One week after being shut out by Richmond, the No. 17 Villanova Wildcats responded with a win over Albany. The Wildcats won 24-13 and were led by the rushing efforts of Aaron Forbes. The score makes the game look much closer than it was. With only two minutes left in the 4th quarter, Zach Bednarczyk fumbled and the ball was returned 40 yards for a touchdown. The Wildcats should be proud of where they stand. They are 6-2 heading into the Bye Week. Here is the LWOS Analysis of the Villanova win.
Breaking Down the Villanova Win Against Albany
Aaron Forbes
While the Wildcats combined for 269 yards on 57 carries, Forbes led the way. Forbes gained 151 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns. In the third quarter, Forbes broke out for 28 yards on the drive that would later give him his second touchdown of the game. This is the second time this season that Forbes broke 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns in a game. Head Coach Andy Talley certainly made sure to make adjustments to his rushing game which has led Villanova to the stop they are in now.
Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks
Sophomore running back Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks also had a great day rushing, but could not find the end zone. Ibitokun-Hanks ran for 141 yards on 24 carries and scored once. Sixty-five of those yards came on a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. After starting the season with three consecutive 100+ yard rushing games, he went on a three game streak of not reaching 100 yards. However this week, Ibitokun-Hanks found his game again but it was not enough for Albany. Next week, the Great Danes will face Elon at home.
Villanova Front Seven
The Wildcats made today a living hell for quarterback Nevan Sussman. He was sacked nine times on the day which negated most of what Ibitokun-Hanks was able to do. Senior Tanoh Kpassagnon was able to sack Sussman 1.5 times to add to his already impressive season. It wasn’t Kpassagnon that led the way however. Junior linebacker Ed Shockley had 3.5 sacks on the day to lead the team. This front seven has been among the best in the FCS and will need to continue to do so to finish the year strong for Villanova.
Overall
The first eight games have gone very well for the Wildcats. Villanova is heading into the bye week at 6-2 and ranked in the Top 20. The bye week will give Villanova extra time before they travel to Maine to face the Black Bears. Maine is currently 4-3 with two losses against FBS opponents.
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