Oct. 19, 2005

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VILLANOVA, Pa.-- On Saturday at 3 p.m. the Wildcats will take on Rhode Island (3-4, 1-3 Atlantic 10) in their annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Villanova Stadium. The game can be heard on the radio on WNTP 990-AM beginning at 3 p.m. with Joe Eichhorn and Ryan Fannon. Former Wildcat star Brian Westbrook will have his jersey retired at halftime of the contest.

Villanova (3-3, 1-2 Atlantic 10)

Rhode Island (3-4, 1-3 Atlantic 10)

Saturday, October 22
3 p.m.
Villanova Stadium (12,000)
Villanova, Pa.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Radio Coverage: The game can be heard on the radio on WNTP 990-AM beginning at 3 p.m. Live streaming audio and video of the contest can be accessed on the Internet at www.villanova.com.

Interview Requests: All interview requests should be directed towards Dean Kenefick, Assistant Athletic Director/Communications at 610-519-4120.

SERIES HISTORY

First Meeting: 1988 (20-14 Villanova)
Overall: Villanova Leads 12-1-0
Overall Under Talley: 12-1-0
Last Villanova Win: 10/30/04 (48-9)
Last Rhode Island Win: 11/4/95 (27-10)

RHODE ISLAND REPORT: The Rams enter play this Saturday with a 3-4 overall record and a 1-3 Atlantic 10 Conference mark. After starting the year 3-0, Rhode Island has lost four in a row, including last week's 53-9 loss at New Hampshire.

Giving up the big play led to the demise of the Rams last week at New Hampshire. In the first half, Rhode Island gave up an 87-kickoff return for a touchdown on the game's opening kickoff, a 71-yard punt return for a score and a 80-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. In the loss, Jimmy Hughes rushed for a game-high 118 yards on nine carries to lead the Rams. Defensively, Michael Bland had six tackles and a tackle for loss.

Rhode Island is averaging 28.9 points per game and allowing 27.7 points per contest. The Rams do most of their damage on the ground. After seven games, they have rushed for 2,081 yards for an average of 297.3 rushing yards per contest. Rhode Island has thrown for just 797 yards (113.9 yards per game).

Freshman running back Joe Casey leads the Rhode Island ground attack. He has gained a team-high 729 yards on 114 carries (6.4 yards per rush) to go with two touchdowns. Quarterback Jayson Davis is second on the team in rushing with 385 yards. He also has eight rushing scores. Davis has completed 40-of-86 for 697 yards to go with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

RAM HEAD COACH TIM STOWERS: Tim Stowers is in his sixth season at Rhode Island and is looking for this year's team to return to the level of play that saw the squad go 8-3 and be ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation during the 2001 season. Under his watch, the Rams finished second in the nation in rushing in 2003. In 2004, Rhode Island led the Atlantic 10 in rushing for the fourth consecutive season. Before arriving at Rhode Island, Stowers was an assistant coach at Temple from 1998-2000. Previously, he spent seven years as the head coach at Georgia Southern from 1990-1996, and led the team to an NCAA Division I-AA National Championship in his first season as a collegiate head coach. Stowers had been the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern from 1985-1990 after spending two seasons at Jacksonville State. This year, the Rams are 3-4 overall and return 13 seniors from last season's team. Entering the season, 14 of the squad's projected starters were either juniors or seniors. Overall, Stowers enters today's game with a career record of 76-62 in his 12th season of coaching and is 25-39 in his sixth season at Rhode Island.

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 141-85-1 mark, making him the all-time winningest coach in Villanova history. Talley's 26-year overall coaching record currently stands at 169-103-2. 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.

CONTROLLING THE SERIES: Villanova and Rhode Island will be meeting for the 14th time when the two teams clash this Saturday at Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats have dominated the series. Villanova has won six-straight over the Rams and the `Cats lead the all-time series by a commanding 12-1 margin. Rhode Island's lone win in the series came in 1995 with a 27-10 victory in Kingston, R.I. The Rams are 0-7 all-time at Villanova Stadium.

