The Villanova Wildcats began their FCS schedule this week at home against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The Wildcats pulled away late in a 26-21 win. This win was only possible by a four-way committee rushing the ball for over 400 yards before kneeling on the ball in the final seconds. This was a much better game than last week for the Wildcats and they will look to build on that next week against the Towson Tigers.
Villanova Wildcats – Lehigh Mountain Hawks Analysis
Villanova Rushing Offense
The story of the day was how well Villanova ran the ball. The Wildcats ended with 396 yards on 52 carries and four touchdowns. At halftime, the adjustment was clear to only focus on rushing. Sophomore Zach Bednarczyk only threw the ball three times the entire second half. Head coach Andy Talley decided to go with this approach after Bednarczyk only completed five passes for 34 yards in the first half. While offensive coordinator Sam Venuto will look to improve the passing game, the Wildcats rushing committee of Javon White, Aaron Forbes, Jarrett McClenton, and Bednarczyk looks to be fairing well.
Villanova Front Seven
For the second week, the Villanova front seven has been able to cause trouble for opposing quarterbacks. The Wildcats were able to get five tackles for losses including a sack. Senior Tanoh Kpassagnon made an impact again this week five tackles and a sack. Kpassagnon is already on pace to break last year’s impressive stats on his way to the NFL Draft this spring.
Troy Pelletier
Junior Troy Pelletier had a huge game against the Wildcats. Despite anything Villanova did to cover him, it was not enough. Pelletier ended the game with 13 receptions for 121 yards. He was targeted a team high, 18 times, during the game. Senior Christian Summers will likely be watching this film this week to learn how to beat the Villanova pass defense. Summers has 232 yards on six receptions last week against the St. Francis Red Flash.
Overall
This was exactly what the Villanova Wildcats needed after a disappointing Week 1. While Bednarczyk has yet to get comfortable passing the ball, Villanova can at least support him with a solid rushing attack. This will be useful next week against Towson who had the 47th best rush defense last year and the 20th best this season.
