VILLANOVA, Pa.—Coming off one of the best seasons in school history and winners of nine straight season openers dating back to 2017, No. 8/7 Villanova (0-0, Patriot League) makes its highly-anticipated Patriot League against longtime conference rival and fellow league newcomer William & Mary (0-0, 0-0 PL) at Villanova Stadium on Friday night. The season opener is presented by the College of Professional Studies and will kick off at 6 p.m. this evening.
Friday night's game is a Light Blue-Out and the Wildcats will be wearing their light blue jerseys and pants along with a navy helmet. Themes of the game include
Welcome Back Wildcats,
Class of 2027 Day,
Camper Reunion and
Down the Shore Night. Fans are encouraged to dress in their favorite light blue Villanova apparel for the game as the Wildcats kick off their 129
th season of varsity football.
THE MATCHUP
Villanova and William & Mary match up in the season opener and Patriot League debut for each team on Friday evening. The start of the 129th season of varsity football for the Wildcats kicks off at 6 p.m. at Villanova Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Villanova Sports Radio Network found on the iHeart radio app.
Michael Marcantonini will handle the play-by-play on the television broadcast with
Steve Pinone providing analysis and
Tessa Peloso on the sidelines. The radio call, which can also be heard locally on AM 1480, FM 102.5 and FM 104.1 (Trenton area), has
Ryan Fannon and
Nick Mantegna bringing fans all the action.
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 Villanova 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.
It is fitting for Villanova and William & Mary to be playing each other in their inaugural games as Patriot League members. The two schools have been facing each other on the gridiron since 1966 and played 26 regular season conference games as opponents in the Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 and CAA Football over the years. The additions of the Tribe and the Wildcats to the Patriot League this season brings the league to 10 football members for the first time in its 41-year history.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.
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.
SEASON OPENERS
Villanova is 23-18 in season openers during its FCS era (since 1985), but there is much more to the story than just that number. More recently, the Wildcats have won nine straight season openers in a streak that dates back to 2017 and happens to coincide with the start of the
Mark Ferrante head coaching era.
Villanova's streak of nine straight wins in season openers is the second-longest active streak among FCS teams, trailing only 11 consecutive wins in season openers by Montana (2015-25), which opens the season this coming Saturday night at home against Southern Utah.
The current streak the Wildcats are on is the third time in program history that VU has won at least nine straight lid-lifters. The team previously won 15 straight season openers from 1927-41, then rebounded from a loss in 1942 to reel off 10 more consecutive wins in season openers from 1943-52.
This year is only the fourth time in the last 22 seasons that Villanova is opening the season at home. That might seem hard to believe, because it is also the third straight season that the Wildcats are opening at home. Both of those trends are true, and less surprising than it might seem. Many of the years in which Villanova played on the road in their opener was against FBS opponents.
PLAYING WILLIAM & MARY
William & Mary has been one of the more common opponents on the Villanova schedule for the better part of the last 60 years. The teams first played each other in 1966 and will be meeting for the 39th time in the series in Friday's season opener.
William & Mary leads the all-time series by a 20-17-1 margin. More than two-thirds of the games in the series have been regular season conference matchups (26 of 38) in the Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 and CAA Football. The conference rivalry now continues into each school's Patriot League era.
Villanova is 12-9 in home games in the series against the Tribe, including a 31-24 victory last year and a 14-13 win back in 2009 in perhaps the most memorable game ever played in the series. The 2009 matchup, the second of two played between the teams that season, occurred in the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs and sent the Wildcats on to their first national championship appearance in program history a week later.
LAST YEAR, RIGHT HERE
Villanova tallied a 31-24 victory over William & Mary on September 27, 2025 in the most recent game in the series. The Wildcats entered that matchup with a 1-2 record and had given up more than 50 points in consecutive losses in their past two games. The Tribe led the contest 17-14 at halftime, but
Ja'briel Mace opened the second half by exploding for a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown which put Villanova ahead to stay and changed the entire momentum of not just the game but the entire season. The victory wound up being the first of 11 straight for the Wildcats, who tied the second-longest winning streak in program history and did not lose again until the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs.
In addition to the big return by Mace in last year's matchup, running back
David Avit rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Villanova offense. Wide receiver
Luke Colella had six receptions for 88 yards, while linebacker
Shane Hartzell led the defensive effort with 10 total tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.
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 has won 20 consecutive games against Patriot League teams since a 2013 loss to Fordham. That streak does not count games that the Wildats played against Richmond or William & Mary when the teams were conference opponents in CAA Football.
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.
FANTASTIC FIVE
Villanova has been one of the dominant teams in the FCS over the last five seasons and has a 48-18 (.727) overall record in that span (2021-25). The .727 winning percentage ranks seventh 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 278-113-5 (.708) at Villanova Stadium, including a 29-4 home record over the last five years. A 100th birthday celebration for the venue is being planned for next season.
POLLING PLACES
Villanova begins the 2026 season ranked in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 (No. 8) and the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll (No. 7). It is the 34th time in the last 39 years that the Wildcats have been nationally ranked at some point during the season.
Villanova ranks third among all teams in FCS history (since 1978) for the number of weeks appearing in the national media poll. In their 340 weeks being nationally ranked, the Wildcats have been in the top 10 for a total of 159 weeks (11th most all-time) and have been ranked in the top five for 67 weeks.
Villanova has been ranked in each of the last 38 national polls dating back to the middle of the 2023 season (October 16 poll). This is the fourth-longest active streak among FCS teams.
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.
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.
PLAYING WITH EXPERIENCE
The members of this year's Villanova roster begin the season with a combined 947 career games played in college football. There are 10 members of the roster who have appeared in 30 games or more, led by linebacker
Turner Inge (40 games) and the trio of running back
Julian Glantz, defensive end
Capri Martin and quarterback
Pat McQuaide who have all played in 39 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 appear on the Wildcats depth chart to begin the season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Villanova was an astounding 11-4 in the coin toss last season.
Villanova has played 1,231 games in its history and those contests have yielded 669 unique scores. It isn't hard to tell how much the game of football has changed over the years. The most commonly repeated scored in school history is 0-0, which has occurred 22 times. The most common score in which points were actually scored is 7-0 which has happened on 20 occasions (14 Villanova wins, six losses).
