Villanova is playing its best complementary football at the right time: ‘We have a good nucleus’
Entering Saturday’s FCS quarterfinal matchup with Tarleton State, the Wildcats have meshed together when it matters most.
Throughout the season, coach Mark Ferrante has aimed for Villanova to play “complementary football.”
He saw that concept come to fruition in the final three minutes of Villanova’s 14-7 victory over host Lehigh last Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
It started with Lehigh going three-and-out late in the fourth quarter. On the next drive, Villanova freshman wide receiver Braden Reed scored a 28-yard touchdown. The energy transferred back to Villanova’s defense, as graduate defensive lineman Obinna Nwobodo forced a fumble in the red zone during Lehigh’s final possession.
“[Lehigh] shut us down for a good portion of the game, but our defense showed up,” said graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide. “Our defense picked us up when we were down and gave us short fields. We were fortunate that both our touchdowns came off of huge stops and turnovers. Those guys have been incredible all year.”
When graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell recovered the fumble, the Wildcats’ sideline erupted. It was ultimately the game-winning moment for Villanova as it escaped Lehigh.
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“It’s not just the defense getting excited, the whole sideline is getting excited,” Ferrante said. “I think the team is doing a great job of playing together, playing for each other, and playing complementary football. That’s what needs to continue.”
No. 12 seed Villanova (11-2) looks to carry its momentum of a 10-game winning streak into its Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal against fourth-seeded Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, on Saturday (noon, ESPN).
‘Let’s do this together’
Graduate players like Nwobodo and Hartzell form the backbone of Villanova’s defense, guiding the team through one of its most successful seasons in recent history.
Ferrante credited the team’s level-headed leadership with generating a thrilling finish against Lehigh.
“When we went into the locker room at halftime in past years, sometimes the defensive guys would complain about how we haven’t scored. But there was none of that,” Ferrante said. “There was no blame. There was no finger-pointing. It was all, ‘Let’s do this together and play a better second half collectively.’ Fortunately, we were able to do that.”
Villanova’s defense relied on its veteran players early in the season, but the secondary is made up of primarily underclassmen. Heading deeper into the playoffs, Ferrante no longer sees the youth of the unit as a potential weakness.
“[The secondary] is where we’ve made some of the biggest growth this year, because that was what everyone was worried about,” Ferrante said. “They don’t lack confidence; they just lacked experience.”
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Some of the graduate players spearheading the offense are newcomers this season.
McQuaide took over the starting position as a transfer from Nicholls State, and wide receiver Luke Colella, a Princeton transfer, is averaging a team-high 72.5 receiving yards a game.
“We have a good nucleus of guys who have been here for five or six years,” Ferrante said. “But [McQuaide and Colella] just add a different level of maturity. Even though they’re first-year guys with our program, they bring different perspectives because they’ve been somewhere else.”
Underdog mentality
The Wildcats enter their third game of the playoffs as the underdog.
In the first round, Villanova trounced Harvard, 52-7, despite some predictions saying the Crimson would win. The victory over Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa., gave Villanova a further confidence boost.
“We’ve been an underdog every week so far,” McQuaide said. “So we kind of embrace it. It doesn’t really matter. Once the ball is kicked off on Saturday, it’s a four-quarter fight, and we’ll be ready to go.”
Villanova is up against its toughest challenge yet in Tarleton State (12-1), which has the most productive scoring offense in the nation, averaging 44.1 points per game.
“I don’t really see too many weaknesses in [Tarleton],” Ferrante said. “They score a lot of points, they play great defense, and they’re very opportunistic. They create a lot of turnovers.
“So I think what the keys to the game comes down to is who’s going to make the fewest mistakes, who’s going to hang on to the football, and not give the other team extra possessions.”