WELCOME BACK: When head coach Andy Talley arrived on the Main Line on May 29, 1984 as the school's 29th head coach, there was no team. The program had been dropped following the 1980 campaign and Talley was given the job of building a program from scratch at the Division I-AA level. In his first year, Talley led the 1985 team to a perfect 5-0 in a limited schedule. That 1985 team laid the foundation for the program to record six NCAA playoff appearances and four conference championships. With this being the 20th anniversary of Talley's first Villanova squad, 38 members of the 1985 team will be on hand Saturday to be honored in a pregame ceremony.

WESTBROOK HONORED: Former Villanova star running back Brian Westbrook will have his jersey retired at halftime of Saturday's game. His No. 20 retired jersey will be permanently recognized on the wall of The Swimming Center next to the scoreboard in the west end of Villanova Stadium. The number will stay in circulation for future use. The most decorated player in school history, Westbrook finished his Wildcat career (197-2001) with 41 school records, 19 Atlantic 10 Conference marks and five NCAA records. Westbrook became the first player in the history of Villanova football to earn first team All-American honors in three different seasons, when he earned first team All-American acclaim from both The Sports Network and the AFCA in 2001. As a sophomore in 1998, Westbrook became the only 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. Westbrook is currently in his fourth season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year, he helped the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl, while earning a trip to the Pro Bowl along the way.

CENTURY MARK PERFORMER: Wildcat senior running back Martin "Moe" Gibson turned in the best game of his season last Saturday at Bucknell. In the 38-10 victory, Gibson tallied a career-high 148 yards on 11 carries for a 13.5 yards per carry average. The 148 yard performance was his sixth career 100-yard rushing game. After six games this year, Gibson has rushed for 343 yards on 60 carries for a 5.7 yards per carry average.

GIBSON'S CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING PERFORMANCES:1. 10/15/05 vs. Bucknell        143 yards on 11 carries2. 8/28/03      vs. Hampton     129 yards on 13 carries3. 11/2/02      vs. William & Mary      109 yards on 12 carries4. 9/27/03      vs. Northeastern        105 yards on 15 carries5. 10/30/04 vs. Rhode Island        102 yards on 13 carries6. 9/13/03      vs. New Hampshire       100 yards on 11 carries

MR. PLAYMAKER: Senior wide receiver J.J. Outlaw continues to be one of the top playmakers in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last Saturday at Bucknell, Outlaw recorded six receptions for 121 yards and one touchdown, four rushes for 58 yards and a score and one punt return for five yards. All total, he totaled 184 yards of all-purpose offense. This was the third consecutive two touchdown game for Outlaw and it was his third-straight 100-yard receiving game. Outlaw currently leads the Atlantic 10 in receptions per game at 7.3.

CATCHING ON: Two senior wide receivers currently rank in the top 10 on Villanova's career reception list. J.J. Outlaw currently ranks seventh with 163 career catches, while John Dieser is 10th with 137 career receptions.

VILLANOVA CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS:1. Brian Finneran (1994-97)         2652. Murle Sango (1998-01)          2363. Brian Westbrook (1997-01)          2194. Bob Brady (1986-89)          1875. Brian White (1999-02)          1786. Josh Dolbin (1994-97)            1757. J.J. Outlaw (2002-present)           1638. Mike Siani (1969-71)         1489. John Mastronardo (1973-76)           14010. John Dieser (2002-present)        13711. Scott Donald (1989-92)          12712. Steve Ward (1997-00)           122

ALL-PURPOSE PERFORMERS: In the latest Atlantic 10 statistics released on Sunday, Oct. 16, Villanova has two of the top five players ranked in all-purpose offense. Senior wide receiver J.J. Outlaw is second (147.3 all-purpose yards per game), while senior running back Moe Gibson is fifth (117.2 all-purpose yards per game). Last week at Bucknell, Gibson had 207 yards of all-purpose offense, while Outlaw totaled 184 all-purpose yards.

HOME SWEET HOME: After playing the last four games away from Villanova Stadium, the Wildcats return home this week for the first time since Sept. 19. This Saturday's game versus Rhode Island will be just the second home game of the year for the `Cats. Starting with this week, the Wildcats will play three of their final five games at home.

