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Sept. 15, 2005

VILLANOVA, Pa. -

Villanova Wildcats (0-1 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10)

vs.

Northeastern Huskies (0-2 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10)

SERIES INFORMATION

First Meeting: 1987 (41-28, Northeastern)
Overall: Villanova leads 8-5-0
Overall Under Talley: 8-5-0
Last Villanova Win: 9/27/03 (28-7)
Last Northeastern Win: 10/9/04 (34-30)

MEDIA INFORMATION

Interview Requests: All Interview requests should be directed toward Dean Kenefick, Assistant Athletics Director/Communications, (610) 519-4120.

Broadcast Information

Television: Live broadcast on CN-8
Play-by-Play: Mick Moninghoff
Color Commentary: Lou Tilley
Sideline Reporter: Bruce Casella

Radio: Live broadcast on WNTP 990-AM at 7:00 p.m.
Play-by-Play: Joe Eichhorn
Color Commentary: Ryan Fannon

Note: All Wildcat games can be heard live on the Internet at www.villanova.com

NORTHEASTERN REPORT: The Huskies enter play this week with an 0-2 overall record. Northeastern lost its season opener to Georgia Southern (41-38 in overtime) before losing at Youngstown State last Saturday by a score of 35-16. Youngstown State dominated Northeastern on the ground, rushing for 267 yards on 57 carries. In the loss, the Huskies were led by redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Orio who completed 21-of-37 for 254 yards and one touchdown. Senior Pat Graham made five receptions for 75 yards, while sophomore tight end Kendrick Ballantyne had five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Joe Mele made a team-best 11 tackles to go with two tackles for loss and a sack. Junior linebacker Jamil Young added 10 tackles. After two games, Orio has completed 34-of-56 (60.7%) for 475 yards to go with three touchdowns and one interception. Senior Cory Parks has been Orio's favorite target with nine receptions for 113 yards. Sophomore Maurice Murray leads the Huskies in rushing with 92 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. Mele leads the team in both tackles with 22 and sacks with two. In the preseason Atlantic 10 coaches/media poll, Northeastern was picked to finish fifth in the North Division.

HUSKY HEAD COACH ROCKY HAGER: Rocky Hager is in his second season as the head coach at Northeastern. He led the Huskies to a 5-6 overall record in 2004, and has coached at the collegiate level for more than 25 years. Hager was the head coach at North Dakota State from 1987 to 1996, during which time he led the Bison to two national championships and four appearances in the national quarterfinals. Hager's teams compiled a record of 91-25-1 in his 10 seasons as the head coach, and he left the school as the program's all-time winningest head coach. He initially arrived at North Dakota State as an assistant coach during the 1985 and 1986 seasons, before being promoted to the top job in 1987. Hager had been an assistant coach at Temple University from 1997 until he accepted the head coaching job at Northeastern on March 10, 2004. His previous collegiate coaching stops included tenures as an assistant at Division II Augustana College (1981-84) and NAIA member Morningside (1980), as well as a graduate assistant position at North Dakota State in 1979. Hager enters Saturday night's game with a career record of 96-33-1 (.742), including a mark of 5-8 (.385) at Northeastern. He is a 1974 graduate of Minot State College (N.D.) and a former standout player at Harvey (N.D.) High School.

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 career at Villanova, Talley has recorded a 138-83-1 mark, making him the all-time winningest coach in Villanova history. Talley's 26-year overall coaching record currently stands at 166-101-2. 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 two Lambert Meadowlands Trophies. In 1997, Talley garnered the Eddie Robinson Award and the AFCA/GTE National Coach of the Year Award.

CONFERENCE OPENERS: Saturday's game with Northeastern will be the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams. Since Villanova began conference play at the I-AA level in 1988, the Wildcats are 12-5 in conference openers. The Wildcats have won seven of their last nine conference openers and have scored 30 or more points in seven of the nine contests.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Villanova has had a great deal of success against Northeastern in games played at home. The Wildcats lead the all-time series between the teams 8-5, including a 5-1 advantage in games played at Villanova Stadium. Villanova owns a five-game home winning streak against Northeastern entering play this Saturday.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: Saturday night's Parents' Weekend contest versus Northeastern will be the 16th night game in the history of Villanova Football. All total, the Wildcats are 10-5 in night games played on campus.

TELEVISION EXPOSURE: Villanova will be making the first of four television appearances this Saturday versus Northeastern. The game can be seen live at 7 p.m. on CN8. Future Wildcat games that can also be seen on CN8 include the Sept. 24 game versus Penn, the Oct. 1 contest against New Hampshire and the season finale on Nov. 19 versus Delaware.

