The Nova Blog

Big 5 Schedule Update

2010-09-08T15:58:51Z

Big 5 Schedule Update

Some of the Big 5 schedule has been released, according to VUHoops.

* Friday, December 3rd: vs. ~~The Jokes From Down The Street~~ St. Joseph’s (PA) at The Pavilion (ESPNU)
* Sunday, December 12th: @ LaSalle at Tom Gola Arena (ESPNU)
* Wednesday, December 29th: vs. Temple at The Pavilion (ESPN2)

Try to contain your excitement...

postGame: Temple 31, Villanova 24

2010-09-04T14:00:29Z

The Villanova football team suffered a heartbreaking loss earlier tonight, losing on a last-gasp field goal to the Temple Owls. Villanova seemed to have total control of the game from the 2nd quarter on, but a stagnant 2nd half offense, a timely big play from Temple, and some question clock management allowed Temple to seize the game.

In case you missed the game, check out the ESPN Recap and Box Score.

All in all, it was great to watch Villanova football again, and there was a lot of things to like about the performance today. And losing to an FBS program is nothing to be upset about. But now it's time to regroup and reload and get ready for the grind that the CAA conference is going to present.

Some more personal thoughts after The Jump...

I thought Chris Whitney looked good, not great. He finished 18-26 for 141 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. His performance in the 4th quarter wasn't anything to get excited about though. He looked flat and was not the fiery leader we saw late last season.

Matt Szczur never really got going in the game, and was particularly absent in the 2nd half, although Whitney missed him more than once when he was wide-open. 5 carries for 15 yards is not good. Temple seems to have mastered the Szczur-defense - it's now been 2 years they have kept him under wraps.

I thought the defense looked very good for most of the game. Make no mistake Temple is a very good team. They were flying to the ball, they forced a HUUUUUUGE turnover late in the game that *should* have won the game (more on this in a second), and they look like they are ready to dominate this season again. I'm not sure there are many FCS programs that are going to be able to consistently move the ball on us.

Norman White had a huge coming out party in his first start at WR. He may not completely make up for the loss of Brandyn Harvey, but he damn sure looked great today. 8 catches for 69 yards and a TD in his debut. Very excited about him this year.

But at the end of the day, we're all going to remember this game for the clock management at the end of the game. Villanova caught a huge break down 22-21 when John Dempsey recovered a fumble deep in Temple territory with just over 2 minutes remaining.

For some reason, after a Whitney 3 yard loss (odd play call in itself), Villanova decided to drop back and try to pass when Temple was out of timeouts and they were already well within range for Nick Yako. Of course, Whitney threw two incompletions and after Yako made the field goal, Temple had just under 2 minutes left. And of course, we went to the prevent ~~the win~~ defense and Temple marched down the field and kicked the game winner.

It's just frustrating and inexplicable to me. There's no question in mind that if we run the clock down, Temple doesn't have the time to get down the field and we win. Oh well. Let's just hope the coaching staff learns from that and we don't see a nightmare situation like that again. Let's kick some Lehigh ass next week!

Thoughts on the game everyone?

The Open Thread: The Mayor's Cup!

2010-09-03T18:46:07Z

Happy Football Season Villanova Fans! The 2010 campaign officially kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET in Philadelphia as Villanova squares off with FBS-rival Temple in the battle for The Mayor's Cup. The game will air live on ESPN3 for those of you lucky people whose ISP provides that.

Make sure to check out our Q&A with Owlified for some pre-game banter and you can head on over to Cherry And White Nation for some more Temple Owls football coverage.

How many times will the Wildcat offense find the endzone? Will Bernard Pierce actually have a shot at The Heisman this year? Is Matt Szczur actually The Second Coming?

Feel free to use this thread to chat before and during tonight's game! Go 'Nova!

Crossing Enemy Lines: Villanova vs. Temple

2010-09-02T14:30:24Z

To get ready for The Mayor's Cup on Friday Night, Dave Gerson from The Owl's Nest and I decided to get together for a quick Q&A session. Below are my questions for Dave on what we can expect from this year's Temple Owls, and what The Mayor's Cup means to the Temple program/fanbase.

Make sure to head on over to The Owl's Nest to see my answers to Dave's questions, and leave him some friendly (or not-so-friendly, I'm fine with that too!) banter about this Friday's curtain-raiser to the 2010 season!

Enjoy!

1. What's the barometer for Temple football this year? You went to a bowl game last year, which had to be incredibly exciting. Are expectations raised this year or would you be happy bowling in December again?