THE TALLY ON TALLEY: Wildcat head coach Andy Talley has 82 Atlantic 10 Conference wins to his credit which ranks him third all-time in conference history. The only other two coaches to have more conference victories are former New Hampshire coach Bill Bowes with 97 and former Delaware head coach Tubby Raymond with 89.

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 six games, Hulea leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in tackles with 66. In addition to his 66 stops, Hulea has two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 2.5 tackles for loss.

IN SEARCH OF 400: Entering play this Saturday versus Rhode Island, Brian Hulea has 362 career tackles to his credit which ranks as the most of any active player in the Atlantic 10. With 38 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 six games this year, Hulea has registered 66 total tackles. Hulea leads the Atlantic 10 in tackles per game at 11.7.

GAINING GROUND: Before last Saturday's game at Bucknell, Villanova was averaging just 65.4 rushing yards per contest and just 2.1 yards per carry. The Wildcats finally got their ground game going against the Bison rushing for a season-high 235 yards on 40 carries for a 5.9 yards per carry average. Senior running back Moe Gibson led the charge with a career-best 148 yards on 11 carries.

FRANKLY SPEAKING: Sophomore quarterback Frank Jankowski enters play this Saturday ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in passing yards per game at 294.2. He has also eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark in three of the last four games. Last week at Bucknell, he was an efficient 15-of-20 for 234 yards to go with three touchdowns and one interception. His three, 300-yard passing games came at Richmond (30-of-54, 351 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions), versus Penn (23-of-36, 345, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) and at New Hampshire (36-of-55, 385, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions). After six games, Jankowski has completed 137-of-222 (61.7%) for 1,765 yards. He also has 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions to his credit.

MAKING THEM COUNT: Senior John Dieser made the most of his opportunities last Saturday at Bucknell. In the win, Dieser had just two catches for 14 yards. However, both receptions resulted in touchdowns. Dieser caught a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter and an eight-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. For the year, Dieser has registered 26 catches for 419 yards and five touchdowns.

DOMINANT DEFENDER: Junior safety Allyn Bacchus continues to be one of the team's top defenders. Entering play this week against Rhode Island, Bacchus is second on the team and third in the Atlantic 10 in tackles with 61. Bacchus has led the Wildcats in tackles in three of the six contests this year, including a career-high 15 at Richmond. He will be making his 29th consecutive start this Saturday.

QUALITY START: Freshman kicker Joe Marcoux made a good impression in his first game as the team's kicker last Saturday at Bucknell. In addition to going 5-for-5 in PATs, Marcoux connected on a 33-yarder for his first career field goal.

MOVING TARGETS: Entering play versus Rhode Island on Saturday, Oct. 22, five different Wildcats have double figures in receptions. Senior J.J. Outlaw leads the way with 47 followed by John Dieser with 26, Dequese May with 25, Chris Polite with 17 and Matt Sherry with 16.

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 Bucknell, 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 DIVISION1. Massachusetts (12)   New Hampshire (14)3. Hofstra (4)4. Maine5. Northeastern6. Rhode Island
SOUTH DIVISION1. James Madison (16)2. Delaware (6)3. William & Mary (6)4. VILLANOVA (2)5. Richmond6. 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 update10:10 a.m.  Dave Clawson, Richmond10:20 a.m.  Jimmye Laycock, William & Mary10:30 a.m.  Andy Talley, Villanova10:40 a.m.  Rocky Hager, Northeastern10:50 a.m.  Mickey Matthews, JMU11:00 a.m.  Jack Cosgrove, Maine11:10 a.m.  Don Brown, Northeastern11:20 a.m.  Tim Stowers, Rhode Island11:30 a.m.  K.C. Keeler, Delaware11:40 a.m.  Sean McDonnell, New Hampshire11:50 a.m.  Joe Gardi, HofstraNoon        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 from 6-7 p.m. at Kelly's Restaurant and Tap Room in Bryn Mawr, Pa.