Rising in the national FCS rankings, Villanova’s homestand comes at the right time

Villanova is moving up the national rankings. And with an 18-game home win streak, the Wildcats play four of their last five on campus, starting Saturday with Hampton (1 p.m., NBCSP+).

The Wildcats’ second-half comeback win over Elon last weekend moved them three spots up in the AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll to No. 14 and Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll to No. 15.

Ja’briel Mace earned CAA Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time after he returned a kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown. Three weeks ago, the sophomore running back returned the second-half opening kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown against William & Mary. He is the first Villanova player to have multiple kick return touchdowns in a season since 2010.

Graduate receiver Luke Colella scored his first touchdown as a Wildcat last weekend, finishing with 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 10 catches. It was his fourth game of the season with 100 or more receiving yards.

He also was the first Wildcat since 2010 to have double-digit receptions in a game.

The Wildcats’ (4-2, 3-1 Coastal Athletic Association) home win streak is the second-longest in the FCS. Hampton is 0-3 in CAA play and 2-5 overall.

Graduate transfer quarterback Pat McQuaide has successfully commanded Villanova’s offense in the last three games.

He threw for 255 yards against Elon, completing a season-best 23 of 31 attempts (74%). McQuaide has passed for 100 or more yards in all of Villanova’s FCS games this season, throwing 200 or more yards in the last two.

“Pat’s doing a really nice job,”said head coach Mark Ferrante at the CAA Coaches Meeting on Monday. “I said it from the beginning, I was really surprised at how quickly he was able to pick up our system and our offense. It’s like having another coach out there.”

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McQuaide has displayed his strong arm on multiple occasions. Against Elon, McQuaide hit graduate receiver Lucas Kopecky for a 44-yard pass at the start of the fourth quarter.

Kopecky has a reception in every one of his 17 career games. This season, he has 237 receiving yards, 14 receptions, and a touchdown.

McQuaide’s main target, Colella, has had 100-plus receiving yards in all but one of Villanova’s FCS games. He has 596 yards on the season.

“Pat and Luke are developing some good rhythm now that they have been playing together a little longer,” Ferrante said. “Their timing seems to be getting better. [Colella] has been a nice addition to the receiving rotation.”

Villanova’s defense struggled early in the season, especially with a mix of young talent scattered across the secondary. In the last three games, the defense has played its best football of the season.

“The young secondary seems to be coming along and playing better collectively,” Ferrante said. “We are able to keep our defense off the field with some of the longer drives our offense had.”

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Against Elon, Villanova gave up 163 yards of total offense during the first three drives. After that, the defense held the Phoenix to 181 yards and forced three consecutive Elon three-and-outs.

Junior linebacker Turner Inge finished with a career-high nine total tackles. He currently is second in total tackles with 33, behind graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell (37).

Redshirt freshman safety Jamie Tyson collected the first interception of his collegiate career as the clock expired against Elon. He picked off Phoenix quarterback Landen Clark in the end zone as Elonattempted to tie the game.

In the last two games, Villanova has allowed 551 yards of total offense and 28 points. Hampton currently averages 331.6 yards of total offense per game and 22.86 points.

Hampton has allowed opponents to run the ball for 238.9 yards per game, which is eighth worst in the FCS.

Through FCS play, Villanova has rushed for 177.8 yards per game.

Villanova sophomore running back David Avit leads the team in rushing yards (556) and touchdowns (seven), averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 89.17 per game. Against Monmouth and William & Mary, he had back-to-back games with 130-plus rushing yards.

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In each of the Wildcats’ wins this season, they have outrushed their opponents.