VILLANOVA, Pa.—Postseason play has officially arrived for No. 8 Villanova (9-3), which travels to Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) out of the Southland Conference for a first round game in the Division I Football Championship on Saturday afternoon.  The game kicks off at 4 p.m. Eastern time (3 p.m. Central) at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, La. as the Wildcats and Lions meet each other for the first time in any sport. 
 
Saturday's game will air live on ESPN3 with Shawn Kenney and Dustin Fox calling the action.  The broadcast can be seen on WatchESPN and the ESPN mobile app.  Fans can also hear the radio call with Ryan Fannon and Kevin Reilly on 610 ESPN as well as TuneIn.  The winner of Saturday's first round contest advances to play #6 seed Montana on December 7. 
 
TODAY'S GAME
 
Villanova is making its 13^th straight appearance in the FCS playoffs and its first since the 2016 season.  The Wildcats enter the playoffs with a 9-3 overall record and finished tied for third in the CAA Football standings with a 5-3 mark in league play.  After being picked to finish ninth in the CAA in conference preseason poll of head coaches and media members, Villanova raced out of the gates with six straight wins and climbed to No. 5 in the national rankings.  The final regular season polls released this week have the Wildcats at No. 8 in the STATS FCS Top 25 and No. 10 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
 
PLAYOFF NOTES
 
Postseason History: Villanova will be playing in the postseason for the 18th time in its football history and the 13th time since becoming an FCS program in 1985. The first five postseason games in Wildcats history were bowl games which took place between 1937 and 1962, in which the team had a 2-2-1 overall record. Villanova is 12-11 (.522) all-time in the FCS playoffs.
 
FCS Playoffs: Villanova earned an at-large bid to the Division I Football Championship when the field of 24 teams was announced live on ESPNU on Sunday, November 24. This is the 13th time in their FCS history (since 1985) and the first time since 2016 that the Wildcats have advanced to the FCS playoffs.
 
In their previous 12 appearances in the FCS playoffs, the Wildcats have an overall record of 12-11 (.522) and have won at least one game in seven of the last eight seasons in which they made the postseason. Villanova won its first national championship in 2009 and has advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs two other times (2002, 2010).
 
CAA Football in the Playoffs: Villanova is one of three teams from CAA Football to be selected to the 24-team field for the 2019 Division I Football Championship. League champion James Madison earned the automatic qualifier, while the Wildcats and UAlbany were at-large selections.
 
This is the 14th straight year that CAA Football has had at least three teams make the playoffs. The conference set a record with six participants in 2018. CAA Football has now had multiple postseason selections in 29 consecutive years. Over the last 14 seasons, eight league teams have reached the national title game and 15 have advanced to the national semifinals. The CAA was one of four conferences to have at least three teams in this year's field. The Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big Sky Conference had four selections, while the Southland Conference also placed three teams in the field.
 
First Time Opponent: Villanova has never faced Southeastern Louisiana in any sport. The football team has faced a Southland Conference opponent on three previous occasions which all came in the playoffs. In 2002, the Wildcats traveled to McNeese and were defeated, 39-28, in a semifinal round contest. Villanova defeated Stephen F. Austin (54-24) in a second round road game in 2010 and most recently fell at home to Sam Houston State (34-31) in a 2014 quarterfinal matchup.   
 
About Southeastern Louisiana: Southeastern Louisiana is currently 7-4 on the year and went 6-3 in conference play to tie for third place in the Southland Conference standings. The Lions are coached by Frank Scelfo, who is in his second season at Southeastern Louisiana and is currently 11-11 at the school.
 
This is the third FCS playoff berth for Southeastern Louisiana, which previously made consecutive postseason appearances in 2013 and 2014. The Lions were the Southland Conference champions in 2013 and earned a No. 4 national seed. They defeated league rival Sam Houston State in the second round before falling on their home turf to CAA Football foe New Hampshire in a quarterfinal game. In the 2014 playoffs, the Lions fell to Sam Houston State on the road in a first round game. Sam Houston State went on to win its second round game at No. 3 national seed Jacksonville State before traveling to Villanova and knocking off the sixth-seeded Wildcats. The 2013 quarterfinal playoff game between Southeastern Louisana and New Hampshire is the only previous game the Lions have placed against a CAA Football school.
 