Last year was the most success I've seen in my lifetime. The last four years we (Temple fans) have waited for this breakout season, and now we're seeing the results of an established football program. The experience of a nine-game winning streak, winning record itself, and a bowl game was something relatively new, but was fun to be a part of.

2010 is a whole new season. For the first time I think there are expectations for this team to win, and I'm hoping that we start this year off much better than in '09.

We expect this team no longer to just compete, but to win games. There are serious talks about a shot at a 10-win season, a Mid-American Conference Championship, and more. It's one game at a time though, so we expect to beat you guys.

More Q&A after The Jump...

2. What's the deal with Bernard Pierce? I saw he was demoted to 2nd string, which came as a complete shock to me. What's the story here?

Late into training camp, Bernard Pierce collided hard with defensive back Justin Gildea that gave Pierce an EXTREMELY minor head injury. The coaches decided to play it safe, as they do with almost every player, by keeping him out of a few scrimmages. During that down time, backup Matt Brown had taken nearly every carry with the first-team offense.

In the event that B.P. wouldn't play, Brown would be the top guy. That luckily isn't the case, as Pierce is now good to go for September 3rd. His missed time was simply precaution.

If you look at the depth chart, this isn't uncommon for Coach Golden to do. There are several starters (OG Colin Madison, LB Elijah "Peanut" Joseph) who are listed as backups along with Pierce. This is merely a motivational tactic that coach has done to almost every player on this team. Pierce missed some important time with the starters, and wanted to light a fire under him to work hard upon returning from his injury.

3. Last year we saw Vaughn Charlton at QB, but this year he's a TE with Chester Stewart taking the reigns. Why the switch? And what do you expect from Stewart this year?

From what I was told, Vaughn Charlton was totally up for making the switch to tight-end; so far the transition has gone well, and V.C. has been competing for a starting spot. He's put on some weight, and has done an extremely nice job blocking and receiving through training camp.

Chester Stewart showed in 2009 that he is worthy of the starting position. He excelled in camp this season, and earned the position. I think that this staff believes that there is so much depth and talent at this position that it wouldn't hurt to do this. Backing him up will be Chris Coyer, a highly touted recruit who turned down an offer from Ohio State for TU, as well as Mike Gerardi.

I expect Stewart to improve his accuracy and use his mobility more to his advantage. Chester has an extremely strong arm, and is capable of making big time plays. It's just always been the small things that hurt him: miscommunication has been one of the only setbacks to his game. Temple fans are confident in have an experienced quarterback at the helm.

4. How much does the Mayor's Cup and the rivalry with Villanova mean to the Temple program? I'm sure revenge is on the mind after last year but in the grand scheme of things is it that important? Is it good for the city? Give me your thoughts.

This Mayor's Cup has done a wonderful job bringing out the college football fanbase right here in Philadelphia. Similar to basketball, the teams are trying to establish a tradition/rivalry in this sport, and we saw in 2009 how exciting this will be. Philadelphia is definitely a pro city team, but who would it hurt to start building up a college football following in Philly?

My main focus and hope is that we beat you guys, that's obvious. That's the expectation of any Owl fan. I don't think I'd be wrong when I say that at least 97% of us Temple fans (including myself) underestimated Villanova as merely an FCS school. I do not want this game to be close at any point, and I want to see the effect a prepared and participating Bernard Pierce/Matt Brown will have on the game. Villanova in NO WAY is a bad win.

There are no guaranteed victories, but we want to win the games be believe that we have a good opportunity to do so.

5. Last year Matt Szczur carried 3 times for 5 yards in his worst performance of the season. Since then he's developed into a guy to game-plan around. How does Temple plan on slowing him down?

While Szczur is definitely the most versatile player on this team, I think the Owls will be focusing more on the play of Chris Whitney. The production of this offense is determined by Whitney's decision to air the ball out or to use his legs. The complexity of this offense from the quarterback itself makes it too hard to focus the defense on just one player. There are way too many playmakers on this offense to ignore.

If Temple can contain the quarterback, I believe that will make Szczur's production lower.

6. Give me a prediction for this Friday night at The Linc!

I truly believe that Temple will come out prepared for this game, and will play consistent offense and defense through four quarters. This is no guaranteed victory, like I said before. Turnovers killed the double-digit lead we had last year. Temple wins 31-17.

Many thanks to Dave for putting this together! Good luck with your season, with the exception of Friday night!

