Two weeks after posting their first shutout victory in two years No. 19 Villanova (5-2, 3-1 CAA Football) comes off its bye week to take on Stony Brook (0-7, 0-5 CAA Football) in its annual Homecoming Weekend game on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff at Villanova Stadium is slated for 2 p.m. and tickets can be purchased via the link in this release. Saturday's game can be seen live on FloFootball with Sam Kuperman and Steve Pinone calling the action, while Ryan Fannon and Kevin Reilly have the radio call on the Villanova Sports Radio Network.
Below are some of the promotions and festivities that are taking place before and during Saturday's game.
NICK BASCA MILITARY SALUTE GAME
Saturday's game is dedicated to Villanova Football alum and former Philadelphia Eagles player Nick Basca who is a 1940 graduate and died a war hero while serving as a tank commander in the US Army during World War II. There is complimentary admission to Saturday's game for all active or retired military and their families. Contact
tickets@villanova.edu for more information.
HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST
Fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and will be automatically entered into our costume contest where there will be one student winner and one youth winner! Villanova trick-or-treat bags and candy will be available to all fans.
BRIAN WESTBROOK COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
Join us in honoring Villanova Football legend and former Philadelphia Eagles standout Brian Westbrook for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Westbrook is a member of the 2023 induction class and will be recognized on the field in between the first and second quarters of Saturday's game.
VILLANOVA UPDATE
Despite not playing last week, the Wildcats are up three spots in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and sit at No. 19 in the rankings. Villanova last played on October 14 when it tallied a 21-0 win over an Elon team which came into the game in first place and had been previously unbeaten (3-0) in conference play. That contest and this week's game against the Seawolves mark the only consecutive home games on the Wildcats regular season schedule. It will be the fourth trip to the Main Line for Stony Brook, with Villanova claiming a 33-14 victory over the Seawolves at Villanova Stadium in 2021 when the teams last met.
TRENDING THE RIGHT WAY
Villanova has won 16 of is last 22 games coming off a bye week and is 36-21 (.632) all-time in its Homecoming Weekend games. The first known Homecoming game in program history occurred in 1958 when the Wildcats defeated Detroit Mercy, 7-0.
VILLANOVA NOTEBOOK
Home is Where the Wins Are: Villanova has won each of its first three home games this season against Colgate (42-19), Rhode Island (35-9) and Elon (21-0). The home winning streak is at five games overall dating back to last season and the Wildcats are 20-12 at home during the
Mark Ferrante head coaching era. Villanova Stadium opened in 1927 and the Wildcats are 260-112-5 (.696) in what is now their 93rd season in their on-campus home.
Five Years of Success: Over the last five seasons (2019-23) the Wildcats own the best overall winning percentage among the current CAA Football teams. Villanova has gone 32-16 (.667) since the start of the 2019 season and won its most recent CAA title in 2021.
Highest Winning Percentage by CAA Football Teams (2019-23):
Villanova (32-16, .667)
Monmouth (29-18, .617)
Delaware (31-20, .608)
William & Mary (27-19, .587)
Richmond (28-20, .583)
Ten Years of Success: Villanova also has the second-highest winning percentage among CAA Football teams over the last 10 seasons (2014-23), going 68-40 (.630) since the start of the 2014 campaign and making playoff appearances in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Highest Winning Percentage by CAA Football Teams (2014-23):
North Carolina A&T (72-29, .713)
Villanova (68-40, .630)
Richmond (67-45, .598)
Monmouth (61-42, .592)
New Hampshire (62-45, .579)
Déjà Vu: Two years ago, Villanova made a trip to Elon and came away with a 35-0 shutout victory over the Phoenix. History repeated itself when Elon came to Villanova Stadium and the Wildcats posted a 21-0 win in a rain-soaked game two weeks ago. Villanova had not recorded a shutout win against any other opponents in between the two games versus Elon. The last time the Wildcats tallied shutout victories in consecutive games against the same opponent was against Bucknell in 1991 (40-0) and 1992 (34-0).
Moving the Sticks: Villanova has done an excellent job of converting on third down its past four games. Beginning with the contest against Rhode Island on September 23, the Wildcats have gone 30-of-55 (54.5%) on third down in the four-game stretch. That is a big improvement from the first three games of the season when Villanova converted on just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) of its third down opportunities.
Running Amok: Villanova rushed for 440 yards in its 21-0 win over Elon two weeks ago and recorded the third-highest single-game rushing performance in school history. The only games in the Wildcats record book with higher rushing totals were on November 19, 1949 when Villanova rushed for 627 yards against North Carolina State and on November 13, 1976 in a 494-yard rushing performance against Holy Cross. There have only been five games total in program history (out of 1,196 total) in which the Wildcats have topped 400 rushing yards.
The heavy rain and windy conditions against Elon two weeks ago made it difficult for either team to get its passing game going. Villanova and Elon combined to run the ball on 88 of 111 offensive plays in the contest.
