VILLANOVA, Pa. - Despite losing a number of key players to injury throughout the 2015 season, Villanova still carried a 6-4 record into its final game at nationally-ranked James Madison. A winning record for the 13th time in the last 15 years was already guaranteed, but the Wildcats had much more on their minds. A share of the CAA Football regular season title and a possible berth in the FCS playoffs were on the line. Villanova would fall to the Dukes, 38-29, in what turned out to be their season finale, but senior linebacker Austin Calitro (Danbury, Conn.) looks back on the opportunities the Wildcats created for themselves in that game as one of the team's greatest achievements during his career.

Fast forward to the middle of the ongoing 2016 campaign and Calitro is still finding motivation from last year's finale while leading a Villanova team that is one of the top 10 defensive squads in all of FCS football. He is also leading the Wildcats individually with 56 tackles in seven games, including 34 solo stops and his first two sacks of the season in consecutive games against Rhode Island and Richmond over the past two weeks.

"We all felt proud to do that last year," Calitro said of the way Villanova remained in the conversation for a share of a conference title until the final game. "Going 6-5 wasn't an achievement, but with losing so many players and then holding JMU to [153] rushing yards on [43] carries, that was a great accomplishment and I think this year we'll have even bigger achievements."

It took a late-season surge for the Wildcats to even have a chance to extend the 2015 season entering the final game. Villanova won three consecutive games before playing James Madison ââ'¬" including a come-from-behind victory over then-No. 9 Richmond a week earlier ââ'¬" and pulled to within three points of the Dukes (24-21) early in the fourth quarter before ultimately seeing their rally attempt come up short.

"You can see a lot of us playing with a whole new energy this season and that is because of last year," Calitro said. "We felt like [the 2015 season] slipped right out from under us. It felt like our season was cut short and was kind of taken from us."

The defense was a strong point for the Wildcats last year, and big things were expected as the 2016 season approached. The early returns were very good. Villanova opened the year with its annual FBS game against ACC member Pittsburgh and limited the Panthers high-powered running game to just 86 rushing yards on 34 carries. In the six games that have been played since the opener, the Wildcats have given up fewer than 100 rushing yards on three more occasions.

"It was a great effort against Pittsburgh but we obviously weren't satisfied," Calitro said. "It was something for the older guys and the coaches to build on and boost team morale going forward. First and foremost, if we get the win or not is the most important thing."

The loss to the Panthers was followed by five straight victories which came by an average margin of 22.2 points. Calitro reflected on what the Villanova defense expected of itself before the start of the season.

"As a whole we expected more from each other than the coaches expected from us," Calitro said. "That is what has led to our success so far. We have higher expectations from each other than the coaches do, and I think they love that about us. Our defense is based around doing your job and I think we all have the mindset of doing your job and doing it well. Individually, I just wanted to be the best leader I could and do my job on every play."

Calitro also mentioned the balance between the Wildcats experienced veterans and the younger players on the roster as a reason for the team's success thus far. The regular starters on defense include 10 upperclassmen, among them a quartet of fifth-year seniors in Calitro, fellow linebacker Corey Majors (Levittown, Pa.), defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ambler, Pa.) and safety Shayne Jones (Hillsborough, N.J.). Add to that group senior defensive end Bryan Osei (Abington, Pa.), a fifth-year senior who transferred to Villanova in 2015 after playing two years at Temple.

All of that returning experience is nice, but there are still plenty of players making key contributions to the defense for the first time. Junior safeties Rob Rolle (Newfield, N.J.) and Rasaan Stewart (Collegeville, Pa.) have taken a big step forward in 2016, while fellow third-year players Trey Johnson (Lutz, Fla.) and Malik Reaves (Jacksonville, Fla.) are sturdy veterans at cornerback. So is junior Ed Shockley (Millville, N.J.) at linebacker, while sophomores Bryan White (West Chester, Pa.) and Jeff Steeb (Sweetwater, N.J.) are getting a chance to start for the first time at defensive tackle and linebacker, respectively.

"The younger guys are maturing now and the game is starting to slow down for them," Calitro said. "The older guys have been polishing up to get to this point and we are rounding into our top form for later in the season. When you get that combination, you see what has led to our success."

Villanova has had a flair for the dramatic this season. Rolle set a school record by returning an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in the win over Towson on September 17. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in the season opener, while Kpassagnon (fumble return) and Steeb (interception return) also have scored through the year's first six games. Just three other FCS teams have recorded as many as four defensive touchdowns to this point in the season. In all, the Wildcats have a plus-four turnover margin for the year.

"It is all about being opportunistic," Calitro said. "We always look to make plays or force turnovers, so once you do your job you hope to see the ball coming your way. All the guys in the back end do a great job of being ball hogs and going to get the ball. For us linebackers or the defensive line, if the quarterback is there for a sack we do a great job of going to get them."

No matter the metric, the numbers show how good Villanova has been through the first half of the 2016 campaign. The team has allowed just 16.3 points per game and 273.9 yards of total offense to its opposition, figures that rank fifth and sixth, respectively among all FCS programs.

"We measure how hard we play and there hasn't been one game this year we haven't played hard," Calitro said. "The overall attitude we take is that the game is based on the whole week leading up to it. How was our attitude at practice, how focused were we and does it transfer over to the game? If it does and we get the win ââ'¬" that is how we measure our success."

Calitro talked about the Wildcats playing for each other as a central theme for the team to achieve its ultimate goals this season.

"It has been four years since I got a ring," Calitro said. "I got a ring my freshman year for winning the conference championship, but you don't realize how good getting that ring feels until you come close and don't get it. The past couple years have been like that and that is the motivation for us to all keep working hard, stay together for the rest of the season and progress as a team."

From an individual standpoint, Calitro recalls the moment that the lessons of working hard and sticking together as a team sunk in.

"My redshirt freshman year I had a penalty for a late hit out of bounds against New Hampshire," Calitro recalled. "We lost the game and that was a big part of it, but that was when I started realizing how important football is to me because of the way I felt the next two weeks. That was kind of a teaching moment. It showed me how important the game is to me."

Calitro redshirted as a true freshman in 2012 and played mostly on special teams the following year. He began playing on both defense and special teams in 2014, and has been relied on as one of the team's playmakers for the past two years as an upperclassman.

"Not only do I know my position now, I know everyone else's too," Calitro said. "I am trying to be a coach out there for the younger guys as well. It was up and down in the beginning, but I have always done everything I could to work hard and outwork everyone else. I have always been on a steady incline, and at this point in the season I think all the fifth-years and myself have put ourselves in a position to be successful with the rest of the team."

Villanova is currently 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. With four regular season games left, starting with this week'ss game against Albany, Calitro is aware of both the opportunities that remain this season as well as the meaningfulness of his overall experience in five years on campus.

"We have four games left and all of them are going to be tough," Calitro said. "If we get into the playoffs, we will have known how to deal with adversity and we can go really far. My career has been a great experience. Villanova provides so much for you networking wise, career wise and school wise. It is a great institution not only for getting you set up for success in football but also for the rest of your life."