Villanova Football Preview: Another Young QB Comes to Town

Villanova Football will close out their CAA slate when they host Stony Brook at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. The No. 7/No. 10 Wildcats (7-2, 6-1 CAA) have a chance at a share of a conference championship and an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs if other games around the league break their way, but first they need to take down the Seawolves (5-5, 3-3 CAA).

Winners of six games in a row, Villanova could end up shorthanded for this matchup, as lead running back David Avit left their game against Towson with a leg injury, but the team has two capable reserves in Isaiah Ragland and Ja’briel Mace. Head coach Mark Ferrante said during his weekly media availability that he was cautiously optimistic Avit avoided a major injury, suspecting he might’ve suffered a bone bruise instead.

Stony Brook has won two of their last three games since going to true freshman Quinn Boyd as the starting quarterback. Those two wins came against struggling teams, North Carolina A&T and Towson, but things are trending up for the Seawolves. The Wildcats sit as heavy favorites, -480 (4.8 to 1) on the money line at FanDuel. The point spread sits at -11.5 in Villanova’s favor —  the Wildcats might need to win big in order to gain favorable tiebreakers for the CAA crown — and the over/under sits at 51.5.

FloCollege holds the telecasting rights to this matchup, or you can tune in to the Villanova Sports Radio Network on iHeart Radio.

Scouting the Seawolves

Boyd, a true freshman, has completed 93 of 143 passes (65 percent) for five touchdowns and no interceptions since taking over midway through the Seawolves’ loss to Monmouth. He also has a rushing touchdown. 

Opposing teams have sacked Boyd 12 times through part of four games, whether because of his inexperience, the Seawolves’ shaky blocking, or some combination of both. As such, Villanova’s 3-3-5 defense, adept at disguising coverages and blitz packages, could feast on Saturday. Should Zellous need to check into the game for any reason, he’s completed 111 of 179 passes (62 percent) with 1,246 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions, adding another five touchdowns on the ground.

Running back Roland Dempster leads the Seawolves in rushing with 210 carries for 972 yards and 12 touchdowns, the vast majority of their offensive production. Receivers Jayce Freeman (32 catches, 551 yards, six touchdowns), MarQeese Dietz (54 catches, 456 yards, one touchdown) and Dez Williams (39 catches, 412 yards, five touchdowns) all split targets and production fairly evenly.

Scouting the Wildcats

Villanova starting quarterback Pat McQuaide has completed 61.8 percent (140-of-228) of his passes this season, picking up 1,816 yards through the air and 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

Avit has 683 yards and eight touchdowns on 123 carries, while No. 2 back Isaiah Ragland gets a lot of short yardage carries, picking up 333 yards and a touchdown on 102 totes. Ja’briel Mace, the third-string back, leads the Wildcats in touchdowns with nine this season, seven on the ground and two as a kickoff return man. 

He ran for a school record 291 yards against Towson last week, picking up four touchdowns and averaging more than a first down per carry, bringing his stat line this season up to 43 carries for 398 yards as he won CAA and FCS Offensive Player of the Week honors. Mace possesses game breaking speed, making him a cheat code behind a talented Villanova offensive line. Even if Avit can’t play, Mace and Ragland will have the team in good hands.

McQuaide’s top targets are Luke Colella (50 catches, 768 yards and five touchdowns) and Lucas Kopecky (24 catches, 361 yards and two touchdowns). He and Colella have found an excellent connection in recent weeks, helping open another dimension to the Wildcats’ offense.