Top Rushing Performances in Villanova History:
627 yards – November 19, 1949 vs. North Carolina State (45-21)
494 yards – November 13, 1976 vs. Holy Cross (56-21 win)
440 yards – October 14, 2023 vs. Elon (21-0 win)
410 yards – September 26, 2009 vs. Northeastern (56-7 win)
406 yards – October 26, 1991 vs. William & Mary (35-21 win)
The T-D Stands For Touchdown: Fifth year running back
TD Ayo-Durojaiye accounted for the only offensive points of the game by either team in the victory over Elon as he rushed for a career-high three touchdowns. Somewhat incredibly, Ayo-Durojaiye was only the Wildcats fourth-leading rusher in the game despite carrying the ball 11 times for 78 yards and the three scores. He tallied the first points of the game on his first offensive snap of the day when he scampered for a one-yard touchdown at the 9:24 mark of the first quarter. Less than four minutes later he broke away from midfield and galloped for a 50-yard coring run. The third touchdown was another one-yard play at 7:02 of the third quarter.
Depth in the Running Game: The 400+ yard ground attack against Elon saw four different players gain at least 78 yards for the Wildcats. Leading the way was freshman running back
Isaiah Ragland who rushed 15 times for 126 yards while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. His performance was the highest rushing total for a Villanova true freshman since current fifth year senior
DeeWil Barlee ran for 131 yards against Stony Brook on October 26, 2019.
Fifth year quarterback
Connor Watkins rushed for 125 yards on 13 carries while averaging 9.6 yards per rush in the Elon game. Sixth year running back
Jalen Jackson led the Wildcats with 17 carries and ran for 83 yards on the day, while fifth year running back
TD Ayo-Durojaiye rushed for 78 yards and the game's only three touchdowns.
Two For 125: The game against Elon was the 29th time in school history that Villanova had two or more players rush for 100 yards or more in a single game. However, it was only the third time ever that the Wildcats had two players rush for at least 125 yards in the same contest. Freshman running back
Isaiah Ragland (126 yards) and fifth year quarterback
Connor Watkins (125 yards) became the first Villanova teammates to rush for at least 125 yards in the same game since
Vince Thompson (162) and
Pat O'Brien (146) did so against West Virginia on October 29, 1977.
Villanova Teammates With 125+ Rushing Yards in the Same Game:
Nov. 19, 1949 vs. North Carolina State – Ralph Pasquariello (182) and John Geppi (138)
Oct. 29, 1977 vs. West Virginia – Vince Thompson (162) and Pat O'Brien (146)
Oct. 14, 2023 vs. Elon –
Isaiah Ragland (126) and
Connor Watkins (125)
Freshman Feats: First year running back
Isaiah Ragland is only the sixth true freshman in Villanova history to rush for at least 125 yards in a single game. The last to do it is his current teammate, fifth year running back
DeeWil Barlee, who ran for 131 yards against Stony Brook during his freshman season in 2019.
Villanova True Freshman With 125+ Rushing Yards in a Game:
October 20, 1946 – Joe Rogers vs. Georgetown (169)
November 4, 1985 – Ron Sency vs. Navy JV (144)
September 23, 1989 – Mike Jones vs. Columbia (125)
September 16, 1995 – Todd Golemi vs. Delaware (137)
September 30, 1995 – Todd Golemi vs. Buffalo (142)
October 26, 2019 –
DeeWil Barlee vs. Stony Brook (131)
October 14, 2023 –
Isaiah Ragland vs. Elon (126)
Fourth and Pivotal: In the first quarter of the Elon game there were crucial fourth down plays on successive drives. Elon went for it on fourth-and-two from the Wildcats 41-yard line on their first drive of the day but were stopped by senior linebacker
Brendan Bell for a turnover on downs. Just three players later Villanova had fourth-and-one at midfield when
TD Ayo-Durojaiye burst up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown run which gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead at the 5:33 mark of the first quarter. Amidst the day's damp and dreary conditions there was only one other scoring play in the game's final 54-plus minutes.
Dominant Defense: Villanova's defensive effort was just as impressive as its powerful running game in the 21-0 win over Elon two weeks ago. The Wildcats held the Phoenix to just 99 yards of total offense on the day, including 53 rushing yards on 25 carries (2.1 yards per rush) and 46 passing yards on 5-of-13 accuracy (3.5 yards per attempt). Senior linebacker
Brendan Bell had a team-high seven total tackles, while linebackers
Shane Hartzell and
Danny Abraham each recorded sacks. It isn't easy to allow only 99 total yards without forcing a turnover, but the Wildcats did exactly that thanks to stifling Elon into an average of just 2.6 yards per play.
Staying on the Field: Villanova's persistent rushing attack and stifling defense has enabled the Wildcats offense to stay on the field for the bulk of the game in each of the last two outings against North Carolina A&T and Elon. In the 21-0 win over the Phoenix two weeks ago, Villanova held the ball for a season-high 40:49 time of possession with a nearly equal breakdown of 20:14 in the first half and 20:35 in the second half. Over the past two weeks the Wildcats have an advantage of 51-13 in first downs against their opposition and a margin of 78:16-41:44 in time of possession.
