VILLANOVA, Pa.—The second half of the only back-to-back home weekends of the season comes this Saturday when Villanova (2-3) hosts Morgan State (3-1) for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Themes of the game this week are Tackle Cancer, Educators' Appreciation, Family Fun Day, Scouts Day and Band Day. Following the game, all kids in eighth grade and younger – with an accompanying adult – can score a touchdown on the field as part of Parent-Child Touchdown Toss Day! Don't miss this unforgettable experience.
Saturday's game will be
televised on ESPN+ with
David Szczepanski and
Steve Pinone in the booth and
Tessa Peloso on the sidelines. The radio broadcast on the
Villanova Sports Radio Network has
Ryan Fannon and
Nick Mantegna on the call. The live broadcasts can be found on the ESPN app and the iHeart radio app, respectively.
ABOUT VILLANOVA
Villanova has alternated wins and losses through each of the first five weeks of the 2026 season and enters play on Saturday with a 2-3 mark. This week's game against Morgan State is the Wildcats final non-conference game of the regular season. Villanova's wins this season have come over Bucknell (17-16) in conference play and LIU (20-16) out of conference.
ABOUT MORGAN STATE
Morgan State is 3-1 this season and is ranked seventh in this week's HBCU Division I Media Poll. The Bears are coming off a bye week and last played on September 19 when they tallied a 41-26 victory over Towson. The team's other wins have come over North Carolina A&T (17-7) and Virginia-Lynchburg (55-0). Morgan State has committed just two turnovers this season and its offensive line has given up just three sacks in four games. Starting quarterback
Cameron Edge has thrown for 712 yards and seven TDs on the year, while
Keith Jenkins Jr. has a team-high 417 all-purpose yards. Jenkins averages 27.0 yards per return on nine kickoff returns and has a 95-yard touchdown to his credit. He also has amassed 89 receiving yards and 85 rushing yards on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
The series history between Villanova and Morgan State is a limited one, with the teams meeting on just one previous occasion 12 years ago. The Bears visited the Main Line in 2014 and the Wildcats tallied a 48-28 victory led by five total touchdowns by quarterback
John Robertson. Memorable moments from the game include Robertson running 56 yards for a score on Villanova's first offensive play of the game and running back
Kevin Monangai making an 81-yard burst for a score as part of 170 rushing yards on the day.
FAMILIAR FACE
Morgan State offensive coordinator and running backs coach
Apollo Wright returns to Villanova this weekend. Wright spent six years on the Wildcats staff from 2001-06 as the running backs coach. He was also the special teams coordinator for his final three years on the staff. Wright would have shared a meeting room during those seasons with current Villanova head coach
Mark Ferrante, who was then the offensive line coach on
Andy Talley's staff.
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Villanova has won 21 consecutive regular season non-conference games against FCS teams, a streak which continued two weeks ago with the Wildcats tallying a 20-16 win at LIU. The team's last regular season non-conference loss versus an FCS foe was back in 2015 when Villanova lost to Penn in the fourth game of that season. The streak of 21 straight wins began with the following year's season opener. In all, the Wildcats own a 29-6 (.829) mark against FCS non-conference opponents since 2016, including both the regular season and the playoffs.
CAREER FIRST FOR REED
Sophomore wide receiver
Braden Reed recorded his first career 100-yard game last week when he tied a career high with six catches and finished the day with exactly 100 yards. Reed opened the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and caught passes for 35 yards and 21 yards later in the contest. Reed has emerged as the leading target for quarterback
Pat McQuaide this season and leads Villanova with 24 receptions and 288 receiving yards. His three receiving touchdowns are tied for the team lead.
CATCHING ON
Versatile junior running back
Ja'briel Mace has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games for the first time in his career. Mace scored the final points of last week's game versus Colgate on a 25-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the fourth quarter. He had a game-high 109 all-purpose yards, including 42 yards each on 13 rushes and two kickoff returns. During the game, Mace became the 27th player in Villanova history to top 1,500 career rushing yards.
MAKING STOPS
Four different players recorded career highs in tackles in last week's Colgate game. The quartet was led by redshirt freshman linebacker
Walker Murray who had nine stops. Senior defensive end
Capri Martin had a career high eight tackles, senior safety
Josh Oluremi made seven stops and sophomore defensive end
Ugo Nwotite had six tackles.
