Villanova Wildcats (NCAA 11)

[superjames1992]

2011 Villanova Wildcats Season Preview

It could be a make-or-break year for Villanova head coach James Frizzell. After guiding his Wildcats to a 4-8 record last year, including a 2-5 conference record, Frizzell is facing the heat by some of the administration. However, he fired back this offseason.

"Look, last year was our first year in FBS football and our first in a BCS conference," said Frizzell. "Anyone who thought we were going to come in and win a lot of games right off the bat is a moron."

Sharp words from Frizzell, but he is obviously frustrated by some of the fans' and administrations' unrealistic expectations.

This year will be an important year for Coach Frizzell and his Wildcats. Unfortunately, the team is not any more talented than last year. In fact, some may say that there's less talent on this year's squad. Nonetheless, the Wildcats need to show improvement this year if Coach Frizzell hopes to be able to renew his contract next year.

Last year, most expected Marlon Calbi to become quarterback after Chris Whitney's graduation this past offseason. Instead, redshirt freshman Dustin Thomas will take the reins this season. Thomas is a slightly more accurate passer than Calbi and should be around for four years to guide the Wildcats.

Starters

Offense:
QB Dustin Thomas, Fr (69)
RB Lawrence Doss, Sr (72)
FB Miller Edwards, Sr (72)
WR Dorian Wells, Sr (76)
WR Todd Davis, Fr (69)
TE Jeremy Thorne, Fr (67)
LT Ryan Bennett, Sr (62)
LG Jordy Paulemon, So (61)
C Donovan Allieri, So (78)
RG Ross Hall, So (74)
RT Chidozie Ekweozor, Sr (67)
Defense:
DE Josh Lumer, So (63)
DE Marlon Johnson, Jr (74)
DT Blaise Butler, Sr (68)
DT John Thibodeaux, Fr (65)
LOLB B.J. Roach, Fr (68)
MLB Connor Nelson, Sr (66)
ROLB Anthony Johnson, Sr (65)
CB Eric Loper, Jr (72)
CB Kelvin Johnson, Sr (64)
FS John Maughan, So (64)
SS Ronnie Akins, Jr (70)
Special Teams:
K/P Nick Yako, Jr (76)

2011 Villanova Football Schedule

8/27 vs. Buffalo

9/3 vs. Temple

9/10 at #9 Penn State

9/24 vs. Syracuse

10/1 at Army

10/8 vs. Rutgers

10/15 at Cincinnati

10/22 at Notre Dame

10/29 at #7 West Virginia

11/5 vs. South Florida

11/12 vs. Louisville

11/19 at Pittsburgh

Projected Record: 3-9 (1-6 Big East)

Preseason Top 25:
1. Alabama (33)
2. Ohio State (26)
3. Oklahoma (1)
4. Texas (1)
5. Boise State
6. Wisconsin
7. West Virginia
8. USC
9. Penn State
10. Washington
11. TCU
12. Iowa
13. Florida State
14. Stanford
15. Virginia Tech
16. Oregon
17. Georgia Tech
18. Nebraska
19. Miami
20. Utah
21. Michigan State
22. Arkansas
23. Texas A&M
24. Mississippi State
25. Mississippi
28. Rutgers
36. Pittsburgh
59. Syracuse
67. Louisville
74. Cincinnati
80. South Florida
91. Villanova

Big East Projected Standings:
1. #7 West Virginia
2. Rutgers
3. Pittsburgh
4. Syracuse
5. Louisville
6. Cincinnati
7. South Florida
8. Villanova

[superjames1992]

Disaster in Philly



For the second year in a row, the Buffalo Bulls (1-0, 0-0 MAC) dismantled the Villanova Wildcats (0-1, 0-0 Big East). Last year, it was expected, but this year it could be a sign of an utterly disappointing season.

There were so many weaknesses exposed by the Bulls in this game that it is hard to list them all. The most glaring weakness is the lack of a rushing attack. Quarterback Dustin Thomas managed to run for 66 yards, but most of those were on scrambles and not on designed run plays. Starting running back Lawrence Doss ran for only nine yards on eight carries. Fullback Miller Edwards ran for 11 yards on six carries. The fact of the matter is that the Wildcats cannot run the football, at all. Another weakness was the sheer number of drops. Dustin Miller only completed 15 of his 40 passing attempts, which looks bad on paper, but when one examines it closer, the will see that Villanova's receivers dropped six passes this afternoon. Those six drops were crucial.