PAINFUL BEGINNING: Villanova had a tough start to its season last Saturday 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.

UNDER CENTER: Due to the injury to Marvin Burroughs, the quarterback duties will now be handled by sophomore Frank Jankowski. In Saturday's loss to Rutgers, Jankowski came on in relief early in the third quarter and completed 17-of-32 for 209 yards. The 32 passes were the first attempts of Jankowski's collegiate career. During his schoolboy career at Berwick High School in Berwick, Pa., Jankowski passed for 5,912 yards and 47 touchdowns.

MISLEADING STATS: After examining the stats from last Saturday's game with Rutgers, it is hard to believe the Wildcats lost by a score of 38-6. In the loss, Villanova won the time of possession battle (33:04 to 26:56), outgained the Scarlet Knights (444 yards to 372 yards) and had more first downs (28 to 24). A big reason why the score was so lopsided was due to the fact that Villanova had the ball six times inside the Rutgers 30-yard line and failed to score on all six occasions.

OUTSTANDING OUTLAW: Wide receiver J.J. Outlaw started his senior season off in fine fashion last Saturday at Rutgers with a career-high tying nine receptions for 91 yards. The nine catches give him 125 for his career which ranks him 10th all-time on Villanova's career reception list. As a junior last year, Outlaw registered a team-high 57 catches for 686 yards and three scores, 28 rushes for 204 yards and one score, 24 punt returns fr 247 yards and 16 kickoff returns for 235 yards. All total, Outlaw averaged 124.7 of all-purpose offense per game en route to earning third team All-Atlantic 10 distinction. Outlaw was a first team All-Conference selection as a sophomore in 2003 when he averaged 135.5 yards of all-purpose offense per game.

DAZZLING DIESER: Villanova received a strong performance from wide receiver John Dieser in last week's season opener at Rutgers. In the loss, the Bethlehem, Pa., native tallied six receptions for 74 yards and a 32-yard touchdown catch. For his efforts in the contest, Dieser was named the Villanova Offensive Player of the Game.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Nine different Wildcats caught at least one pass in Saturday's season opening loss at Rutgers. Of the nine players who were credited with a catch, four were wide receivers, four were running backs and one was a tight end.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: For the first time in head coach Andy Talley's career, the 21-year head coach played three freshmen together on the offensive line. True freshman Michael Sheridan started at tackle and redshirt freshman Jonathan Krohe started at guard. Redshirt freshman Idriz Bauta saw time at tackle. Sheridan became the first Wildcat to start as a true freshman on the offensive line since Stan Bennett in 1997. Bennett went on to start all 46 games of his Wildcat career.

IN SEARCH OF 100: After making a game-high 14 tackles last Saturday at Rutgers, senior linebacker Brian Hulea has 300 career tackles to his credit. With 100 more tackles, Hulea will become just the third player in Villanova history to record 400 career tackles. In his three previous seasons, Hulea had 70 tackles as a freshman, 141 tackles as a sophomore in 2003 and 85 tackles last year as a junior. Curtis Eller (1989-92) owns the school record for career tackles with 429, while Shaun Lyons is second with 410.

DEFENSIVE HONORS: Villanova defensive standouts Darrell Adams and Brian Hulea both earned pre-season recognition from the Sports Network. Adams earned pre-season first team All-American distinction, while Hulea was an Honorable Mention pre-season All-American selection. As a junior last year, Adams tallied 40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries and four quarterback sacks, while Hulea registered a team-high 85 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery during his junior year in 2004. After both earning first team All-Atlantic 10 distinction in 2003 and 2004, Adams and Hulea were also named to the 2005 preseason Atlantic 10 first team.

THE TALLY ON TALLEY: Entering play this Saturday versus Northeastern, Wildcat head coach Andy Talley has 81 Atlantic 10 Conference wins which ranks him third all-time in conference history. The only other two coaches to have more conference victories are former New Hampshire head coach Bill Bowes with 97 and former Delaware head coach Tubby Raymond with 89.

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

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. For his career, Gibson has returned 78 kickoffs for 1,853 yards (23.7 yards per return) and three scores.

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.

ACTING PROFESSIONAL: Three former Villanova products will be on NFL rosters when the NFL season begins this weekend. 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 at Kelly's Restaurant and Tap Room in Bryn Mawr, Pa.