ROAD WARRIORS
Villanova played three straight road games from September 5-19, but chances are that the Wildcats don't mind the travel too much. That is because the 20-16 win at LIU on September 19 was the team's seventh straight road win over FCS competition since last season. Villanova's trend of success on the way from home looks even better when examining it over a longer stretch. The team is 28-12 (.700) on the road versus FCS competition since the start of the 2019 season. Going back even further, the Wildcats are 65-35 (.657) away from home against FCS foes since the beginning of the 2008 campaign.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Villanova has won six of its last eight games in the state of New York, including the last three in a streak which was extended by the 20-16 win at LIU two weeks ago. The stretch of three straight wins also included victories at Colgate and at Stony Brook during the 2024 season. Head coach
Mark Ferrante, a native of upstate New York near Syracuse, is 7-4 in his home state as a head coach. The next road game for the Wildcats will be a return trip to the Empire State to play Fordham on October 17.
THE POWER OF 10
In July, the Patriot League unveiled its football-specific brand identity and slogan, "The Power of 10," marking the beginning of A New Era of Patriot League Football as the League enters the 2026 season with 10 football-playing institutions for the first time in its 41-year history.
"The Power of 10" campaign reflects both the strength coming with expansion and the collective success that has long defined Patriot League football, creating one of the nation's premier FCS conferences.
Collectively, the Patriot League's 10 football members have won two FCS national championships, advanced to 12 FCS national semifinals and reached the quarterfinal round 22 times, earning 42 FCS postseason wins.
PATRIOT LEAGUE DEBUT
A transformational new chapter of Villanova football begins this season as the Wildcats make their highly anticipated debut as an associate member of the Patriot League. The match between Villaova and the Patriot League is a natural one both on and off the field, and the Wildcats were picked to finish atop the league standings in a preseason poll of league head coaches.
PLAYING THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Villanova may be new to the Patriot League this season, but it has played eight of the the other nine teams in the conference at least once since 2015. The only member of the conference that the Wildcats have not faced in a long time is Georgetown, who will visit Villanova Stadium in the regular season finale later this year. Despite their memorable matchups on the hardwood, the Wildcats and the Hoyas have not faced each other in football since 1950.
Villanova began the year having won its previous 20 games against the Patriot League since a 2013 loss to Fordham. The streak did not include games that the Wildcats played against Richmond and William & Mary when the teams were conference opponents in CAA Football
.
GAME-WINNING DRIVE
Villanova fell behind by a 16-13 score in the closing minutes of the game at LIU two weeks ago when the Sharks made a field goal with 2:44 to play. A penalty against the Wildcats on the ensuing kickoff led to VU starting from its own 15-yard line with 2:36 left. Sixth year quarterback
Pat McQuaide engineered an efficient game-winning touchdown drive as he marched the Wildcats down the field for 85 yards on eight plays. After throwing an incompletion on the first play of the drive, McQuaide completed six consecutive passes for 78 yards on the drive. He also escaped a sack and picked up seven yards on the ground to help keep the momentum going during the possession. The culmination of the drive was a 13-yard touchdown pass from McQuaide to junior running back
Ja'briel Mace with 1:08 to play.
POLLING PLACES
This season is the 34th time in the last 39 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) in number of weeks ranked in the national media poll (344 weeks).
DOUBLE DIGIT WINS
Villanova is coming off a 12-3 season in 2025 which tied the second-most wins in a season in school history. It was the fourth time in the last five years that the Wildcats have won 10 or more games. The only two FCS teams with 10+ wins in four of the last five seasons are Villanova and defending national champion Montana State.
SUPER SIX
Villanova has been one of the dominant teams in the FCS over the last six seasons and has a 50-21 (.704) overall record in that span (2021-26). The .704 winning percentage ranks ninth among current FCS teams during this stretch.
YOU WILL REMEMBER ME (FOR A CENTURY)
The 2026 season is the 100th year of hosting intercollegiate athletic events in venerable old Villanova Stadium, which was officially dedicated on October 8, 1927. Villanova has an all-time record of 278-115-5 (.705) in the stadium, including a 29-5 home record the last five years. A 100th birthday celebration for the venue is being planned for next year.
POSITIVE SIGNS FROM THE LOUISVILLE GAME
There were positive signs for Villanova in its September 11 game against nationally ranked ACC member Louisville. Early in the game, the Wildcats engineered a 12-play, 58-yard scoring drive on their first possession which culminated in a 35-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3. It was only the third time in the last nine matchups against FBS teams that Villanova scored points in the first half. The Wildcats went on to amass 253 yards of total offense in the contest, the fourth time in the nine most recent FBS games that they have topped 250 yards.
