A trip to State College is in store for No. 11 Villanova (1-0) on Saturday afternoon as it travels to Big Ten member and No. 2 ranked Penn State (2-0) for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. It is the 28th time since the Wildcats became an FCS program in 1985 that Villanova will square off against an FBS opponent.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on FS1, while the radio broadcast with Ryan Fannon and
Steve Pinone can be heard on Fox Sports Radio Philly which is accessible on mobile devices via the iHeart radio app. The meeting will be the 11th all-time between the Wildcats and the Nittany Lions, all but one of which have taken place in State College. The teams last played each other in 2021.
ABOUT VILLANOVA
Villanova tallied a 24-17 home victory over Colgate last week in its 2025 lid lifter. It marked the ninth straight season-opening win for the Wildcats and the 17th consecutive win at Villanova Stadium. Villanova was picked to finish third in CAA Football this year and is currently ranked No. 11 in both major FCS national polls. It is the final season as a member of CAA Football for the Wildcats, who announced earlier this year they had accepted an invitation to join the Patriot League as an associate member in football starting in 2026.
ABOUT PENN STATE
Penn State has opened the season with victories over Nevada (46-11) and FIU (34-0). Coming off a 13-3 season last year and a semifinal appearance in the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 2 in the country to start the 2025 campaign. Starting quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 417 yards (41-of-59) and three scores in the first two games of the season. The Penn State defense has allowed just one touchdown and forced five turnovers in that span. Saturday's game marks the Nittany Lions third of four straight home games to begin the season.
SERIES STUFF
The first ever gridiron matchup between Villanova and Penn State dates all the way back to 1902. Beginning with that initial meeting, the teams would eventually face each other nine times over a 50-year span from 1902-51, including three consecutive matchups from 1910-12 and back-to-back meetings in 1935 and 1936. After a gap of 70 years having faced each other, the teams renewed acquaintances in 2021 when the Nittany Lions posted a 38-17 win over the Wildcats. There have been 10 matchups in all in the series and Penn State holds a 6-3-1 edge in those games. The only game in the series which was not played in University Park was in 1951 when Villanova won a neutral-site matchup, 20-14, in Allentown, Pa.
FBS FODDER
This week will mark the 28th time in its FCS history (since 1985) that Villanova steps up to face an FBS opponent, including the fifth straight season and 20th time in the last 22 years. The Wildcats are 4-23 against FBS competition as an FCS program. Many of the games have been close despite the overall record, with 10 previous matchups decided by a single touchdown and Villanova tallying three wins in those close games. Notable narrow defeats versus FBS competition came in 2014 at Syracuse (28-27, 2ot); in 2015 at Connecticut (20-15); and in 2017 at Temple (16-13).
Villanova's four wins versus FBS foes came against Rutgers in 2002 (37-19) and versus Temple in 2003 (23-20, ot); in 2009 (27-24); and in 2018 (19-17). The 2003 game was the first regular season football game to be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
BIG TEN HISTORY
This week will be the third time in the last five years that Villanova faces a Big Ten team. In addition to taking on Penn State in 2021, the Wildcats visited Maryland last year and were defeated by a 38-20 score. After falling behind by a 24-0 margin in the first half, Villanova outscored the Terrapins, 20-14, over the final two quarters. The only Big Ten teams the Wildcats have faced aside from Penn State and Maryland are Rutgers (15 times) and Indiana (twice). Villanova is 12-26-1 all-time against Big Ten opponents.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 HISTORY
Saturday's game against Penn State will be the 20th time in school history that Villanova faces an opponent ranked in the current week's Associated Press poll. The AP poll dates back to 1936 and has been the msot commonly referred to I-A/FBS national ranking since the current divisional alignment began in 1978. Villanova is 1-18 agaist teams ranked in the AP Top 25, with the lone win coming against No. 18 Detroit Mercy in 1937. At No. 2 this week, Penn State will be the highest ranked opponent the Wildcats face since games against Army West Point when the Black Knights were ranked No. 1 in the country in 1944 and 1945.
DID YOU KNOW
As the Wildcats get set to take on No. 2 Penn State this weekend, it is worth remembering that, prior to the current divisional alignment of college football, Villanova itself made appearances in the Associated Press poll during the 1937, 1938, 1941, 1949, 1951 and 1952 seasons. The peak position in the national rankings was at No. 6 in the final poll of the 1937 season. Villanova went 8-0-1 in 1937 and outscored its opponents by a 185-7 margin for the year.