Darrun Hilliard Highlight Reel

2010-08-30T21:01:51Z

Get to know the latest Wildcat, Darrun Hilliard, in this fantastic highlight reel! Hilliard committed to Jay Wright and the 'Cats back on August 4th, becoming the 4th member of the Class of 2011.

Enjoy!

The Villanova Football Preview That Isn't My Preview

2010-08-29T21:13:26Z

More photos » Matt Rourke - AP

16 days ago: Villanova wide receiver Matt Szczur is seen during football practice in Villanova, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Browse more photos »

I'll admit that at the beginning of last year (and all throughout my 4 years at Villanova) I wasn't the most die-hard football fan out there. Which is kind of odd, because I'm an enormous college football football fan, maybe even more than I am a college basketball fan.

But in all fairness, it is a bit difficult to get into FCS football, and over my first 2-3 years, we weren't exactly beating the brakes off the other CAA schools. So call me a bandwagon fan if you want (I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that I am) but 1 National Championship and loads of FBS-talk later, and I'm fully on-board. Hell, I even bought season tickets this year, and plan to for year's to come.

I've been a bit busy lately though, and didn't have time to put together my own preview, even though I've spent more than enough time researching every nuance of everybody on our schedule. So I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Brian from VUHoops and the Fact On Villanova Sports crew.

Some select highlights and links to their previews after The Jump.

We'll start off with Brian Ewart's preview Gridiron Greatness, which covers the changes to our offense and defense, as well as gives an overall outlook on the team.

Brian discusses the potential impact of the loss of star WR Brandyn Harvey (now with the Atlanta Falcons), as well as likely changes to the running attack and how much of the load Matt Szczur and Chris Whitney are expected to carry.

For me though, this blurb from Brian sums up exactly how I feel:

The 2010 Villanova Wildcats football team opens the season with high expectations. Confidence skyrocketed with the return of Matt Szczur, the only Division I player (FBS or FCS) to register a touchdown as a receiver, rusher, passer and kick returner last season. With so many starters returning and some great recruiting classes the last few years, this team has the talent to challenge for the CAA title again this season as well as to make another deep playoff run.

Moving on, we've also got a phenomenal multi-post preview from the Fact guys. They break it down into 6 sections, covering different units of the team 1 at a time as they really get in-depth to help 'Nova fans familiarize themselves with this year's team. Each post is linked below. It really is great work so make sure to head on over and check it out.

Villanova kicks off this season this Friday night against their FBS rivals, the Temple Owls, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Kick-off is set for 5:00 p.m. ET. We'll have a Q&A with The Owl's Nest coming up later this week to preview the game.

Villanova To Host Maryland

2010-08-26T18:22:44Z

Villanova To Host Maryland

Villanova will host Maryland on January 15th, according to the ESPN BIG EAST Summer Shootaround.

Time/Location of the game is yet to be announced, but one would have to figure this will be played downtown.

James Bell Out Indefinitely With Stress Fractures

2010-08-26T18:18:13Z

Villanova freshman SG/SF James Bell will be sidelined indefinitely with stress fractures in both tibia's of his legs. Bell is under the care of Team Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Rob Good, and will be evaluated in October.

Jay Wright on Bell:

"We're disappointed for James," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He has acclimated himself very well academically and socially at Villanova in his short time with us. I am sure he will take that same kind of mature approach with his rehab. We don't know how long he will be out, but we will monitor his rehab closely."

...And now we are down to 9 scholarship players...yay...I don't think this should keep Bell out all year, but I think it certainly makes the redshirt a more viable option than it may have been before...speedy recovery to you James...

Villanova To Host Bucknell

2010-08-26T14:16:42Z

Villanova To Host Bucknell

According to Michael Rothstein of AnnArbor.com, Villanova will play host to Bucknell this season.

Date/Time are still TBD.

Villanova Hosting College GameDay!

2010-08-25T16:57:25Z

More photos » Tom Strickland - AP

Browse more photos »

Villanova will be playing host to ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday February 12th for their home game with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

GameDay will air live on ESPN at 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET from the Villanova Campus, meaning this game will be played at The Pavilion.

This is the first time I remember in a long time that we've had a Saturday game against a marquee opponent at The Pavilion. My freshman year when we had a Top-5 matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners is the last one that I can recall. Tickets will be impossible for this, unfortunately.

