Aug. 7, 2006
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The blistering heat and humidity that blanketed the region last week dissipated at a convenient time for the Villanova football program, which kicked off the 2006 campaign with its first preseason practice on Monday afternoon.
The Wildcats first practice marked the official beginning of preparation for the regular season, which will get underway September 2 when Villanova plays a road contest against the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The team will be back on familiar ground a week later for its home opener against Lehigh.
The 2006 edition of the Wildcats features 31 letterwinners who return from last season, including eight starters on both the offensive and defensive ends plus two specialists. Villanova will also get a boost from the return of quarterback Marvin Burroughs (Atlantic City, N.J.), who spent most of the 2005 season rehabbing an injury sustained during the season opener.
The 11-game regular season schedule includes five home contests for the Wildcats, who will entertain Atlantic 10 foes Massachusetts, Towson, Richmond and James Madison at Villanova Stadium. On the road, Villanova will play a non-conference game against Penn at Franklin Field, in addition to the trip to UCF. Road trips in conference play will be to Hofstra, Maine, William & Mary and Delaware.
Accolades for the 2006 season are already starting to come in, as tight end Matt Sherry (Rumford, R.I.) and defensive back Allyn Bacchus (Hampton, Va.) were each named Preseason All-Atlantic 10 honorees. As a team, the Wildcats were chosen to place fifth in the league's South Division at the annual Atlantic 10 Media Day last week.
Practice on Monday afternoon was scheduled between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. and started under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s. Combined with the heat index, the weather marked nearly a 20-degree drop from the heat wave in the area last week.
Villanova has one practice scheduled each day this week and will continue in preseason mode until the beginning of classes on August 23. In addition to the practice schedule, the team will have two scrimmages prior to the start of classes.
Head coach Andy Talley is beginning his 22nd season as head coach at Villanova and his 27th overall at the collegiate level. Talley enters the 2006 season ranked eighth among active NCAA I-AA head coaches in career victories and 16th in career winning percentage. His overall record as a head coach is 170-107-2 (.607).
