Villanova HC Mark Ferrante Breaks Down Ja’briel Mace’s Record-Setting Day

Villanova Football redshirt sophomore Ja’briel Mace won FCS Offensive Player of the Week honors from Stats Perform after rushing for 291 yards and four touchdowns in  28-10 win at Towson on Saturday, Nov. 8. Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante broke down Mace’s performance, which set a program record for rushing yards in a game, during his weekly CAA media availability on Monday, Nov. 10. 

Mace is the No. 7/No. 10 Wildcats’ third-string running back this season in terms of snaps and carries taken, but he leads the team with nine touchdowns scored. The Wildcats No. 1 and No. 2 backs, David Avit and Isaiah Ragland, went down with injuries in the first half. Ferrante gave updates on their condition during his media appearance, saying that Ragland had to leave after taking a cut to the lip that required stitches and won’t miss further time. 

Avit took a helmet to the knee on a catch downfield and, while the Wildcats don’t yet know the extent of his injury, they’re cautiously optimistic that he didn’t suffer anything more than a bone bruise since his foot wasn’t planted as he took the hit.

With Avit and Ragland out of the game, Ferrante said that Mace’s team-first approach helped him fill right in.

Team-First Player

“He is a great teammate. He’s very unselfish, I don’t want to say he waits his turn because he practices really hard and always is preparing for his turn,” Ferrante said. “And this past weekend, as you can see, he got his turn and took full advantage of the opportunities he was presented.”

Ferrante said that after the game, he used Mace’s always-ready attitude as an example for the rest of the team, especially the other backups, to follow.

“That’s sort of what I said in the locker room after the game. Everyone wants to play, everyone wants to travel, everyone wants to start, everyone wants to be all-league, right?” Ferrante said. “Not everyone can, but just because you’re not now doesn’t mean you can’t be later if you put in the work.”

Ferrante continued to emphasize Mace’s humble nature and the example it sets for the rest of the Wildcats.

“Ja’briel’s very humble, great teammate, never complaining, never pouting about lack of playing time, lack of carries, any of that type of stuff. Always has great body language at practice, just practices at one speed, and that’s full speed,” Ferrante said. 

“And it showed up on Saturday when he finally got that opportunity. I tell the team all the time, you never know when that window of opportunity is gonna open itself, and when that door opens you better be ready to jump through it.”

Standout Blocking

Ever the team player, Ferrante said that Mace would be the first to credit the rest of the Wildcats for the way they blocked for him. One play where Villanova’s blocking leapt out was on Mace’s 82-yard touchdown run, where the Wildcats’ offensive line paved a massive hole for him to burst through. With Mace’s kickoff-return capable speed, it was an immediate race to the end zone.

“Our right guard, Chris McCullers, actually said to me ‘coach, I just got up to the linebacker, just on time, and got in his way just enough,’” Ferrante said. “And then Ja’briel got by him. And when you watch it on film, that’s exactly what happened. If he was one step later, that linebacker might’ve had a shot to make the tackle at the second level.”

While Mace’s speed leaps out first among the qualities that make him a Division I running back, Ferrante also credited the redshirt sophomore for his physicality, noting that he covers kickoffs and punts in addition to returning them. 

“He’s not real big, but he’s stronger than I think people realize. He can run through arm tackles and a lot of stuff we’ve done with him because of his speed has been on the perimeter,” Ferrante said. “But he showed this past Saturday he can run between the tackles as well, which is a good thing for him to put on film.”