Jay Wright on the announcement:

"We’re thrilled that ESPN has decided to bring `College GameDay’ to the Villanova campus for the first time. The entire country will get to see the great support we receive from the Nova Nation and our amazing student section. All of us at Villanova are excited about this opportunity."

And I'm clearing my schedule for that weekend...I will find tickets somehow!

Taylor King NOT Going to USC

2010-08-25T14:26:37Z

Taylor King NOT Going to USC

I thought we could close the book on this one, but after his parting shots at Villanova, I realized I still have a vested interest in this saga.

Apparently USC doesn't have a scholarship to give Taylor this season, so that's not an option for him anymore.

Tough break on those incomparable academics TK...

Matt McCann Commits to Villanova Football!

2010-08-24T19:22:27Z

Matt McCann Commits to Villanova Football!

Matt McCann, a 2011 RB/LB from Keystone Oaks High School in Pittsburgh, PA has committed to play football at Villanova.

At a current size of 5'9" 180 pounds, I'm going to go out on a limb and say he will not be suiting up at LB for the 'Cats.

Congrats Matt!

Cats Early Season Favorites...

2010-08-23T03:02:34Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

Browse more photos »

Not to win the national championship, but to win the 16-team field Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. If you don't know the details, here is a breakdown of the dates and teams for the tourney. On paper, Villanova probably should be the pick to win this tournament but if recent history is any indication, escaping with 4 wins will be no easy task. Remember last year in an early season tournament when Isaiah Armwood bailed the Cats out from a major upset when he nailed a 3 with seconds remaining to beat a gritty George Mason squad. Nonetheless, numerous Rivals contributors are picking the Wildcats to come out on top in this tourney.

More after the jump...

A critical factor in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off and the entire season as a whole could be the emergence of sophomore guard Maalik Wayns. He certainly showed some flashes of brilliance last year in a loaded backcourt, and he did it in some big games, including the NCAA Tournament. Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated believes Wayns is poised for a big 2nd year campaign.

From all the articles and clippings I've read over the summer, it's always Mouphtaou Yarou or Wayns being mentioned as candidates to really make an impact this year. More importantly, in my opinion, I thinks Maalik can inspire this team to get back to the basketball that Villanova teams have prided themselves on in the past. Wayns is a fearless, tough kid who will make mistakes at times but will always play hard no matter what. This type of play seemed to be lacking at the end of last year, so the Cats need to capture that "do whatever it takes" mentality again. As summer comes to an end, we are only a few short months away from the college basketball season.

Nova is on the List of Best Player in the Country Tony Wroten

2010-08-20T18:07:41Z

Nova is on the List of Best Player in the Country Tony Wroten

Villanova Football Media Day

2010-08-18T18:19:34Z

Villanova Football Media Day

The Villanova Football Team held it's annual pre-season Media Day on Tuesday. The team saw a great turnout following their National Championship last season.

Select Villanova players and coaches were on hand to field questions from the media.

Brian Westbrook Inks Deal With 49ers

2010-08-17T12:38:50Z

Chris Park - AP

(AP Photo/Chris Park)

View full size photo »

Former Villanova Football and Philadelphia Eagles standout Brian Westbrook has signed a 1-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. According to sources, the deal is worth $1.25 million in guaranteed money and $1.25 million in incentives.

Westbrook was out of a contract and out of a starting job in Philly, and his desire to land with a winning organization led him to accept a backup job.

"My No. 1 concern throughout the process was going to a winning team, a football team that was coached by a man I respect and a team that had a winning tradition and players that would be able to achieve that," Westbrook said when formally introduced Monday night. "I think I found all of those things here in San Francisco. It was a long process but in the end I think it turned out well for me."

Frank Gore will remain the starting running back in San Francisco. The 49ers recently were put into a scramble by the sudden retirement of backup RB Glen Coffee after his rookie season.

...As a New York Giants fan, I couldn't be happier to see Westbrook out of my division...but it's tough to see him go to a backup role anywhere after such a stellar NFL career...best of luck Brian and now I can root for you 100%!...

Villanova A Part of '24 Hours Of Hoops'

2010-08-16T18:09:29Z

As we know, Villanova will be participating in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off this fall as they open up their 2010-2011 campaign. We knew what teams were in their pod (Marist Red Foxes, George Washington Colonials, and Boston U. Terriers)

ESPN has confirmed that Marist will travel to Villanova for one of the opening games, and the game will be a part ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The game will be played at The Pavilion on Tuesday, November 16th at 5:30 p.m.

