Villanova takes its three-game winning streak into a critical Patriot League game vs. Richmond

After entering its bye week at 2-4, Villanova has course corrected to win three straight games and put the Wildcats back in the conversation for a Patriot League football title.

Wins over Fordham, No. 11 Lehigh and Lafayette have Villanova (5-4, 4-2 Patriot League) tied for second in the conference behind the Mountain Hawks. Saturday’s matchup against Richmond (6-3, 4-2 Patriot), one of two teams Villanova is tied with for second place in the conference, is at Villanova Stadium (1 p.m., ESPN+).

The Wildcats lead the all-time series against Richmond, 9-6. The Spiders defeated Villanova in their last matchup in 2022.

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Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide said the bye week happened at a good time, allowing the Wildcats to put the disheartening start to the season behind them.

“The guys handled that really well in terms of taking that extra week to really look in the mirror and [dive] into what we do and what we need to do better,” McQuaide said. “From there, [it] allowed us to build some more confidence and then fortunately, we’re able to get a good win at Fordham and keep it rolling from there.”

The positive results since that bye week (3-0, 106 points scored, 56 allowed) have spoken for themselves. McQuaide’s performance has improved, with 729 passing yards and six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) in that time frame.

“When you’re not winning games, everybody’s gonna be frustrated,” McQuaide said. “I thought the guys have done a good job, learning from it and saying we made some mistakes that ultimately cost us some games. But it’s in the past, we talk about all the time having a next play mentality.”

McQuaide’s uneven start to the 2026 campaign could be attributed to the protracted conflict and legal battles surrounding his eligibility. The Ohio native got a late start to the preseason with new pieces on offense to work with. McQuaide threw three interceptions in the Wildcats’ opening game, an epic meltdown against William & Mary that received national attention. Villanova held a 10-point lead with 55 seconds remaining only to lose 35-32.

“You can’t just turn it on and be a good team player with 10 other guys on the field at the same time when you haven’t been working with those 10 guys for six months,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “[Returning wide receiver] Braden Reed, yes, [tight end] Nolan Clayton a year ago yes, the backfield yes, but just about everybody else, the other wideouts were gone. ... I think [McQuaide] is now getting back in the groove of where he left off last year, but with a [hiatus], it’s going to take a little time to get it back for sure.”

Coming off a trip to the FCS semifinals a season ago, Villanova’s sloppy play to open the season was not the start anyone on the team desired, especially Ferrante.

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“I think they are playing better together the more reps they get together, in game-like situations obviously always helps,” Ferrante said. “Especially the older guys [realized] that prior to the bye, we weren’t putting out the product we anticipated on being. ... We’ve hurt ourselves less, we’re playing better and I credit that to leadership on the team, obviously our coaching staff keeping the guys going in the right direction.”

After averaging eight penalties per game in their first six games, the Wildcats have cut the infractions down to five per game across their last three games. Villanova has also gotten off to hot starts, putting points on the board on their first possession in each game since the bye.

The offense has eclipsed at least 100 yards rushing and 200 yards passing across their three-game win streak. Their plan of attack has been aided by a rock-solid defense, which has held their previous three opponents to 155 or fewer passing yards.

“We have gotten to the quarterback a little more lately and gotten a few more sacks under our belt,” Ferrante said. “Putting pressure on a quarterback and getting the ball out of his hands a little earlier than maybe he wants definitely plays into it. But the guys are doing better, [they’re] starting to get comfortable with each other.”

A big help on defense has been linebacker Omari Bursey, who leads the Patriot League in tackles (99), is tied for second in tackles for loss (10½) and fourth in sacks (4½).

“He’s just a really good player, he works really hard,” Ferrante said. “He’s our green dot, so he’s the one that gets the calls in from the sideline [and] lines everybody up. He’s the quarterback of the defense and he’s had some good mentors along the way and some good coaches as well.”

For McQuaide, the battle-tested veteran on the team, the message to the team is clear, this Saturday against Richmond and beyond.

“It’s about us, we can’t control anything that happens in the conference or with teams we’ve already played or who we’re going to play next week,” McQuaide said. “It doesn’t matter what everybody’s saying outside of here, what the Patriot League says or the rest of the country. It’s about us, finding a way to win every Saturday.”