Villanova earned its first Patriot League win, but showed there’s still plenty of work to do
After taking an early two-possession lead, it took a tipped field goal by the Wildcats to hold off the Bison and earn a 17-16 win on Saturday.
It was nowhere near perfect, but Villanova did what it needed to pick up its first Patriot League victory on Saturday night.
Villanova (1-1, 1-1 Patriot League) went on the road to take on conference opponent Bucknell. The Wildcats were coming off a devastating season-opening loss and needed a win to get back on track.
After Villanova took a two-possession lead, Bucknell (0-2, 0-2) battled back to set up a thrilling fourth quarter. With the help of a tipped field goal, Villanova held off the Bison in the fourth quarter to win, 17-16.
Villanova was able to lead Bucknell at halftime, 14-0, after wide receiver Braden Reed collected a pair of passing touchdowns from graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide. On the other side of the ball, Villanova’s defense was able to limit Bucknell to 100 yards of total first-half offense.
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Reed, a sophomore, led all Villanova receivers with five receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Brandon Binkowski totaled 71 yards on three receptions, including a 27-yard reception on a drive that ended in a touchdown.
Delaware County native and Strath Haven graduate Sam Milligan led all Bucknell receivers with 13 receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Milligan tied the program’s record for touchdown receptions.
McQuaide was able to clean up his passing game after last week, completing 13 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, McQuaide threw three interceptions against William & Mary after only throwing four over the course of the entire season last year.
Garrett Rogan fills in without missing a beat
After starting Villanova linebacker Christian Caballero went down with an injury and did not return to the game, Garrett Rogan entered from the sidelines.
Rogan collected seven total tackles (five solo) and the Wildcats’ lone pass break-up while filling in for Caballero. However, Rogan’s big play came on Bucknell’s 29-yard field goal attempt to take the lead with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining.
With his right hand wrapped in a club cast, Rogan was able to get a piece of the ball as Bucknell kicker Juan Garanton attempted a 29-yard field goal that would have given Bucknell a 19-17 lead with under two minutes left in regulation. Rogan’s tip was enough for the ball to miss the uprights as it went wide left.
Against William & Mary last week, Rogan had seven total tackles (two solo) and one tackle for a loss.
Last season, Rogan played in 15 games for the Wildcats and tallied 33 tackles (25 solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, and three pass break-ups.
The Wildcats clean up penalties and turnovers
Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante always puts a big emphasis on winning the turnover and penalty battles, and that was no different going into this weekend.
The Wildcats only gave up 45 yards on five penalties after giving up 15 penalties for 107 yards against William & Mary last week.
“You’re going to have a couple of penalties during the course of the game,” Ferrante said to The Inquirer before the Bucknell game. “When you can put 15 of them together, that’s a big deal. … If you tell me we’re going to have a turnover a game, we’re going to have 11, 12 turnovers by the end of the year, that’s probably a pretty good year. Right now we’re on pace to have 60 if we do five a game. That’s not a good year.”
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As for turnovers, Villanova did not turn the ball over against Bucknell, despite a single fumble from a snap that flew over McQuaide’s head in the second quarter. Bucknell also did not record a turnover.
Villanova’s zero turnovers this week are in contrast to its four last week (five if the botched onside kick recovery counted, which it should have, according to Ferrante).
Up next
Villanova has less than a week to prepare for its annual FBS matchup, which will be against Louisville on Sept. 11 (7 p.m., ESPN/ACCN). Louisville was ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll.
It will be a tight turnaround for Louisville, which plays Ole Miss on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Cardinals will only have four days in between gamedays.
It will be the first time in history that the two programs will share the same field.
