Football 9/17/2018 11:43:00 AM

Villanova/Towson Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

Villanova fell to 23-9 all-time in conference openers and 26-8 in home openers dating back to 1985. It is the second straight year that the Wildcats have lost their first CAA matchup of the season. Villanova had won five straight conference openers (2012-16) prior to a loss at Albany last season.

Villanova had possession of the ball for just 24:59 against Towson after averaging better than 36 minutes of possession through its first two games. After the Wildcats took a 14-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the game, the Tigers had possession of the ball for 16 of the next 22 minutes and reeled off 35 unanswered points during that stretch.

The 45 points allowed by Villanova are the most the Wildcats have given up since a 49-35 loss to Towson on October 27, 2012. Villanova had held 65 consecutive opponents below 40 points since that contest prior to Saturday night's 45-35 defeat.

Villanova gave up 90 plays and 528 yards to Towson, the most that any opponent has had against the Wildcats since James Madison ran 93 plays for 568 yards against Villanova on September 20, 2014. The Wildcats won that contest, 49-31.

OFFENSE

Senior quarterback Zach Bednarczyk threw for a career-high 389 yards on 26-of-35 passing. It is the highest single-game passing performance by a Villanova quarterback since Brett Gordon had 460 passing yards against Delaware on November 23, 2002. Bednarczyk recorded his third career game with over 300 yards through the air.

Zach Bednarczyk also tied a career high with four touchdown passes. He previously threw for four touchdowns against Delaware on November 19, 2016 in a 41-10 victory.

Villanova had a pair of 100-yard receivers for the first time in nearly 13 years. Senior wide receiver Jarrett McClenton had six receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, while senior tight end Ryan Bell made eight catches for 103 yards and two scores. The last game in which two Wildcats had over 100 receiving yards was against Richmond on October 8, 2005 when J.J. Outlaw had 124 yards and John Dieser had 109 yards.

Jarrett McClenton tied the career-high of 114 receiving yards that he set last week against Lehigh. He has also tied a career high with six receptions in consecutive weeks while notching the first two 100-yard receiving games of his career. McClenton is the first Villanova receiver to surpass 100 yards in consecutive games since J.J. Outlaw had four straight games over 100 yards during the 2005 season.

Villanova had three plays of 50 yards or longer against Towson. Zach Bednarczyk had completions of 65 yards to sophomore wide receiver Changa Hodge and 50 yards to senior running back Aaron Forbes, while Forbes also had a 52-yard rush in the game. There has not been any other game since 2003 in which the Wildcats had three plays from scrimmage of 50 yards or longer in the same game, and Forbes is also the first Villanova player in that time span to have both a rush and a reception of at least 50 yards in the same game.

DEFENSE

Freshman cornerback Christian Benford and senior safety Rob Rolle each had 11 tackles in the game. Benford is leading the team with 22 tackles so far in 2018, including 17 solo stops. He has made one tackle for loss, and also has an interception and a pass breakup.

Christian Benford is Villanova's first true freshman since 2011 to have a double-digit tackle game within the first three games of his career. During the 2011 season Dillon Lucas had 10 tackles against Towson in the second game of his career, while Joe Sarnese made 10 stops against Monmouth in his third career game.

Senior linebacker Jeff Steeb had nine tackles against Towson, including a sack for a loss of 12 yards. He also registered his fourth career interception and second in as many games.