POLLING PLACES
Villanova is ranked No. 11 in both of this week's FCS national polls, moving up two spots in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and one spot in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. This is the 33rd time in the last 38 years that the Wildcats have been nationally ranked at some point during the season.
Villanova ranks fourth among all teams in FCS history (since 1978) for the number of weeks appearing in the national media poll. In their 327 weeks being nationally ranked, the Wildcats have been in the top 10 for a total of 153 weeks (11th most all-time) and have been ranked in the top five for 66 weeks. Villanova has achieved a Top 5 ranking at least once in 16 seasons since 1991.
FAMILIAR FACE
There will be a familiar face on the Penn State staff this week as Nittany Lions special teams analyst
Matt Colangelo spent seven total seasons on the Villanova staff, including each of the last six years prior to being hired at Penn State this year. Colangelo originally came to the Wildcats in 2017 as an outside linebackers coach, then departed for a year to work at Holy Cross before returning to Villanova in 2019. Over his last three seasons with the Wildcats, Colangelo was the special teams coordinator and worked with the Villanova safeties.
BETTER CALL GAUL
Villanova freshman linebacker
Michael Gaul is a native of State College, Pa. and was a four-year letterwinner at State College Area High School during his scholastic career. Gaul came to the Wildcats after being a two-time All-State honoree and a three-time All-Mid Penn selection. He set a school record with 362 career tackles.
ROAD STRETCH
This week's trip to Penn State is the start of a stretch that will see the Wildcats play three of their next four games on the road. Next up for Villanova is a game at Monmouth on September 20, followed by a home game versus William & Mary on September 27 and another road trip to take on New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. on October 4. The script will flip later this year when the Wildcats play three of the final four regular season games at home.
STREAKING ALONG
Villanova won its season opener for the ninth straight year when it defeated Colgate last week. The streak started in 2017 and coincides with the start of the
Mark Ferrante head coaching era. Nine straight wins for the Wildcats in season lid lifters is the second-longest active streak in the FCS, trailing 11 straight wins by Montana. Villanova has won its last nine season openers by an average of 15.8 points.
Last week's win over Colgate was also the 17th straight win at Villanova Stadium for the Wildcats, extending a program record which was set with win No. 16 in a row in the final home game of the 2024 season. Like the streak of season opening wins, the home winning streak is the second-longest active streak among FCS teams behind 30 in a row by South Dakota State. Villanova's home winning streak began midway through the 2022 season.
FANTASTIC FIVE
Villanova has compiled a record of 37-15 (.712) over the last five seasons (2021-25) while making three playoff appearances and winning 10+ games three times. The overall record puts the Wildcats 12th among all FCS teams in terms of winning percentage since the start of the 2021 season. Villanova came into the 2025 season as one of six FCS teams to have won 10 games or more in at least three of the last four seasons.
DECADE OF DOMINANCE
Villanova is the only current CAA Football member to have won at least 70 games over the past decade (2015-25). In this strech the Wildcats have an overall record of 73-42 (.635) and have gone 47-29 (.618) in regular season conference games while making the playoffs five times.
RECORD-SETTING DEBUT
No Villanova quarterback has ever thrown for 300 yards in his first start for the team. However, the last two signal callers to debut for the Wildcats have thrown for 298 and 299 yards, respectively. Graduate student
Pat McQuaide, a transfer from Nicholls, made his first start for VU against Colgate last week and threw for 299 yards and a score. He surpassed the previous school record for most passing yards in the first start for the team which was held for the past three years by
Connor Watkins, the starter from 2022-24 who threw for 298 yards in his first career start against Lehigh to open the 2022 season. McQuaide is also just the third left-handed quarterback to start for Villanova in their FCS era. The others are
Christian Culicerto (2011) and
Zach Bednarczyk (2015-18).
MORE ON MCQUAIDE
In addition to setting a record for most passing yards by a quarterback in his first VU start,
Pat McQuaide became the third straight Villanova starter to win his debut while throwing for over 200 yards and recording at least one passing and rushing touchdown. He tallied his 400th career completion as a collegiate quarterback last week and needs 287 more passing yards to reach 5,000 for his career, including his time at Nicholls the past two seasons and this season with the Wildcats.
