Villanova Preview: Can Wildcats’ Defense Get On Track Against Tribe?

Villanova Football will play their CAA home opener on Saturday, Sept. 27 when they host William & Mary beginning at 3:30pm. The No. 20 Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 CAA) enter the matchup on a pair of streaks: a two game losing streak after falling at Penn State and Monmouth, and a 17 game home winning streak dating back to 2022.

Villanova lost six of their last nine games against the Tribe (2-2, 1-0 CAA), including their most recent matchup, a 45-12 road blowout during the 2022 season. Their all-time record against William & Mary sits at 16-20-1. This marks Villanova’s last meeting with the Tribe as members of the CAA, as both programs will depart for the Patriot League at season’s end.

FloSports holds the broadcasting rights to this game, in which FanDuel Sportsbook rates the Wildcats as having -220 odds of winning. The over/under rests at 51.5, while the point spread is -6.5 in Villanova’s favor.

Scouting the Tribe

Junior quarterback Tyler Hughes leads William & Mary’s offense, completing 59 of 91 passes for 726 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception this season. He also has 40 carries for 152 yards, not counting yardage lost due to sacks. His top target, graduate receiver Deven Thompson, has ten catches for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 79 of Thompson’s yards came on a single catch, making him a factor to keep an eye on after Monmouth gashed the Wildcats’ defense for big play after big play.

Fellow graduate student Rashad Raymond leads the team in rushing with 58 carries for 213 yards and a less than stellar 3.7 yards per carry. He also holds the team lead in rushing touchdowns with three. All in all, William & Mary possesses a capable if unspectacular offense, several steps down from the Penn State and Monmouth teams the Wildcats struggled against during the past two weeks.

Villanova still needs to demonstrate that they can hold their own against a quality opponent, but a home game should give them an excellent chance to find their feet.

William & Mary also has excellent contributors on defense, although they could end up without the services of cornerback Jalen Jones, one of their best players, who missed last week due to injury. Graduate linebacker Luke Banbury already has a whopping 51 tackles (29 solo) through four games along with five passes defensed. Whether or not Villanova sophomore running back David Avit can evade Banbury could go a long way toward determining this matchup.

Scouting the Wildcats 

Graduate left-handed quarterback Pat McQuaide will start for Villanova. He’s completed 50 of 86 passes for 659 yards, three touchdowns and one interception this season, and also managed to break loose a 28 yard scoring run against Colgate.

Avit is fresh off his best game of the young season after running for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries against Monmouth. Luke Colella, the Wildcats’ top target, has 15 catches for 244 yards, while linebacker Shane Hartzell leads the team with 24 tackles.

So far, Villanova has just one quarterback sack through three games. Because they typically use drop eight coverage, sending just three defenders after the passer, their rush can struggle to get home. Finding out how to do so with greater frequency could help their young secondary as they learn to hold their own against Division I competition.