RICHMOND, Va. - During the eleventh weekly CAA Football teleconference of the season on Monday, Villanova head coach Andy Talley gave his thoughts on the Wildcats' win against Maine and how the team is preparing for James Madison on Senior Day. Below is a transcript of Talley's comments.

Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley

On the win against Maine: We fumbled a punt on our 20-yard line which put our defense up against the wall. We had two punts blocked, and then we had a kickoff return against us for a touchdown and had an extra point blocked. In all the years that I've been coaching, I don't think I've ever had those four things happen in the same game. Talk about kicking mistakes. We had enough for a year in that one game. It's miraculous that we even won the game. Maine is a tough out, especially up there. I thought that they played really well. It was one of those games where you better hang on, which we did in the first quarter and barely got a field goal. Our guy kicked two field goals, a 41-yarder and a 43-yarder, which was phenomenal for us. We had a drive at the end of the half and put it in to make it 10-0. So I felt a little comfortable. Then we kicked off to start the second half, and their guy ran it 97 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden it was 10-7 and you're in Maine in November, and a lot of bad things can happen up there. We were fortunate that our defense came to play. Maine did a great job on our running game. We couldn't run inside, and we couldn't run outside. We couldn't run the ball, which we do for a living. Zach Bednarczyk had a great game throwing the ball. He threw three touchdowns and over 300 yards and was pinpoint accurate and hit everybody in stride. It added up to our passing game saving us. Zach played the best game of his career. We were fortunate to get out of there with a victory.

On the similarities between Zach Bednarczyk and JMU's Bryan Schor: Well, I think they're really comparable. Both of them are really tremendous players. They are the dual threat quarterbacks that can run and throw. I think Bryan is a little more savvy, because he's been around a little longer. He's a little more crafty, and he exudes confidence. I think Zach is starting to have that same type of swagger. It just doesn't matter for either of these guys. It could be rain, sleet or snow, and they're going to perform. If they can't throw it, they will figure out how to run it. They're both real good at finding people on the run, especially Bryan Schor. He's done a great job with that. I must have watched the JMU-Richmond game five times and continued to be amazed with how long he keeps plays going. I think it's a matchup of two really, really good quarterbacks and two football teams that are on a hard charge. So, I'm pretty excited about the game. Thank God it's at Villanova.

On the success of the defense this year: We are very well-coached. Billy Crocker is our defensive coordinator, and he's a young guy with a lot of fire and zip. We have a really good pass rush group up front. Tanoh Kpassagnon and Bryan Osei are really good players on the edge. I think we have some very good secondary kids that can run. Our linebacker core is solid. We at times do bend, but we haven't broken that much. We haven't given up a lot of big plays. If teams are going to score on us, they're going to have to drive 75 or 65 yards. That's the way it's been. With JMU and Khalid Abdullah, he can rip one off in a heartbeat. Bryan Schor can throw an 80-yard touchdown in a heartbeat. We have to make sure that whatever they get against us, they have to earn. That's kind of the way our defense has been moving along. I think the biggest thing is that we can run. In the CAA, you have to be able to run, because everybody has a good skill set.

On if Villanova will change anything defensively to contain Bryan Schor: I think so. That always is a problem for any defense, where you're playing a quarterback who can pull it down and run. He can either get them back on schedule or ahead of schedule. I think our defense has to be aware of a guy like that, rather than a pocket guy who hangs in there and you know where he's going to throw it from. That's what makes Schor such a terrific quarterback and so dangerous. That's not easy to spy him, because if you spy him, you're going to give up some coverage as well. I think you heard a couple of other coaches talk about how they tried to defend him, and the truth of the matter is, there's really no good way to defend him. I think we're going to have to score as many points as JMU scores to stay in the game.

On what the keys to the game are for his defense to slow down JMU's offense: I think we've got to be able to run the football. We certainly couldn't do that on Saturday. We've got to be able to take some time off the clock and keep the ball out of their hands. That's the first thing we're going to try to do. Richmond got in a shooting match with them, and Richmond has the kind of skill set to do that. I don't think we have the kind of skill here. I think we're going to have to keep the game in the teens or low 20s to have a chance. We're not a high volume scoring offense. I think we're averaging 25 points a game, and I think we're giving up 12 points on defense. It's one of those deals, a great offense against a really, really good defense. There defense is very good as well. It's a championship game, and I think it's one of those games where you're going to see two really good teams go at it. If you turn the ball over one time, we could be in harm's way with this team.

On the play of quarterback Zach Bednarczyk and tight end Ryan Bell on Saturday: Zach played the best game of his career. He was laser sharp. He had been laser sharp all week. He just looked great in practice. I think he got away from the concussion. His head was clear, and he was just throwing the ball with great authority. Ryan Bell is a hybrid tight end/receiver. He's not a big guy that's going to knock you off the ball, but he can get open and he's got great hands. He made two phenomenal catches in the game. He's become quite a weapon for us in the middle of our offense.