CENTURY MARK DEBUT
Fifth year collegian
Luke Colella is another player who made his Villanova debut last week. The transfer from Princeton had a monster game with five catches for a carer-high 124 yards in the 24-17 win over Colgate. Colella caught a 51-yard pass in the first quarter which set up the Wildcats first points of the season moments later and added a 44-yard catch in the third period on a drive which ultimately ended in a field goal. He passed the 1,200 and 1,300 yard milestones for career receiving yards during the game and now has career totals of 98 catches for 1,312 yards and 11 touchdowns.
SECOND HALF DEFENSE
One of the keys to the win over Colgate last week was the play of the Villanova defense particularly in the second half. After the Raiders were 4-of-8 on third down and totaled 10 first downs in the first half, the Wildcats defense allowed just 1-of-5 efficiency and seven total first downs in the second half. That effort helped Villanova hold possession of the ball for more than 18 minutes in the second half — including 10:58 in the fourth quarter alone when both teams were scoreless and the Wildcats protected a one-possession lead. The second half defensive effort was a continuation of a trend from last season. Villanova outscored the opposition, 187-106, in the second half of games in 2024 and had a +51 scoring margin in the fourth quarter.
VILLANOVA FOOTBALL HISTORY
Villanova has compiled a 288-170-1 (.629) record in 40 seasons as an FCS member. The program's success includes 16 appearances in the FCS playoffs and appearing in the final national rankings of the season 19 times in the last 36 years.
ENTERING WITH LIFE EXPERIENCE
The oldest active player in Division I college football this season is Villanova punter
Luke Larsen who recently turned 33 years old and made his Wildcats debut in last week's game against Colgate. Larsen is a graduate student transfer from East Carolina and a native of Australia who played Australian Rules Football, volleyball, cricket and tennis during his scholastic career prior to coming to the United States.
Larsen had a successful Villanova debut and punted five times last week. The average starting field position for the Raiders after those five punts was their own 17-yard line. Larsen appeared in 43 games at East Carolina and punted 174 times while averaging 40.8 yards per punt. He landed 51 punts inside the 20-yard line, booted 19 punts for 50+ yards and had 75 of 174 attempts fair caught. He ranked second all-time in net punting for the Pirates and was a two-time National Football Foundation Honor Society member in 2024 and 2025.
VETERAN EXPERIENCE
Villanova has 94 players on its 2025 roster and they have played in a combined 1,155 games in their collegiate careers. Leading the wayfor the Wildcats are 12 players who have played in at least 30 career games, including three who have played 40 or more. Villanova has six new graduate transfers on the team this year and each played in at least two dozen games prior to arriving on the Main Line. The six are punter
Luke Larsen (East Carolina); placekicker
Jack Barnum (Central Connecticut State); wide receiver
Luke Colella (Princeton); quarterback
Pat McQuaide (Nicholls); and defensive backs
Jordan Adderley (Lehigh) and
Julian Talley (Penn).
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Sophomore running back
David Avit and senior linebacker
Shane Hartzell have been named to the preseason watch lists for the Walter Payton Award and the Buck Buchanan Award, respectively. These national honors are given to the top offensive and defensive players in the FCS at the end of each season. Villaonva is one of 10 teams to have at least one player on both watch lists at the start of the season. The others are Harvard, Illinois State, Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State, Rhode Island, Samford, South Dakota State and UIW.
NATIONAL ATTENTION
Fifth year offensive lineman
Jake Picard and senior linebacker
Shane Hartzell generated preseason All-America buzz entering the year. Picard is on the Stats Perform Preseason All-America first team and Hartzell appears on the second team. It is the first time in their careers that either player has garnered national accolades. This season is the fourth time in the last five years that at least one Villanova player has earned preseason All-America recognition.
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
Villanova was picked to finish third in the CAA this season and had four players named to the Preseason All-Conference team. The four honorees included fifth year offensive lineman
Jake Picard and sophomore running back
David Avit on the offensive side of the ball along with a pair of defensive players in senior linebacker
Shane Hartzell and fifth year defensive lineman
Obinna Nwobodo. Two more players — senior offensive lineman
Stephane Voltaire and sophomore cornerback
Zahmir Dawud — were named preseason honorable mention.
POSTSEASON SUCCESS
Villanova is tied for 10th in FCS history with 16 playoff appearances. In their FCS playoff history, the Wildcats have a record of 15-15 with one national championship (2009) and three semifinal berths (2002, 2009, 2010). Villanova has won at least one playoff game in 10 of its last 12 postseason appearances. The 15 playoff wins for the Wildcats are tied for the 12th most ever among current FCS programs.