Prominent alumni of Southeastern Louisiana include Robin Roberts, the host of Good Morning America who graduated from and played basketball for the Lions. MLB pitcher Wade Miley was born in Hammond and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana.
 
CAA FOOTBALL POSTSEASON HONORS
 
Chucky Smith Wins Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award: Senior safety Chucky Smith was named the winner of the annual CAA Football Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award when the league announced its postseason honors on Tuesday afternoon. The award is presented to one senior in the conference who best embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. The athletics directors of the 12 schools that make up CAA Football vote on the award.
 
Villanova has had two winners of the Chuck Boone award in the eight years it has been presented, with Smith joining former Wildcats offensive lineman Jake Prus who won the award in 2015. Smith was voted a tri-captain by his teammates prior to this season and has served the football team, campus and community in a number of ways. He is a leader of Athletes in Action Bible Study for varsity athletes and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for general students, and was also selected to be a tutor in the campus Writing Center. A member of Villanova Navy ROTC, Smith has been selected into the Navy Flight School following his graduation.
 
On the field, Smith earned a scholarship after beginning his career as a walk-on.  He was the Wildcats 2018 Special Teams Player of the Year and this season has played in all 12 games with five starts. Smith is tied for fifth on the team with 45 tackles, including 22 solo stops and 23 assisted tackles. He has been credited with 3.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Smith had a career-high 11 tackles in the win at William & Mary.
 
10 Players Earn CAA Football All-Conference Acclaim: In addition to Chucky Smith winning the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award, the Wildcats had a total of 10 players named to the CAA Football All-Conference Team. The honorees included three first team All-CAA selections in junior offensive lineman Paul Grattan, junior linebacker Forrest Rhyne and sophomore punter Nathan Fondacaro. Seven players were named to the third team, including four picks on offense. They were junior quarterback Daniel Smith, junior running back Justin Covington, junior wide receiver Changa Hodge and junior offensive lineman Colin Gamroth. The three defensive players on the third team were junior defensive lineman Malik Fisher, senior linebacker Drew Wiley and junior cornerback Jaquan Amos.  This is the first time since 2014 that Villanova has had 10 players earn All-CAA accolades. Each of the Wildcats 10 honorees garnered all-conference recognition for the first time in their careers.
 
VILLANOVA TEAM NOTES
 
Polling Places: Villanova finished the regular season ranked in the top-10 of both national polls after being unranked to start the year. This week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll has the Wildcats at No. 8, while the FCS Coaches Poll puts Villanova at No. 10.  With their three straight wins over Richmond, LIU and Delaware to close out the regular season, the Wildcats have surged 10 spots in the STATS poll in the last three weeks.
 
This is the seventh straight season that Villanova has been ranked in the top-10 of the STATS FCS Top 25 at least once during the regular season.  During this span, which began with the 2013 season, the Wildcats have appeared in the top-10 of the national rankings 34 times. Villanova peaked at No. 5 in this year's rankings in the September 30 and October 7 STATS polls. 
 
Road Warriors: Villanova has fared well away from home both this season and in recent years. This year the Wildcats played five of their first seven games and six of their first nine contests on the road. Villanova is 4-2 away from home this year and 10-8 during the Mark Ferrante head coaching era. Dating back to the start of the 2008 season, the Wildcats have won 44 of their last 77 games away from home and posted a .571 road winning percentage in that span.
 
Villanova has made three previous trips to the state of Louisiana, with the most recent being in 2002 when the Wildcats played a semifinal playoff game at McNeese in Lake Charles. Prior to that, Villanova visited LSU in consecutive seasons in 1950 and 1951. The 1950 game was played in Baton Rouge and the 1951 contest took place in Shreveport.
 