MCQUAIDE AND MACE CONNECT FOR 65-YARD TD AT LOUISVILLE
Villanova has played 29 games against FBS competition since 1988 and, in those games, has run just shy of 2,000 total offensive plays from scrimmage (1,984 exactly). Only one of those plays has been for 60 yards or longer, and it came last week against Louisville when sixth year quarterback
Pat McQuaide hit junior running back
Ja'briel Mace along the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. It is the longest reception of Mace's career and ties McQuaide's longest touchdown pass in a Villanova uniform. Prior to last week's game, the longest offensive play for the Wildcats in recent years against an FBS foe was a 52-yard pass from
Connor Watkins to
Rayjuon Pringle at Penn State in 2021.
PRESEASON PATRIOT LEAGUE POLL
Villanova was picked to finish atop the Patriot League standings in its inaugural season in the league in a preseason poll of league head coaches. The Wildcats received seven first-place votes (Lehigh received the other three) and a total of 79 points in the poll to come in four points ahead of defending league champion Lehigh. Villanova defeated Lehigh, 14-7, in the second round of last year's FCS playoffs.
4,000 AND TOP 10 FOR MCQUAIDE
Through his first 20 games in a Villanova uniform, sixth year quarterback
Pat McQuaide has thrown for 4,192 yards. McQuaide moved into 10th place in school history in career passing yards during the game at LIU. He is 316-of-532 (59.4%) through the air during his Wildcats career while throwing 32 touchdown passes compared with nine interceptions. He is the 11th passer in school history to reach the milestones of 300 completions and 30 touchdown passes.
McQuaide has thrown 49 completions over the last two games, including a season high 19 in the win at LIU (19-of-27, 223 yards, one touchdown). He led the Wildcats on an eight-play, 85-yard game-winning drive in the fourth quarter which culminated with his 13-yard touchdown pass to junior running back
Ja'briel Mace with 1:08 to play.
McQuaide's overall collegiate totals entering play against Morgan State this week are 711-of-1218 for 8,619 yards with 59 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.
MACE IN YOUR FACE
Junior running back
Ja'briel Mace had his best game of the season in the win at LIU and he finished the day with 170 all-purpose yards. He rushed for a season best 97 yards and a touchdown, including a 20-yard scoring run in the second quarter, and later caught the game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:08 to play in the contest. Mace had 35 receiving yards and returned two kickoffs for a total of 38 yards in the game. He ranks seventh in school history with 1,168 career kickoff return yards.
1,600 AND TOP 20 FOR RAGLAND
Junior running back
Isaiah Ragland moved into 20th place in school history with 1,640 rushing yards at LIU. He reached the top 20 in the Villanova record book on a seven-yard run in the first quarter and finished the game with 11 carries for 43 yards. His career totals are 354 carries for 1,696 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 26 receptions for 214 yards and one additional score. Ragland needs 254 rushing yards to crack Villanova's top 15 all-time and would need 304 yards to reach 2,000 rushing yards for his career.
BIG GAME BINKOWSKI
Sophomore wide receiver
Brandon Binkowski topped 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time in his collegiate career in the win at LIU. He had a career high six catches for 113 yards in the contest, including three receptions for more than 20 yards and two for a combined total of 38 yards on the Wildcats game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. It was the first time since the Elon game last season that a Villanova player had three catches for more than 20 yards in a single game.
Binkowski has nearly tripled his output from 15 games as a true freshman last season. He had 11 catches for 99 yards in 15 games played in 2025, but in five games this year has 18 receptions for 259 yards and a touchdown.
PUNT RETURNS APLENTY
The first drive of the game at LIU two weeks ago ended with a Sharks punt which sophomore
Braden Reed returned for 30 yards. It was the longest punt return of the season for Reed, who has moved into 10th place in school history with 359 career punt return yards. Reed is averaging 13.8 yards per punt return on 26 career returns for 359 yards. Reed's average of 13.8 yards per punt return ranks fourth in school history, while he needs 41 more punt return yards to become the seventh Villanova player with 400 or more career punt return yards.
BURSEY ONTO THE SCENE
Sophomore linebacker
Omari Bursey has emerged as one of the top defensive players in the FCS this season. He leads the Patriot League and ranks in the top five nationally in both total tackles (54) and solo tackles (33) through five games played. He averages 10.8 tackles per game and led the country through the first two weeks of the season with 29 total stops in games against William & Mary and Bucknell. Bursey was named the Stats Perform FCS Defensive Player of the Week and the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week after he made 14 stops at Bucknell.
