Football 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM

Homecoming Game Features Wildcats and Albany on Saturday Afternoon

Oct. 20, 2016

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF SATURDAY'S HOMECOMING GAME AGAINST ALBANY

VILLANOVA, Pa. - During an exciting weekend of Homecoming events and festivities on campus, No. 16 Villanova (5-2, 3-1 CAA Football) will take on No. 23 Albany (4-2, 1-2 CAA Football) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. This is the second straight week that the Wildcats will play in a game featuring two ranked teams. Villanova is 46-40 (.535) all-time in such games, including winning 23 of the last 36 contests that meet this distinction.

Tickets are on sale for Saturday's game and can be purchased online by clicking on the link at the top of this release. Fans who are attending the game are also advised to click on the link for parking information, as there will be several different events taking place on campus throughout the day. Live streaming video of the matchup with Albany can be seen on Nova Nation All-Access, with Nick Mantegna on Steve Pinone calling the action. The game will also air live on 610 Sports WTEL-AM with Ryan Fannon and Kevin Reilly on the call.

Homecoming Weekend will get underway early on Friday evening with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Villanova Stadium West End Zone Project. The newest venue on campus adds on to the Jake Nevin Field House by creating a new facility that will serve as home to the football program, while providing important amenities to meet the growing athletic performance demands for student-athletes across Villanova's 24 varsity sports. This new state-of-the-art facility will house the Athletic Department's sports medicine operations and the "Howie Long Strength & Conditioning Training Center," while other amenities will include a new football locker room, coaches' offices, equipment room, academic support, a 100-seat meeting room and a reception/training table area. Friday's ribbon cutting ceremony starts at 5 p.m. and is open to the public. Parking will be in the Main Lot.

Over the years, the Wildcats have had a great deal of success in Homecoming games. Villanova is 33-18 (.647) all-time on Homecoming Weekend and has won in each of the last two seasons. Last year, the Wildcats guaranteed their 13th winning record in the previous 15 seasons by rallying late in the fourth quarter for a 21-20 win over then-No. 9 Richmond. Villanova is 19-11 (.633) in Homecoming games during the Andy Talley era.

There have been just two previous meetings between the Wildcats and the Great Danes, with Villanova claiming victories in each of the last two seasons. The first game in the all-time series saw the Wildcats tally a 48-31 victory at Villanova Stadium on November 15, 2014. Villanova made its first trip to Albany last year and came away with a 37-0 win. Both teams are coming off losses last weekend, although both have had a great degree of success to this point in the season.

In their return to familiar surroundings, the Wildcats will be eager to put last week's 23-0 loss to No. 6 Richmond behind them. Villanova had not been shut out in more than 12 years and a span of 148 games, and the loss to the Spiders snapped a five-game winning streak during which the Wildcats averaged a 22.2-point margin of victory.

Senior linebacker Austin Calitro (Danbury, Conn.) and junior safety Rob Rolle (Newfield, N.J.) led the defense at Richmond in an effort that was far stronger than the final score suggested. Calitro recorded season highs with 12 total tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss, while Rolle reached double figures for the first time and made a career-high 11 total stops. Calitro was credited with a sack for the second straight week and now has five career double-figure tackle games to his credit.

Villanova continues to thrive defensively this season and ranks among the nation's best in several statistical categories. Entering play against the Great Danes on Saturday, the Wildcats are ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense (16.3 points per game) and sixth in total defense (273.9 yards per contest). The defense has been opportunistic as well, as Villanova has scored four defensive touchdowns on the season. Rolle has two of those scores, with a fumble return for a touchdown in the season opener at Pittsburgh and a school-record 100-yard interception return for a score versus Towson.

On the offensive side of the ball, sophomore Aaron Forbes (Newburgh, N.Y.) and senior Javon White (Telford, Pa.) lead what is a deep and balanced Wildcats running game. Forbes has run for 449 yards and five touchdowns on the year, while White has carried for 412 yards and six scores. In three games since completing his rehab from an injury, junior Matt Gudzak (Toms River, N.J.) has averaged 56.3 rushing yards per contest while recording both a rushing and a receiving touchdown.

Villanova has reached a point in the schedule where it will alternate home and road games for the remainder of the regular season. The team has a bye week following the contest against the Great Danes and will return to action for a road game at Maine on Saturday, November 5 at 12 p.m.

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