Non-Conference Success: Villanova is undefeated this season against non-CAA Football teams after going 4-0 in its regular season non-conference slate. The season began with the Wildcats defeating three straight Patriot League foes in Colgate (34-14), Lehigh (38-10) and Bucknell (45-10). Villanova also topped LIU (35-7) in the second-to-last game of the regular season. The four victories came by an average margin of 27.8 points per game.
 
This is the second straight year that the Wildcats went undefeated in their regular season non-conference schedule. Villanova has won eight straight non-conference games overall since a loss to Temple in the second game of the 2017 season. In addition, the Wildcats have won 10 straight regular season non-conference games against FCS opponents since a 24-13 loss to Penn on September 24, 2015.
 
That's Offensive: Villanova and Southeastern Louisiana both feature prominent offenses. The Wildcats rank 10th in the FCS in scoring with an average of 36.8 points per game and are also 16th nationally in total offense with 451.0 yards per contest. The Lions rank seventh and eighth, respectively, in those two categories with averages of 37.6 points per game and 475.2 yards per contest.
 
Villanova has scored at least 20 points in every game this season and has topped 30 points in 10 of its 12 games on the year. The only previous seasons in program history in which the Wildcats scored 20+ points in every game was 1986 (9 games) and 1997 (13 games). That is unless you count the program's inaugural 1894 season in which Villanova scored 24 points in the only game it played.
 
A Line of Defense: One of the keys to the Wildcats offensive success in 2019 has been the strong play of its offensive line. The line has given up just 12 quarterback sacks for a total loss of 84 yards this season, an average of one sack allowed per game. That ranks Villanova first in the CAA and seventh nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Villanova went three straight games earlier this year against Towson, Maine and William & Mary in which it did not allow a single sack. It was the first time that had happened since at least 2001 based on quickly available data following the three-game stretch.
 
All five of the Wildcats starting offensive linemen have eligibility remaining beyond this season.  The primary starters on the line are juniors Paul Grattan (left guard); MJ Dumas (right guard); Colin Gamroth (center); and Kofi Appiah (left tackle); along with redshirt freshman Nick Torres (right tackle).  They have combined to make 59 starts on the year, with redshirt freshman James Petrovcik also starting one game at left guard.
 
Moving the Sticks: Villanova's offense has excelled on third down this season and currently ranks second in the CAA as well as seventh nationally in third-down conversion percentage.  Through their first 12 games of the year, the Wildcats have converted on third down 49.4 percent of the time (80-of-162). 
 
Villanova has converted at least 50 percent of its third down opportunities five times in 12 games, including in each of the past three weeks against Richmond (7-of-14), LIU (6-of-11) and Delaware (4-of-8).  The Wildcats had 10+ third-down conversions in wins over Towson (12-of-19, 63.2%) and William & Mary (11-of-17, 64.7%) earlier in the season.
 
What's The Rush: Villanova has rushed for over 200 yards in seven of its 12 games this year. At the end of the regular season, the Wildcats ranked third in the CAA and 26th in the country with an average of 192.1 rushing yards per contest. Villanova has run for a total of 2,305 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
 
Gaining Ground: Villanova had 589 yards of total offense in the win over Delaware last week, with 378 passing yards and 211 rushing yards. It is the fourth-most yards in a single game in school history. Making that figure even more impressive is that the Wildcats only ran a modest 66 plays in the game, but averaged 8.9 yards per play. That is the highest such figure since Villanova averaged a school-record 9.3 yards per play against Colgate in the first round of the 2008 playoffs.
 
Fantastic Freshmen: More than a quarter of Villanova's all-purpose yards (26.6 percent) this season have come from a trio of true freshmen.  Rookie running backs DeeWil Barlee and TD Ayo-Durojaiye, along with first-year receiver Jaaron Hayek, have combined for 1,743 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns in the first 12 games of the year. 
 
