The Jackrabbits go from the west coast to the east coast to take on the CAA Champion and 5th seeded Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats played Holy Cross last weekend and the Crusaders gave them all they could handle before prevailing 21-16. They played on Friday night while the Jacks played late on Saturday night so they will be more rested than the Jacks. Villanova features a good and balanced offense with a GREAT defense. The weather looks like it may be a factor as heavy rain and wind are in the forecast. Don’t let Villanova’s performance against Holy Cross fool you, this should be a fun matchup!
Offense
The Villanova offense is pretty darn efficient in the way they go about scoring 31 ppg. They favor the run (175 ypg/4.9 ypc) but are capable of moving it through the air (205 ypg). The Wildcats convert on 37% of their 3rd down opportunities and have only allowed 12 sacks on the season. They do a good job of protecting the ball with only 8 lost fumbles and 9 interceptions. In the redzone they score 93.3% of the time and 71% of the time they are touchdowns. They are big and physical across the board on their 2-Deep. Even though their offense didn’t look great against Holy Cross I was impressed with their physicality.
The quarterback position is manned by #12 Daniel Smith (6-0, 190). He is a dual threat that is probably best known for his grit and leadership. On the season he has completed 54.5% of his passes for 2,296 yards, 22 touchdowns and 9 INTs. He also has 319 gross rushing rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. His long run of the year is 34 yards. The Jackrabbits will have to be disciplined in their pass rush and if the defensive line is able to get their hands on him, they need to grab cloth and get him down. After preparing for two quarterbacks the last two weeks, the Jacks will be able to just focus on Smith.
The lead dog in the talented Wildcat backfield is #1 Justin Covington (5-11, 225). He is a hard runner and has 717 rushing yards on the year and averages 6 ypc. He isn’t a huge threat in the passing game but he does have 11 receptions for 62 yards. #36 Jalen Jackson (5-9, 215) serves as the primary backup and he is also a dangerous player. On just 90 carries he has 564 yards and 7 TDs. He has 5 receptions for 66 yards and a TD. #28 DeeWil Barley (5-8, 195) has 100 attempts on the year for a 4.1 ypc average which is good for 414 yards.
Smith does have a variety of weapons to catch his passes when they do choose to pass. #19 Rayjoun Pringle (5-9, 185) and #11 Jaaron Hayek (6-1, 195) are a dynamic duo for Villanova. Pringle leads the team with 36 receptions for 724 yards and 7 TDs and has a long of 57 yards. Hayek has 37 receptions for 606 yards and 8 TDs and a long of 67. Against Villanova, Pringle and Hayek showed that they are not short on confidence so the Jackrabbit DBs will need to keep their cool. #10 Dez Boykin (5-9, 195) is the 3rd receiver in the lineup and he has 19 receptions for 305 yards 2 TDs. Against Holy Cross, #8 Qadir Ismail (6-6, 215) had a huge reception of 24 yards and it increased his season total to 8 receptions for 121 yards in only 8 games. The tight end for the wildcats is a threat in the passing game. #86 Todd Summers (6-5, 250) has 24 receptions for 282 yards and 3 TDs.
From left to right the offense line of Villanova goes #74 Temi Ajirotutu (6-4, 310, R-Fr), #73 Michael Corbi (6-3, 335, SR), #62 Colin Gamroth (6-4, 305, SR), #67 MJ Dumas (6-3, 320, GR), and #79 Nick Torres (6-6, 320, JR). This group is experienced and huge. The #chaingang will need to be ready for a big day. Again, they are paving the way for 4.9 ypc and have allowed just 12 sacks.
Defense
The Jackrabbit offense will have their hands full with the 3-3-5 Villanova defense, they are stout! They allow just 15.71 ppg and limit opponents to 99.3 ypg on the ground and 163.25 through the air. They have forced 18 interceptions, recovered 8 fumbles, and have 23 sacks. They really want to get after you.
The defensive front is unique for Villanova as they have a big nose guard and their two ends align on the inside of the tackle. The nose guard is #78 Peter Fallon (6-3, 295) and he is built like a brick shit house. He has just 14 tackles and a sack on the year but his impact goes way beyond the stat sheet. The ends are #92 Malik Fisher (6-4, 265) and #94 Garrett Zobel (6-2, 290). Fischer has 49 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 sacks while Zobel has 34 tackles and 5 TFL. #46 Jared Nelson (6-3, 295) has 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks in a reserve role. Maybe the one weakness in this Villanova defense is the lack of depth along the defensive line. Outside of these four, there is not much production.
The CAA Defensive Player of the Year was #43 Forrest Rhyne (6-1, 235) and he is the middle linebacker for this loaded group. Rhyne led the team in tackles and sacks with 131 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He has an additional 5 QBH and 1 forced fumble. Rhyne may be ultra-productive but the men he is flanked by are no joke either. #4 Qwahsin Townsel (6-0, 225) is a big time hitter and is looking to add to his 63 tackles, 1 sack and 4 QBH. #29 Amin Black (5-9, 225) is quick and is second on the team with 85 tackles, 12 TFL, 3 sacks and an INT. #9 Mike Raune is a reserve linebacker who has 16 tackles and a sack.
The secondary has a great mix of experience and youth. #41 Christian Benford (6-1, 205) and #2 Denzel Williams (5-10, 190) are a formidable duo. Benford has 38 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 18 PBUs. Williams has 16 tackles, 2 INT, and 2 PBU. #23 Isac Waxter (6-2, 210) has 13 tackles, a sack, and 3 PBUs. The 3 safties that Villanova deploys definitely fit a type. #34 Ethan Potter (5-11, 205), #7 Jalen Goodman, (6-0, 195, and #24 Darius Pickett (6-0, 185) are the starters. Potter leads the group with 43 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU, Goodman is right behind him with 39 tackles and 3 PBUs while Pickett has 28 tackles, 1 INT, and 5 PBU. #40 Ty Trinh (5-11, 190) is a top reserve with 38 tackles, 1 INT, and 3 PBU on the year.
Special Teams
The special teams for Villanova are solid but not spectacular. #97 Cole Bunce handles both the place kicking and kick off duties. On 63 kickoffs he has just 15 touchbacks but he has knocked 3 out of bounds. On his field goals he is 14 of 17 with a long of 49. Opponents are averaging 21.5 yards per return on 35 attempts including 1- 98 yard TD. #96 Nathan Fondacaro handles the punting duties and has 40 punts on the year for a 38.28 yard average. He has a long of 55 and has just 2 touchbacks while landing 7 inside the 20 and forcing 7 to be fair caught. On the flip side, the Villanova punt return team has blocked 3 punts already this season. However, opponents do average 8.5 yards per punt return when given the chance.
The return units for the Wildcats are also really solid. Reserve wide receiver #27 Jared Wolfe (6-1, 195) handles the punt return duties and he has 16 returns for a 6 yard average. #10 Dez Boykin (5-9, 195) and #17 Nowoola Awopetu (5-11, 200) are the kick returners. Boykin averages 18.5 per return with a long of 25 on 8 attempts while Awopetu averages 15.78 with a long of 29 on 9 attempts.
Prediction
This game is going to be a defensive slugfest with the team that can run the ball the best prevailing. The defenses are both great but I think it will be the weather that really puts a damper on the scoring. Turnovers will play a factor and the Jackrabbits and the Wildcats have both been good at forcing them and not committing them so far this year. I think whichever team gets to 24 first will win.
Jackrabbits 24- Wildcats 20
Go Jacks!
Matt
