The Villanova Wildcats traveled to Easton, Pennsylvania to face the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday, winning the contest 31-14 after scoring two defensive touchdowns. Villanova’s rushing offense also stepped up yet again, rushing for 238 yards and averaging almost 6.0 yards per carry. Sophomore quarterback, Zach Bednarczyk, had another poor performance this week, only passing for 116 yards on 25 attempts. A strong effort like this will help the Wildcats gain confidence before they travel again next week to face the Elon Phoenix. Here is the LWOS Analysis on the Villanova win.
Breaking Down the Villanova Win Against Lafayette
Tanoh Kpassagnon
There isn’t much that senior Tanoh Kpassagnon cannot do. Kpassagnon returned a fumble 25 yards on the first drive of the game for six points. He also was able to record his third and fourth sacks of the season. It was easily the best game of the season for the senior defensive end and will certainly help his draft stock. Walter Football currently has Kpassagnon ranked 4th among all 3-4 defensive ends in the country. If Kpassagnon continues to perform at this high level, he could very easily have his named called among other 1st round draft picks.
The Rest of the Villanova Defense
While Kpassagnon played on his own level, the rest of the Villanova defense still played phenomenally. The Wildcats accounted for three sacks, eight tackles for losses, and three interceptions; one of which was returned for a touchdown. The rush defense played solidly, only allowing 70 yards on 38 carries. Junior DeSean Brown accounted for the majority of those yards, tallying 63 on 18 carries with a long of 24. Other than that one breakout run, the Wildcat’s played almost perfect defense. Junior Rob Rolle was also able to step up, with two more interceptions to add to his season.
Villanova Rush Offense
It says a lot about the Villanova defense that 238 yards and two rushing touchdowns is the third most key point of the game. However, the Villanova offense was able to rush all day with multiple rushers. Junior Javon White rushed the most with 18 carries, but sophomore Aaron Forbes stole the show. Forbes had a 56 yard rush that set up for a rushing touchdown later in the drive. The Wildcats should be glad that the rushing offense was efficient this week. Bednarczyk couldn’t get much going with only 116 yards on 25 attempts.
Overall
This was a great game for the Wildcats. The defense stepped up against a weaker opponent, and the rushing offense did exactly what it needed to. The only concern that Head Coach Andy Talley should take of this game is to fix Bednarczyk’s mechanics. He has only looked confident once this season and will need to fix this soon. The Wildcats continue their long stretch of conference games again next week with Elon.
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