Barlee leads the trio and second on the team overall with 805 all-purpose yards.  He is second on the team with 669 rushing yards, has picked up 132 yards through the air and also had a four-yard punt return.  Hayek ranks second on the team with 565 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.  He also has 39 rushing yards and 64 yards on kickoff returns on the season.  Ayo-Durojaiye has amassed 270 total yards (234 rushing, 36 receiving) in nine games played.
 
VILLANOVA PLAYER NOTES
 
DANIEL SMITH (JR, QB, LEESBURG, VA.)
Daniel Smith is having a sensational 2019 campaign in his first season at Villanova. The transfer from Campbell has thrown for 2,991 yards and 31 touchdowns on the year while also running for 367 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns. Smith also has been credited with a 68-yard touchdown reception. He needs just nine more passing yards to record the seventh 3,000-yard passing season in school history. Smith's 3,358 yards of total offense this year are the fifth-most in a single season in school history.
 
Smith ranks second in the nation with the 258 points he is responsible for, trailing only the 272 points that Dayton quarterback Jack Cook has accounted for. Smith had a hand in six of the eight touchdowns Villanova scored in the Delaware game last week, with a career-high five touchdown passes to go along with one rushing score. In the latest FCS national stats, Smith ranks sixth in passing touchdowns (31). With his performance against Delaware last week, Smith became the first Villanova quarterback since Marvin Burroughs against Richmond in 2004 to throw five touchdown passes in a game.
 
Smith's collegiate career includes the 12 games he has played at Villanova this season and his two years as a starter at Campbell in 2017 and 2018. His career totals include 6,462 passing yards (479-of-835, 59 TDs) and 2,304 rushing yards (319 carries, 36 TDs).
 
CHANGA HODGE (JR, WR, EAST STROUDSBURG, PA.)
Not only is Changa Hodge having one of the best seasons by a Villanova wide receiver in recent memory, he is also coming off the biggest single-game performance in more than 20 years by a Wildcats receiver. Hodge had eight receptions for 236 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Delaware. He is the first Villanova player to top 200 yards receiving in a single game since Brian Finneran had 229 yards against Rhode Island in 1996. Hodge's total is the second-highest single-game mark in school history behind the 288 yards Mike Siani had against Xavier in 1971. Hodge is also the first since Siani in 1971 to have at least four touchdown receptions in a game. For his efforts in the Delaware game, Hodge was named the CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week and was a STATS FCS Honorable Mention selection.
 
Hodge went over 1,000 receiving yards for the season with his monster performance against Delaware. He has made 59 catches for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. The last Villanova player with over 1,000 receiving yards in a season was Murle Sango with 1,064 in 1999. This is only the sixth 1,000-yard season in school history. Hodge has topped 100 yards in a game four times this season and five times in his career. During the Delaware game he also became the 17th player in school history to surpass 1,500 career receiving yards.
 
DEEWIL BARLEE (FR, RB, MALVERN, PA.)
After leading rusher Justin Covington went down with a season-ending injury in the William & Mary game on October 5, the Wildcats have looked to true freshman DeeWil Barlee to help carry the load in the backfield.  Barlee has played in 11 games on the season and has rushed 122 times for 669 yards (5.5 average) and six touchdowns.  He has registered two 100-yard rushing games on the year, including 22 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown versus Stony Brook and 18 rushes for 114 yards and a score against Richmond. Barlee second in the CAA and ninth nationally in rushing yards among players in their first year of eligibility.
 
JALEN JACKSON (SO, RB, RICHMOND, VA.)
Villanova's running game has gotten a lift in the past two weeks from the return of Jalen Jackson, who missed five of the first 10 games of the season due to injuries.  He had missed four straight contests before returning against LIU on November 15 and rushing four times for 21 yards in that game. He followed that up with a strong outing versus Delaware last week in which he had 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Jackson has now rushed 53 times for 303 yards and one score on the year. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
 
ZAC KERXTON (SR, WR, HAYMARKET, VA.)
Senior wide receiver Zac Kerxton is having the best season of his career for Villanova and ranks third on the team with 417 receiving yards. He is tied for third with 30 receptions and has caught two touchdown passes on the year. Kerxton had a career-high 95 receiving yards on four catches at James Madison on October 12 and is coming off a game against Delaware in which he tied a career high with five catches. Kerxton totaled 61 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception, in the win over the Blue Hens.
 