CABALLERO'S CAREER DAY
Junior linebacker
Christian Caballero recorded his first career double digit tackle game in the LIU win. He made seven solo stops and three assisted tackles in the contest, including 3.0 tackles for loss. Caballero missed the second game of the season with an injury but still ranks second on the team with 30 tackles on the year.
SEALING THE OUTCOME
Sophomore safety
Jamie Tyson sealed the win at LIU two weeks ago when he intercepted a tipped pass with just over a minute to play. Tyson finished the day with five total tackles and the third interception of his career. Tyson has been a consistent player for Villanova in the early going of the 2026 season. He ranks third on the team with 26 total tackles.
HERE IS THE KICKER
Junior kicker
Dominic LeBlanc leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage (85.7%) and ranks third in the league with six field goals made through the first month of the season. LeBlanc made a pair of field goals and two extra points in the LIU game. He is also 11-of-11 on PATs this season and has scored 29 points.
STRONG START FOR MYERS
Junior punter
Luke Myers is off to a strong start to the season in his first year in this role for the Wildcats. Myers has punted 19 times for an average of 41.5 yards per punt and six attempts which were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In the Louisville game last month Myers punted eight times for an average of 44.1 yards, including punts of 60 yards and 64 yards in the first half. He has three attempts for 60 yards or longer this season. Four of Myers' punts at Louisville were downed inside the 20-yard line, the first time that had happened in a Villanova game since the final contest of the 2024 season.
PLAYING WITH EXPERIENCE
The members of this year's Villanova roster have played a total of 1,197 games in their college football careers. There are 16 members of the roster who have appeared in 30 games or more and four who have appeared in 40 or more games. The team leaders in games played are the trio of running back
Julian Glantz, defensive end
Capri Martin and quarterback
Pat McQuaide who have each played in 44 career games.
WELCOME TO THE MAIN LINE
The newcomers to the Villanova roster this season include five transfers who all have previous college football experience. The five incoming transfers include cornerback
Mikey Allen (Southern Utah), linebacker
Tyler Cain (Slippery Rock), tight end
Brody Eaton (Marist), wide receiver
Jake Hilton (Wisconsin-River Falls) and kicker
Dominic LeBlanc (Tennessee Tech). All five players appeared on the Wildcats depth chart to begin the season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Villanova has played 1,236 games in its history and those contests have yielded 673 unique scores. It isn't hard to tell how much the game of football has changed over the years. The most commonly repeated score in school history is 6-0 which has occurred 23 times, including 11 Villanova wins by that score and 12 losses.
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE
Villanova had five selections to the Preseason All-Patriot League team in the poll of league head coaches. The selections on offense include running back
Ja'briel Mace, wide receiver
Braden Reed and right guard
Chris McCullers, while the defensive selections are linebacker
Omari Bursey and defensive end
Capri Martin.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD WATCH LIST
Junior running back and kick returner
Ja'briel Mace is among 30 offensive players nationwide, including three from the Patriot League, who were named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List on Tuesday morning. The watch list was announced by Stats Perform for the annual award which is presented to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. This is the third straight year that Villanova has had a player named to the initial watch list for the Walter Payton Award.
NATIONAL PRESEASON ACCOLADES FOR MACE
In addition to being named to the Watch List for the Walter Payton Award, running back and kick returner
Ja'briel Mace was named a Stats Perform Preseason All-American and landed a spot on the 2027 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000. Last season Mace became the second player in Villanova history to average more than 30 yards on kickoff returns over a full season. He had 23 returns for 735 yards and an average of 31.96 yards per return, with both his total return yards and his average return ranking him second among all FCS players. Mace also was the first player in the country last season to return two kickoffs for touchdowns, a feat he accomplished twice in a three-game span with a 100-yard return against William & Mary on September 27 followed two weeks later by a 97-yard return for a score at Elon.
An explosive runner in any role on the field, Mace was the Wildcats leading rusher in a deep corps of running backs last season. He ran for 946 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.39 yards per carry, including three games with over 100 yards and three with two or more rushing touchdowns. Mace had a historic performance against Towson on November 8 last season when he broke
Brian Westbrook's single game record for rushing yards. Mace had 291 yards and scored all four Villanova touchdowns in a 28-10 victory. He followed that performance two weeks later with 165 yards and two scores in the regular season finale against Sacred Heart, then had 151 rushing yards and a touchdown in an FCS playoff quarterfinal win at Tarleton State.