Villanova's defense is not very good at all, either, but that was to be expected.

The key in this game ultimately came down to the only turnover of the game. The Wildcats had the ball at the Buffalo two yard line with the score 19-17 in favor of the Bulls in the fourth quarter. However, Miller Edwards took the handoff from Dustin Miller and proceeded to fumble the ball, taking the Wildcats out of position for the go-ahead field goal. But it got worse as Buffalo defensive end Gordon DuBois picked up the ball and ran 98 yards for a touchdown to make it a two-score game.

"That was a disaster," said Villanova head coach James Frizzell. "We were sitting pretty with the ball inside the five yard line in position for the go-ahead score, but that play just killed us and we never recovered. We can't do that if we want to be a winning football team."

Villanova will look to bounce back at home next week against their crosstown rivals, the Temple Owls.

Aug 27, 2010 - BUFF at NOVA
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Buffalo (1-0)	13	6	0	10	29
Villanova (0-1)	10	7	0	0	17

Team Stats Comparison
BUFF		NOVA
509	Total Offense	366
129	Rushing Yards	86
380	Passing Yards	280
23	First Downs	18
15	Punt Return Yards	6
61	Kick Return Yards	105
585	Total Yards	477
0	Turnovers	1
9-18	3rd Down Converstion	6-15
1-1	4th Down Conversion	0-1
0-0	2-Point Conversion	0-0
5-1-3	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-2-1
7-47	Penalties	8-65
19:43	Posession Time	16:48

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	NOVA
5:22	(BUFF) 4 yard run by Davis	7	0
3:18	(NOVA) 2 yard run by Doss	7	7
2:37	(BUFF) 45 yard pass from Davis to Rivers (XP missed)	13	7
1:12	(NOVA) 27 yard field goal by Yako	13	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	NOVA
6:16	(NOVA) 6 yard run by Thomas	13	17
3:57	(BUFF) 33 yard field goal by Grant	16	17
1:19	(BUFF) 35 yard field goal by Grant	19	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	NOVA
5:26	(BUFF) 98 yard fumble return by DuBois	26	17
1:59	(BUFF) 30 yard field goal by Grant	29	17

Buffalo Key Players:
J. Davis - 27/35, 380 Yds, TD, Rush TD
J. Potts - 27 Car, 98 Yds
T. Jackson - 8 Rec, 133 Yds
M. Rivers - 5 Rec, 92 Yds, TD
E. Young - 6 Rec, 64 Yds
R. Long - 8 Tkl, FF
S. Pettigrew - 6 Tkl
C. Lammons - 5 Tkl, TFL, Sck
G. DuBois - FR, TD

Villanova Key Players:
D. Thomas - 15/40, 280 Yds, 13 Car, 66 Yds, TD
L. Doss - 8 Car, 9 Yds, TD
D. Wells - 5 Rec, 102 Yds
J. Price - 5 Rec, 81 Yds
J. Thorne - 2 Rec, 40 Yds
M. Johnson - 11 Tkl, 5 TFL
M. Mayock - 9 Tkl
J. Maughan - 7 Tkl, TFL
E. Loper - 7 Tkl, TFL

Top 10 Poll:
1. Alabama (40 (1-0)
2. Ohio State (21) (1-0)
3. Oklahoma (1-0)
4. Texas (1-0)
5. Boise State (0-0)
6. Wisconsin (1-0)
7. West Virginia (0-0)
8. USC (1-0)
9. Penn State (1-0)
10. Washington (1-0)

Big East Standings:
1. Cincinnati 1-0 (0-0)
2. #7 West Virginia 0-0 (0-0)
3. Syracuse 0-0 (0-0)
4. Pittsburgh 0-0 (0-0)
5. South Florida 0-0 (0-0)
6. Rutgers 0-0 (0-0)
7. Louisville 0-1 (0-0)
8. Villanova 0-1 (0-0)

[superjames1992]

Owls Fly Over Wildcats



It was clear from the very first play from scrimmage that this game would not be close. On that play, Bernard Pierce would take the ball out of the shotgun and run 75 yards untouched for a touchdown to put the Owls up 7-0 right off the bat. Pierce would end the day with 195 yards rushing on 18 carries. He also scored on a 73 yard pass reception.

