks is safety Raymond Ventrone (Villanova 2001-04) who is a member of the New England Patriot practice squad. Westbrook and Finneran both won the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in NCAA I-AA football, during their senior seasons at Villanova.

RADIO INFORMATION: For the ninth-straight season, 990-AM WNTP will be the flagship station of the Villanova Football Radio Network. Play-by-play announcer Joe Eichhorn, who has been broadcasting Villanova football since 1988, returns to anchor the broadcasts. Joining Eichhorn for an 11th consecutive year is Ryan Fannon. All 11 Wildcat gridiron contests will be broadcast live, with a pre-game show airing either 30 or 60 minutes prior to kickoff.

ATLANTIC 10 FOOTBALL TELECONFERENCE: Every Monday from August 29-Nov. 21, th Atlantic 10 will conduct a teleconference from 10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. with each of its head coaches. Each coach will have a 10-minute slot to discuss his team and answer questions from the media. Members of the media are strongly encouraged to participate in the questioning. For the access number, contact the Atlantic 10 communications office at 215-545-6678. The teleconference schedule is listed below.

10:00 a.m. Atlantic 10 update 10:10 a.m. Dave Clawson, Richmond 10:20 a.m. Jimmye Laycock, William & Mary 10:30 a.m. Andy Talley, Villanova 10:40 a.m. Rocky Hager, Northeastern 10:50 a.m. Mickey Matthews, JMU 11:00 a.m. Jack Cosgrove, Maine 11:10 a.m. Don Brown, Northeastern 11:20 a.m. Tim Stowers, Rhode Island 11:30 a.m. K.C. Keeler, Delaware 11:40 a.m. Sean McDonnell, New Hampshire 11:50 a.m. Joe Gardi, Hofstra Noon Gordy Combs, Towson

THE Andy Talley RADIO SHOW: Continuing in 2005, WNTP 990-AM, the flagship station of Villanova Athletics, will broadcast "Talking Football With Andy Talley." The one-hour call-in show is hosted by color commentator Ryan Fannon and will provide a weekly recap of Villanova football games, as well as a preview of upcoming contests. The show is held on Monday evenings at Kelly's Restaurant and Tap Room in Bryn Mawr, Pa.