TODD SUMMERS (JR, TE, MURRYSVILLE, PA.)
Junior tight end Todd Summers has caught at least one pass in 11 straight games since the season opener. Summers has emerged as a key component of the Wildcats passing game and for the season has made 30 catches for 305 yards and four scores. He is third on the team in receiving touchdowns and is tied for third in receptions. Summers ended the regular season leading all CAA Football tight ends in receptions and receiving yards, while his four touchdowns were second at his position to the five scores recorded by Bryce De Maille of Delaware. He has played in 32 career games and has career totals of 44 receptions, 503 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
 
FORREST RHYNE (JR, LB, WAYNESBORO, PA.)
In his first season as a starter and a tri-captain, junior linebacker Forrest Rhyne is having a terrific season leading the Villanova defense. Rhyne has already surpassed 100 tackles on the year and he currently has 105 total stops (50 solo, 55 assisted) to rank fifth in the CAA and 43rd nationally. Rhyne has tallied six double-digit tackle games on the year, including five in his last seven games. He also leads the team with 6.5 sacks and is second on the squad with 13.5 tackles for loss. In his last seven games alone, Rhyne has amassed 71 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
 
DREW WILEY (SR, LB, PENNINGTON, N.J.)
Senior linebacker Drew Wiley has been playing some of his best football of the season recently. He has recorded at least five tackles in each of the last eight games he has played in and has been credited with at least a partial sack in six of his last seven contests. Wiley had a career-high four tackles for loss against Stony Brook on October 26, followed up that performance with six total tackles at New Hampshire and then had 3.5 tackles for loss in a win over Richmond on November 9. The latter performance earned him CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. For the season, Wiley has recorded 57 total tackles, a team-best 15.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He is expected to return to action this week after missing the past two games.
 
ELIJAH SOLOMON (FR, LB, REISTERSTOWN, MD.)
Freshman linebacker Elijah Solomon was credited with two blocked punts in the win over LIU.  Both blocked kicks set up one-play touchdown drives for the Wildcats.  Solomon now has four blocked punts during his rookie collegiate campaign.  The single-season FCS record for blocked punts by one player is five, done first by Domonic Jones of The Citadel (2011) and matched by Tevin Richard of South Carolina State (2015). 
 
TYLER WILL (SR, DL, NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA.)
One of the more fun story lines for the Wildcats this season has been the emergence of senior defensive lineman Tyler Will, a walk-on to the team at the start of the season who simply desired to play college football. Will has brought a great deal of energy to the team and has also developed into a key performer on special teams. He has played in eight of Villanova's 12 games this season and has recorded 12 total tackles, including four solo stops and eight assisted tackles. Will has had a season-high four stops in each of the last two games against LIU and Delaware. For the season, he is tied for the team lead with nine tackles on kickoff returns.
 
NOWOOLA AWOPETU (JR, S, STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.)
Junior safety Nowoola Awopetu became the first Villanova player in nine years to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he brought the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a score in the win over Richmond on November 9.  The previous kickoff return touchdown by the Wildcats was also to start a game and it came on December 17, 2010 when Angelo Babbaro returned the opening kickoff 86 yards at Eastern Washington in a semifinal playoff game.
 
Awopetu has scored three career touchdowns and all three have come against Richmond.  In addition to his big kickoff return this year, Awopetu had two interception returns for scores against the Spiders last season.  He is the only player in school history with two pick-sixes in a single game.
 
Since the Wildcats became an FCS program in 1985, Awopetu is only the second Villanova player to have career touchdowns on both defense and special teams.  The other is Ademole Turner, who returned a blocked punt 33 yards for a touchdown and also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a score during the 1996 season.
 
