Villanova Football Preview: Tempo Key at New Hampshire

Villanova Football will attempt to make it back above .500 for both their CAA and overall records when they take on the New Hampshire Wildcats in Durham on Saturday, Oct. 4. FloCollege holds the telecasting rights to this game, which will begin at 1 p.m., while Villanova Sports Radio Network will broadcast the game via this live link.

Possession time could decide this battle of the Wildcats. New Hampshire (3-2, 1-0 CAA) places a heavy emphasis on controlling the clock when they have the ball, as their head coach, Rick Santos, described in his weekly media appearance on Sept. 29. As of the morning of Oct. 4, Villanova sits as a narrow road favorite with moneyline odds of -120, per Action Network. The point spread is a razor thin 1.5, while the over/under sits at 47.5, suggesting a gritty, low scoring matchup.

Villanova got back on track during their last game, a 31-24 win over William & Mary, while New Hampshire rolled past Albany 24-6 after eating up more than 15 minutes of clock time with a pair of methodical first half touchdown drives. For a Villanova defense that has struggled to get off the field at times, their ability to make plays on third downs will go under the microscope in this matchup.

Scouting New Hampshire

Sophomore quarterback Matt Vezza runs the Wildcats’ offense but isn’t asked to air it out much, putting up 1,037 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions on 87-of-141 passing this season. Excluding sacks, he’s also able to pick up an average of more than five yards per carry, putting up 276 rushing yards on 50 carries and scoring on the ground four times.

Despite that methodical offense, New Hampshire is perfectly capable of breaking out explosive plays, including touchdown passes of 65 and 53 yards, the latter coming on a trick play from wide receiver Caleb Burke. Senior Myles Thomason is New Hampshire’s lead back, averaging 3.2 yards across 80 totes so far this season. Shutting him down could help Villanova put the game in the hands of a sophomore quarterback.

Burke (23 catches for 298 yards) and Chase Wilson (21 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns) are the Wildcats’ leading receivers, both capable of breaking loose for big gains.

Safety Raleigh Collins III has two interceptions through five games this season, making him a player to watch for Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide, while linebacker Trevor Barry leads the team in tackles with 37.

Scouting Villanova

McQuaide, a graduate transfer, has completed 65 of 114 passes for 853 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He’s also dealt with an ankle injury that forced him to miss a handful of drives against Penn State. Running back David Avit powers the Wildcats’ offense with 60 carries for 360 yards and six touchdowns, including three apiece against Monmouth and William & Mary to begin CAA play.

Ja’briel Mace, who scored a kickoff return touchdown against the Tribe, and Isaiah Ragland, often used in short yardage situations, also rotate in at running back.

Princeton graduate transfer Luke Colella leads the team in receiving with 21 catches for 332 yards, while former Villanova lacrosse player Lucas Kopecky comes in second with 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. 6-foot-3 freshman Brandon Binkowski has established himself as a red zone target with two of his six catches going for touchdowns, including a play that landed atop the SportsCenter Top 10 list.

Shane Hartzell leads the defense with 34 tackles and two sacks, and cornerback Zahmir Dawud has made himself a player to watch on the boundary with 13 tackles and four passes broken up.

Villanova has endured offensive miscues this season as McQuaide and the other transfers settle into a cohesive unit. If they can avoid three-and-outs — a fast ticket for New Hampshire to exhaust the defense with grinding drive after grinding drive — and get some third down stops of their own, the ‘Cats could come away with a crucial conference win on the road.