Villanova Film Room: Option Plays for McQuaide, Intermediate Sidelines a Problem

Villanova Football played a game of two halves against Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 5, rolling to a 14-0 lead at the break before allowing 16 straight points in the second half as their offense fell quiet and their defense wore down.

The Wildcats emphasized run-pass options and read option runs in the early going. Quarterback Pat McQuaide pulled the ball down and used his legs on the second play of the game, handing it off to Ja’briel Mace on other opportunities. Brandon Binkowski hauled in three passes for 71 yards, using his 6-foot-3 frame to high point and shelter the ball on the first shot over the middle; 5-foot-9 Braden Reed made a similar type of play on Villanova’s first touchdown, getting the inside shoulder on the defensive back covering him in order to have an unobstructed shot at the ball. 

Binkowski went on to play savior in the fourth quarter, powering Villanova’s go-ahead drive with two long catches that immediately put them in field goal range.

Looking Laterally

William & Mary focused on horizontal plays during the Wildcats’ season opener, trying to space out Villanova’s 3-3-5 defense with swing passes and outside runs. The Wildcats continued to do a good job against those sorts of plays, including a clinical tackle for loss from Garrett Rogan, who finished with five solo tackles, two assisted tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and the game-saving blocked kick in the best game of his career. 

While Villanova continued to succeed against plays behind the line of scrimmage, intermediate shots to the sideline proved a consistent problem. Bucknell quarterback Christopher Dietrich found the gap between corner Newton Essiem and safety Jayvont Williams on one sideline throw, and the seam between Mikey Allen and Brenden Toppin on another.

Dietrich did a good job of leading his receiver, the talented Sam Milligan, on both touchdown throws. Redshirt freshman Amari Jackson was close behind Milligan on the first throw but couldn’t get his head around to contest the play; Milligan got a step on Allen on the second touchdown, and Dietrich lofted the ball to make sure Milligan had a clean shot at the catch.