For the record, Marist was 1-29 last year. Let's just say I'm not devastated that I'll be working and will miss the 1st half of this game.

Corey Fisher Scores 105 Highlights

2010-08-15T14:34:31Z

Sorry to mis-lead you with this title. Sean Donovan did it to me, so I had to continue the trend. No, this isn't the much-anticipated footage of Corey Fisher and his legendary night at the playground. Instead, Donovan comes with an excellent response to all the clamoring for the video.

Here's Corey Fisher scoring 105 points in a Villanova uniform over the course of his career.

Mike Nardi Highlight Reel

2010-08-13T12:48:58Z

Sean Donovan is apparently on a mission this summer to get as many highlight reels as possible out to the masses. It's been a weekly thing at this point. This time we've got the career highlights of many times unsung glue of Villanova Wildcats vaunted 4-guard lineup, Mike Nardi.

Great work as always Sean!

Q&A With Andy Talley

2010-08-12T21:26:00Z

Villanova.com caught up with Head Coach Andy Talley following the first full-pads workout for the football team as they ramp up for the 2010 season. We've copied the transcript below for your reading pleasure.

It must feel good out here now that the rain has stopped, especially getting a break from the extreme heat the last few days.

"I thought we really could use the break that we got today because it was starting to get pretty hot for the players. The heat that we have dealt with this week just wears you out over time. The weather has been very tough and we caught a nice break today."

How have the first few days of practice compared to the last few years with this group of players, just in terms of having to deal with the heat and work through that?

"I would say this has been the hottest it has ever been when we have started camp, especially because we have the new turf on the field. It has been hotter than I can ever remember it."

More from Coach Talley after The Jump...

All weather issues aside, what have you been seeing from the players so far? How do you feel about the first few days of practice?

"I really like what I am seeing. Everyone came out ready to practice hard and the enthusiasm has been great. The weather slowed us down a little bit; that showed itself today in our scrimmage where I didn't think we were as crisp as I would normally like it. But that can be attributed to the weather being so hot. What I have seen from the returning players is that they have moved on from last year. I also really like the freshmen so far. I like their attitude and it looks like we have some pretty good athletes in the freshman class."

Coming off a national championship, it is more important than ever for the team to be able to turn the page and focus on a new season. Is there anything in particular the players need to do in order to make that happen?

"I don't know that there is something specific that has to happen. We don't talk about last year. Nothing has been said about it. My sense is that the players have pretty much been, like I am, interested in the chemistry of the football team and in replacing the seniors that are gone. We also want to see the freshmen adjust to what we are doing. This team has really good leadership in our senior class and those are the two things we have our eye on, the leadership and the chemistry. Those are the things we don't know about yet, and that we have to find out through the preseason."

One of the nice things about having so many players back is that you maybe get a break from needing them to learn how to play together. A lot of the returning starters are used to being on the same fieldwith each other. Does that make practices go a little smoother?

"That does make it easier, particularly because we have a fair amount of returners on both sides of the ball. It gives us the chance to work on solidifying some of the positions have been vacated, like defensively where we lost Ross Ventrone. We want to get Ronnie Akins ready to get back there and make calls and give him a few more reps. We have a few positions like that but the big thing for us now is to develop some depth and find out what freshmen can help us this year. That will probably happen mostly on special teams but it is a little early to tell at his point. We are looking to see if any of the freshmen can do what Dan Shirey did last year, to come in and start as a freshman."

It has to be a challenge for the freshmen to come into a program that not only has had so much success, and is coming off a national championship, but still has so many veteran pieces in place from the last few years.

"The challenge for the freshmen is to come in here and learn how to work hard, and to learn our work ethic and know that there is a very high expectation level. Some of them haven't gotten that yet, and they are in the process of recognizing that the way they did things prior to coming here aren't good enough. They have to step it up and pick it up a little bit. It is a learning process through the preseason, especially given the heat we have had. There is a work ethic and a toughness that has to come."

In a lot of ways the early part of preseason camp is the toughest part of the season, just in terms of the players having to be the most disciplined about practice and getting their reps in without having the preparation of getting ready for a game or a specific opponent.

"For the players the biggest challenge they face during preseason is how to handle the mental monotony of not preparing for a game and just going through practice after practice. That is tough, there is no question about that. We do what we can to try and break the practices up a little bit. We have some fun things that we do, from going to a Philadelphia Phillies game to having a bowling tournament. We try to do things like that to make sure that even with the rigors of practicing every day that the experience is still a fun one."