Villanova is 12-24-1 all-time against current Big Ten members
Penn State and Villanova have a history, of course, but the Wildcats have also faced some other Big Ten members over the course of their history. Villanova has also faced Rutgers (as previously mentioned), Indiana and Maryland. Here is Villanova’s record all-time against current Big Ten members;
- 0-2 vs. Indiana
- 2-9 vs. Maryland
- 3-5-1 vs. Penn State
- 7-8 vs. Rutgers
Villanova won a thriller last week vs. Richmond
The Wildcats are off to a wild start to their season this year. After blowout victories over Lehigh and Bucknell, the Wildcats were challenged by Richmond last week. Richmond had a 27-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Daniel Smith led a furious comeback. Villanova scored 21 points in the final five minutes. A 44-yard touchdown pass to Jaaron Hayek gave the Wildcats a lead and a 47-yard touchdown pass to Rayjoun Pringle provided a late cushion.
Smith earned CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Spiders. Smith is one completion away from 600 career completions and one touchdown away from 75 career touchdowns (Smith previously played at Campbell before transferring to Villanova).
It’s early, but Villanova leads the FCS in turnover margin
Penn State has been excellent with its turnover margin early on this season, a stark contrast from a year ago. But Villanova will come into the game leading the FCS in turnover margin. If the Wildcats are going to make this any sort of a game, they will have to hope to find a way to keep that advantage against the Nittany Lions. Villanova leads the FCS with 11 forced turnovers this season with eight interceptions. Of course, Lehigh and Bucknell aren’t exactly the kind of opponent Villanova will be facing this weekend.
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