The 100-yard kickoff return by Awopetu on November 9 was the seventh play in school history of 100 yards or longer, with five of the seven coming on kick returns.  Villanova also has three other plays of 99 yards in its record book.
 
NATHAN FONDACARO (SO, P, SEWELL, N.J.)
Sophomore kicker Nathan Fondacaro has been the best punter in the CAA this season.  Fondacaro leads the league with an average of 44.5 yards per punt.  He has recorded 40 punts on the year, including eight of 50 yards or longer and 13 which were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.  His efforts on the season include a career-long 75-yard punt at Bucknell on September 14.  His average of 44.5 yards per punt would rank sixth in the FCS if Fondacaro had enough attempts per qualify (the minimum is 3.6 attempts per team game to appear in the national stats).  Fondacaro has also kicked off 73 times for an average of 58.5 yards.
 
TEAM SEASON NOTES
 
Coming From Behind: Prior to the November 9 game against Richmond, the Wildcats had been just 1-19 over the last five seasons when trailing at the end of the third quarter.  The lone win in those 20 contests was in the 2018 season opener at Temple when Villanova overcame a 17-13 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to post a 19-17 victory.  After not trailing through three quarters of play in any of their first eight games of the season, the Wildcats began the fourth quarter with a deficit in consecutive contests against New Hampshire and Richmond in their ninth and 10th games.
 
Tough Break: Villanova is without the services of one of its top offensive performers in junior running back Justin Covington, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the William & Mary game on October 5.  At the time of the injury, Covington was leading the FCS in rushing with 727 yards and had surpassed 100 yards in each of the first five games of the season.  He averaged 121.2 yards per game and 8.1 yards per carry in the six games he played in.
 
150 Milestone: Villanova's victory at William & Mary on October 5 marked the 150th all-time regular season conference win for the Wildcats, who first joined the Yankee Conference for the 1988 season.  The league has since transitioned to the Atlantic 10 and CAA Football. Villanova is the fourth member of the conference to win at least 150 regular season games.  The others are New Hampshire, Maine and Delaware.  The Wildcats have an all-time 152-106 (.589) record in conference action and have the third-highest league winning percentage amongst current CAA Football members.
 
Redemption Tour: In a unique twist of the 2019 schedule, the Wildcats played six consecutive games from September 21 through November 2 against the six teams it lost to last season.  Villanova went 3-3 on the redemption tour, including wins over Towson, Maine and William & Mary.  Entering play against Southeastern Louisiana this week, the Wildcats are 9-3 on the year and are guaranteed of posting a winning record for the season.  It is the 10th time since becoming an FCS member in 1985 that Villanova has won at least nine games. 
 
New Coordinator: Villanova has two new coordinators in 2019, as Chris Boden is in his first year running the Wildcats offense and Ola Adams is in his first season as the Defensive Coordinator. 
 
Boden returns to his alma mater after serving as the head coach at ASA College Miami for the last four seasons.  He was a standout quarterback for the Villanova from 1996-99, setting 24 school records and seven Atlantic 10 Conference marks during his career.  Boden was a Walter Camp All-American in 1997 and a first team Atlantic 10 all-conference selection three straight years from 1997-99.  He remains the Wildcats all-time passing leader with 868 completions for 10,146 yards and 99 touchdowns.
 
Adams is in his fifth season at Villanova and was previously the team's secondary coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.  He began his Wildcats tenure as the running backs coach in 2015 and 2016.
 
Picked Ninth: Villanova was picked to finish ninth in the CAA Football preseason coaches and media poll with 84 points.  James Madison was predicted to finish atop the league standings with 238 points and 20 first-place votes.  After the ninth place prediction, the Wildcats raced out of the gates with a 6-0 record, a 3-0 start in league play and a No. 5 national ranking after beginning the year outside of both national polls.  Villanova tied for third in the CAA with its 5-3 league record and joined James Madison as the only CAA teams with at least nine victories during the regular season.