Villanova Preview: Short Trip To Well-Rounded Lehigh

Villanova Football will travel to face Lehigh at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, trying to keep their season alive in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The No. 12 Wildcats (10-2) demolished Harvard at Villanova Stadium last week to open their playoff run, marking their ninth consecutive win. Now they’ll take on a Mountain Hawks squad that won the Patriot League, which Villanova will join ahead of next season, with a perfect 12-0 record.

Lehigh enters this game averaging 33.83 points per game and allowing just 13.92 out of their opponents; the Wildcats are posting 32.42 and 21.33 points, respectively. As such, Villanova is a slight underdog, listed at +154 on the money line at FanDuel Sportsbook. The point spread sits at -4.5 in the Mountain Hawks’ favor, with an over/under of 47.5. This marks the second game in a row that the Wildcats enter as an underdog.

With an hour’s drive separating the two teams, Lehigh might not have much of a home field advantage. ESPN+ holds the telecasting rights to this matchup.

If Villanova comes out victorious, they’ll face the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 4 Tarleton State and North Dakota; they’d host that matchup if North Dakota manages to advance.

Scouting the Mountain Hawks

Lehigh’s offense hinges on their running game, which outgained their passing offense 2,824 yards to 2,365. Averaging 5.9 yards per carry and nearly 40 carries per game, the Wildcats’ run defense will need to step up early. Shutting down the run and making opposing teams one-dimensional is one of the Wildcats’ chief philosophies on defense, but they’ll face a tall order on Saturday.

Junior running back Luke Yoder leads the backfield with 187 carries for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also has 11 catches for 96 yards and a score. Other capable options include Jaden Green (125 carries, 811 yards and eight touchdowns) and quarterback Hayden Johnson, with 66 carries for 471 yards and four touchdowns. 

In Johnson’s case, that includes yardage lost due to sacks. The dual threat has a season-long scamper of 57 yards and has completed 163 of 261 passes this season for 2,349 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. 5-foot-8 receiver Geoffrey Jamiel is Johnson’s leading target, hauling in 69 passes for 1,026 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Humphrey Mason (33 catches for 630 yards and four touchdowns), a 6-foot-4 junior, is the only other Mountain Hawk with more than 200 receiving yards. 

Lehigh makes a habit of harassing opposing quarterbacks, hauling in 11 interceptions (Mekhai Smith leads the category with four) and racking up 40 sacks this season (Tyler Ochojski paces the team with 10). They have 37 tackles for loss on top of those sacks, so Villanova will need to try to limit the number of snaps taken from behind the chains. 

Scouting the Wildcats

Villanova, for their part, has done an excellent job of limiting sacks and turnovers. Quarterback Pat McQuaide has thrown 22 touchdowns to just two interceptions, and the Wildcats’ offensive line has surrendered just 19 sacks. With 2,556 rushing yards and 2,618 passing yards this season, Villanova has an extremely balanced offense. Like Lehigh, they have a number of options in the backfield.

Starting running back David Avit went down with a leg injury on Nov. 8 against Towson, but head coach Mark Ferrante said during his weekly press conference that they could have him back against Lehigh. Even with just eight-and-a-quarter games played, Avit ranks second on the Wildcats’ rushing leaderboard with 123 carries for 683 yards and eight touchdowns.

Third-string running back Ja’briel Mace picks up the majority of the yards with 688 and nine touchdowns on just 88 carries, possessing breakaway speed that lets him race to the end zone untouched. He also has two touchdowns apiece as a receiver and on the kickoff return team. Isaiah Ragland, the third of their three-headed monster, has 145 carries for 653 yards, specializing in short-yardage scenarios… although he managed to break loose for 152 yards in the Wildcats’ win over Harvard.

Princeton transfer Luke Colella is Villanova’s leading receiver with 60 catches for 871 yards and eight touchdowns, setting a team high in each of those three categories. Defensive backs Zahmir Dawud (one interception, ten pass breakups) and Anthony Hawkins (one interception, eight PBUs) will prove pivotal in shutting down the Mountain Hawks’ offense, as will linebacker Shane Hartzell, a defensive player of the year candidate with 81 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks.