VILLANOVA, Pa.—The final week of regular season non-conference play awaits No. 6 Villanova (3-1) this week as the Wildcats return home for a matchup against LIU (0-4) on Saturday evening. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. during Family Weekend on campus and tickets are available by clicking here or on the link within this release.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on FloFootball with Sam Kuperman and Steve Pinone in the booth and Tessa Peloso on the sidelines. Fans can also tune in to the Villanova Sports Radio Network where Ryan Fannon and Kevin Reilly call the action. The radio broadcast can most easily be found on the iHeart radio mobile app.
 
Villanova will be playing its final non-conference game of the regular season against a relatively new opponent on the schedule. There have been just two previous meetings between the Wildcats and LIU which took place in 2019 and 2022. Villanova has won both matchups, including a home game in 2019 (35-7) and a road contest in 2022 (38-21). It will be nothing new for the current edition of the Sharks to face a CAA Football opponent however, as LIU has had narrow losses already this year against CAA foes UAlbany and Rhode Island by a combined 13 points.
 
Entering play this weekend, the Wildcats have won 18 consecutive games against FCS non-conference opponents. The streak began at the start of the 2016 season and Villanova has an average margin of victory of 26.8 points during the streak. The trend has continued this year with wins over Youngstown State (24-17) and Colgate (28-3). Another streak the Wildcats are riding is 11 straight wins in the friendly confines of Villanova Stadium. That stretch began in the middle of the 2022 season and includes a pair of wins this year over Youngstown State and Towson (14-13).
 
Despite suffering its first loss of the season, 38-20, to FBS and Big Ten foe Maryland last week, Villanova tallied its highest point output against an FBS opponent since 2014 when it scored 26 points at Syracuse.
 
Fifth year safeties Ethan Potter (Chesapeake City, Md.) and Ty Trinh (Owings Mills, Md.) were among the standout performers for the Wildcats in their home state. Potter had a game-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops, while Trinh registered his third career interception to go along with two tackles for loss among his five total stops. Trinh's 24-yard return of his interception set up the first Villanova points of the game four plays later.
 
Villanova ranks 14^th in the nation this season with a plus-four turnover margin on the year. That figure improved last week when the Wildcats forced two turnovers by Maryland and did not commit any of its own. The trend is a particularly strong one for Villanova, which had at least one turnover in all 13 games it played a year ago but has played turnover-free football in three of its first four games this season. Last week was the first time since 2018 that the Wildcats won the turnover battle against an FBS opponent and the first time in the last 10 games against an FBS team that Villanova did not commit any turnovers.
 
Below are some additional highlights from this week's Villanova notebook.
 
FIVE AND TEN
Villanova is the only current CAA Football member to have won at least a share of two league titles over the last five seasons. Over these last five years (2020-24) the Wildcats have the highest winning percentage among the current CAA membership with a 31-14 (.689) mark, including a 21-8 record in regular season league games.
 
Expanding the snapshot to the last 10 seasons (2015-24), Villanova is still one of just three CAA Football members (Richmond and William & Mary are the others) to have won at least a share of two league championships. Over the last 10 seasons the Wildcats have the highest win total of any current leage member and have posted an overall record of 65-39 (.625). Villanova has gone 42-27 in regular season CAA Football contests over the last 10 seasons.
 
PUTTING POINTS ON THE BOARD
Villanova scored its most points in the last 10 meetings against an FBS opponent when it put 20 second half points on the board in last week's 38-20 setback at Maryland. The Wildcats finished the game stronger than they started, cutting into a 24-0 halftime deficit with 20 points in the final 22:17 of the contest.
 
Fifth year kicker Ethan Gettman got Villanova on the board with a 33-yard field goal at the 7:17 mark of the third quarter. Just over three minutes later, fifth year wide receiver Devin Smith scored his third touchdown of the season on a 17-yard reception. Gettman added a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks scored his first career touchdown on an eight-yard run with 1:11 to play in the contest.
 
MADDOCKS AT THE READY
As the backup quarterback to starter Connor Watkins over the past two years, Tanner Maddocks has stayed ready and had success when he is called upon. He was in for the Wildcats final offensive series in the Maryland game and completed 4-of-4 passes for 50 yards on a drive that culminated with his eight-yard scoring run. Maddocks has never thrown an incomplete pass in his collegiate career. He is 10-of-10 through the air for 94 yards and has rushed six times for 23 yards and the one score from last Saturday's contest.
 
RECEIVING LINE
Villanova had a season high eight different players catch a pass in the Maryland game, including freshman wide receiver Chris Colby and graduate student Lucas Kopecky who each recorded their first career receptions. Colby caught a 24-yard pass from backup quarterback Tanner Maddocks in the fourth quarter during a Wildcats scoring drive. Kopecky, a four-year member of the Villanova men's lacrosse team prior to this year, had a nine-yard catch earlier in the game and also drew a holding penalty against the Terrapins.
 
BIG PLAY POTENTIAL
Sixth year quarterback Connor Watkins has thrown seven careet touchdown passes of 75 yards or longer. No previous quarterback in school history had more than four such passes. Watkins has made 27 career starts under center and has tallied 34 completions for 40 yards or longer. He has...
 
Seven career TD passes for 70+ yards (no previous Villanova QB had more than four)
13 career completions for 40-49 yards
6 career completions for 50-59 yards
8 career completions for 60-69 yards
5 career completions for 70-79 yards
2 career completions for 80-89 yards
 
EXPERIENCE WINS
Villanova is an experienced group in 2024, with the 93 members of the roster having combined to play in 1,184 career games with 457 starts entering play against Towson this week.