Sept. 23, 2015 COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME AT PENN
Getting There: Buy Tickets | Driving Directions
Game Notes: Villanova | Penn | CAA
Watch Live: Nova Nation All-Access
Listen: 610 SPORTS (WTEL-AM) | Sirius/XM Channel 81 | Nova Nation All-Access | TuneIn
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VILLANOVA, Pa.--An annual meeting of local foes will be a weeknight matchup under the lights this season, as No. 5 Villanova (2-1) hosts Penn (0-1) on Thursday night. This is the 12th straight year that the teams will play each other and only the fifth visit ever for the Quakers to Villanova Stadium. Thursday night's contest kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live online by Nova Nation All-Access. The game also airs on the radio on 610 SPORTS (WTEL-AM) and on Sirius/XM Channel 81.
All fans who attend Thursday night's game are encouraged to participate in the first ever ZERO Waste game! Villanova Sustainability and Recycling, in partnership with the University's Athletics department, will aim to divert game day waste from the trash, via recycling or composting!
The all-time series between the Wildcats and Penn dates back to 1905, although there have been just 19 previous meetings overall. Villanova lost its first five games to the Quakers between 1905 and 1911, but has won 14 straight meetings since 1980 and leads the series by a 14-5 margin. Penn previously played at Villanova Stadium in 2002, 2007, 2010 and 2013. Every other game was played at Franklin Field. Wildcats head coach Andy Talley is 15-0 in his career against Ivy League teams, including 13-0 against Penn and 2-0 versus Columbia.
Villanova opened conference play last weekend and produced a thrilling 28-21 victory over Delaware in the annual Battle of the Blue game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Bednarczyk replaced an injured John Robertson late in that game and completed a pair of late scoring drives as the Wildcats rallied from a late deficit.
Bednarczyk threw for 57 yards on 4-of-6 passing and also ran for a 21-yard touchdown in his first career action under center. Senior wide receiver Kevin Gulyas had a career-high eight catches for 152 yards in the contest, while Robertson amassed 231 yards of total offense prior to being injured. He was 14-of-24 for 208 yards through the air and also ran for 23 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore cornerback Malik Reaves led the defense with a career-high 12 tackles.
After three games, Villanova is averaging 19.0 points per game and is allowing 16.0 points per contest. The offense for the Wildcats is split between 205.0 passing yards and 147.7 rushing yards per game, while the opposition has been limited to 262.7 yards of total offense. Junior running back Javon White leads the team with 181 rushing yards on 35 carries, while Gulyas is the top receiver with 13 catches for 222 yards and two scores.
Senior linebacker Don Cherry had a team-high 26 tackles to lead the defense, while junior Austin Calitro is second on the team with 22 total stops. Cherry and Calitro eave have a team-best five tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks.
Penn opened its season with a 42-21 loss at Lehigh last week. Quakers quarterback Alek Torgersen threw for 336 yards and a touchdown on 30-of-42 passing. Wide receiver Justin Watson had 10 catches for 143 yards and a score, while running back Tre Solomon ran 11 times for 89 yards. Penn was led defensively by Colton Moskal, who had 11 tackles.