For the second time this year the Villanova Wildcats are in the Final Four. This time however the action will take place on the football field on Villanova’s campus as the Wildcats prepare to host the national semifinal game against CAA opponent William & Mary.
Villanova appears to be on a collision course with Montana in the FCS championship game but a win against William & Mary should not be assumed. The Tribe are coming off a dominating 24-3 upset on the road against the top ranked team in the FCS, Southern Illinois, and bring a tough defense to Villanova looking for an upset of the nation’s number two team.
Last week William & Mary held Southern Illinois to just 187 yards. In the first round William & Mary shutout Weber State and allowed just 161 yards. To say that yardage will be hard to come by would seem to be an understatement for Villanova.
The last time these teams played Villanova pulled away with a 28-17 win despite being out-gained in total yardage 472-283. Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer threw for a season high 354 yards, although that could be attributed to being down early. Archer has not thrown for a touchdown in his last two games, which should tell you that William & Mary are counting on their running game in addition to their stifling defense. Last week Jonathan Grimes lead the way on offense with 133 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
But Villanova is playing at a high level themselves. ‘Nova won a back-and-forth game against Holy Cross in their first postseason game. After being tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter Villanova went on to accumulate over 500 yards of offense in a 38-28 victory. Last week Villanova used a bruising running game to gain over 300 yards on the ground and blow out New Hampshire 46-7, avenging their only loss of the season.
If Villanova wins tonight (the game will be aired on ESPN 2, 8pm) they will advance to the national championship game for the first time in program history. Regardless of who wins the game it will be the fourth consecutive season that a team from the CAA advanced to the national championship game. Richmond took home the grand prize last season while Delaware and Massachusetts preceded the Spiders with losses to powerhouse Appalachian State.
Appalachian State will travel to Montana to determine the other entrant to the FCS championship game.
Kevin McGuire continues to bring you insight to the world of college football. If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out more from Kevin on Examiner and Nittany White Out.
Loading ...