Football 9/24/2018 12:44:00 PM

Villanova/Bucknell Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

Villanova had possession of the ball for 37:10 and ran 80 offensive plays compared with Bucknell running only 51 plays while having the ball in its hands for 22:50. It is third time in four games this season that the Wildcats have had a decided advantage in the battle for time of possession. Villanova had the ball for 38:39 in its season opener against Temple and for 33:56 in the second game of the season at Lehigh. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Wildcats are ranked 10^th in the nation and second in CAA Football with an average time of possession per game of 33:41.

Villanova has now started the season 3-1 in seven of the last 12 years. The most recent Wildcats teams to win three of their first four games were in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

A season-high 73 players saw action in the Bucknell game. Villanova's depth has been an asset this season, with an average of 56 players per game appearing in the first four contests. Through four games last season the Wildcats were averaging 50 players per game.

OFFENSE

Villanova ran 80 plays for 609 total yards and surpassed the 600-yard mark for only the second time in the last 19 years. The only other game since 2000 in which the Wildcats had 600+ yards of total offense was on November 23, 2013 when the team had 626 total yards against Delaware. Villanova balanced its offense against Bucknell with 307 passing yards and 302 rushing yards. It is the first time the Wildcats have gone over 300 yards both on the ground and through the air since October 30, 1999 against New Hampshire (339 rushing yards, 300 passing yards).

Senior quarterback Zach Bednarczyk and sophomore wide receiver Josh McGrigg connected on the longest pass play in school history in the first quarter. The play was for a 90-yard touchdown which put Villanova in front 21-0 with 2:33 to play in the opening period. Bednarczyk dropped back from the 10-yard line, faked a hand-off and was actually standing on the three-yard line when he found a wide open McGrigg in the middle of the field. McGrigg caught the ball at the Wildcats own 45-yard line and raced the rest of the way downfield for his first career touchdown. Below are additional superlatives for the record-setting play.

90-Yard Touchdown Pass From Zach Bednarczyk to Josh McGrigg (School Record)

The longest previous pass play in school history was 87 yards from John Robertson to Kevin Gulyas on December 6, 2014 in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Liberty.

The longest previous touchdown pass in school history was 84 yards from Chris Whitney to Phil Atkinson on October 18, 2008 against Rhode Island.

The record setting 90-yard pass play is the third play from scrimmage of at least 90 yards in school history. All three have resulted in touchdowns, and the list is below. There are now 24 total plays of 90 yards or longer in the school record book. The list includes 17 kick returns, three interception returns, two rushes, one pass and one fumble return. All but four of the 24 plays were for touchdowns.

Plays from Scrimmage of at Least 90 Yards in Villanova History (All Touchdowns)

110 Yard Rush by John Powers against Fordham on October 15, 1902
90 Yard Rush by Mike Jones against Columbia on September 23, 1989
90 Yard Pass from Zach Bednarczyk to Josh McGrigg against Bucknell on September 22, 2018

Josh McGrigg finished the Bucknell game with five receptions for 187 yards, all of which came in the first half. In addition to the record 90-yard catch in the first quarter, he also had receptions for 13 yards, 48 yards, 17 yards and 19 yards in the second quarter. Prior to the game, McGrigg had five total catches for just 32 yards in 11 previous collegiate games. The versatile wide receiver sees most of his time on special teams as the Wildcats primary return man on kickoffs and punts.

The 187 receiving yards by Josh McGrigg rank sixth in school history for a single game. It is the most receiving yards that a Villanova player has had in a game since Brian Finneran had 229 yards against Rhode Island on November 2, 1996. There have been only three games in school history in which a receiver surpassed 200 yards.

Villanova's passing game has been in top form early in the 2018 campaign, with the Wildcats topping 250 passing yards in three of its four games. The team is ranked 18^th in the FCS and third in CAA Football with 291.3 passing yards per game, while Zach Bednarczyk ranks in the top-10 nationally in three different passing categories. He is second in the country with 11 passing touchdowns, seventh with 1,139 passing yards and eighth with a 170.2 passing efficiency rating.

Villanova has thrown for over 300 yards in each of its last two games. Zach Bednarczyk threw for a career-high 389 passing yards against Towson on September 15, while Bednarczyk (281) and sophomore backup Jack Schetelich (26) combined for 307 yards through the air against Bucknell. It is the first time since 2005 that the Wildcats have topped 300 passing yards in consecutive games.

One of the rare notes from Saturday's game was that Villanova had 10 different players rush for positive yardage. Fifth-year senior running back Matt Gudzak led the charge with 60 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Senior running back Aaron Forbes rushed for 41 yards and two scores, while Zach Bednarczyk, senior wide receiver Adeyemi DaSilva and junior running back D'Andre Pollard also had touchdown runs. It is not known if there have been comparable games in school history or how often there have been 10 rushers for positive yards in a game.

DEFENSE

Villanova forced a season-high four turnovers and finished the game with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Freshmen defensive backs Elijah Trent and Christian Benford each recorded their second interceptions of the season, while sophomore Jaquan Amos tallied his first interception of the year and his third career pick. Junior defensive lineman Jafonta Johnson forced a fumble on the game's first play from scrimmage which senior Bryan White recovered. It is the most forced turnovers by the defense since the Wildcats forced six turnovers in the Maine game last season (October 7, 2017).

Villanova held Bucknell to a net total of 41 rushing yards on 27 carries (1.5 yards per carry). It is the 28^th time in the last 64 games since the start of the 2013 season that the Wildcats have held an opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards, and the 13^th time in that span that the other team was limited to fewer than 50 yards on the ground.