The Owls completely dominated in all facets of the game. In fact, they amassed over 400 yards of offense and 34 points in the first half alone.

This serves as payback for last year's 42-41 Villanova win at Temple, although this game certainly hurts much worse.

"They're just better than us," explained Villanova head coach James Frizzell, referring to the Temple Owls. "We got knocked around out there today and it was clear that we never had a chance. We just have to keep our heads up and keep on chopping away at it."

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they get the privilege of going into Happy Valley to face off against the top 10-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions next weekend in what should prove to be a slaughter.

Sep 3, 2011 - TEM at NOVA
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Temple (1-0)	21	13	7	7	48
Villanova (0-2)	10	10	0	7	27

Team Stats Comparison
TEM		NOVA
564	Total Offense	501
221	Rushing Yards	176
343	Passing Yards	325
13	First Downs	22
24	Punt Return Yards	12
114	Kick Return Yards	137
702	Total Yards	650
2	Turnovers	5
5-14	3rd Down Converstion	3-16
0-0	4th Down Conversion	3-5
0-0	2-Point Conversion	0-0
4-2-2	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-2-1
9-88	Penalties	8-70
18:56	Posession Time	21:11

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TEM	NOVA
8:43	(TEM) 75 yard run by Pierce	7	0
5:29	(NOVA) 44 yard field goal by Yako	7	3
4:24	(TEM) 14 yard pass from Stewart to Johnson	14	3
2:15	(TEM) 82 yard pass from Stewart to Turner	21	3
0:12	(NOVA) 17 yard run by Thomas	21	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TEM	NOVA
6:36	(NOVA) 39 yard field goal by Yako	21	13
6:22	(TEM) 73 yard pass from Stewart to Pierce	28	13
2:41	(TEM) 25 yard field goal by McManus	31	13
2:22	(NOVA) 86 yard pass from Thomas to Wells	31	20
0:46	(TEM) 21 yard field goal by McManus	34	20
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TEM	NOVA
0:49	(TEM) 31 yard pass from Stewart to Rodriguez	41	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TEM	NOVA
6:28	(TEM) 2 yard run by Rodriguez	48	20
0:17	(NOVA) 6 yard pass from Calbi to Erbeznik	48	27

Temple Key Players:
C. Stewart - 17/27, 325 Yds, 4 TD, INT
B. Pierce - 18 Car, 195 Yds, TD, Rec, 73 Yds, TD
A. Smith - 10 Car, 38 Yds
E. Rodriguez - Car, 2 Yds, TD, 3 Rec, 63 Yds, TD
L. Turner - 4 Rec, 127 Yds, TD
K. Custis - 8 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 Sck, FF
S. Johnson - 7 Tkl, 2 INT
J. Gildea - 7 Tkl, INT
K. Kroboth - 7 Tkl, FF
M. Jones - 7 Tkl, TFL


Villanova Key Players:
M. Calbi - 5/10, 93 Yds, TD, INT
D. Thomas - 12/32, 209 Yds, TD, 2 INT, 15 Car, 101 Yds, TD
C. Culicerto - 2/5, 23 Yds
L. Doss - 11 Car, 58 Yds
M. Edwards - 7 Rec, 36 Yds
D. Wells - 5 Rec, 118 Yds, TD
J. Price - 6 Rec, 96 Yds
J. Thorne - 3 Rec, 43 Yds
C. Nelson - 10 Tkl, TFL, Sck
A. Johnson - 9 Tkl, TFL
E. Loper - 6 Tkl, INT
M. Johnson - 6 Tkl, TFL, FR
L. Dennis - 6 Tkl, FF

Top 10 Poll:
1. Alabama (34) (2-0)
2. Oklahoma (26) (2-0)
3. Texas (1) (2-0)
4. Boise State (1-0)
5. Wisconsin (2-0)
6. West Virginia (1-0)
7. USC (1-0)
8. Washington (2-0)
9. TCU (2-0)
10. Ohio State (1-1)

Big East Standings:
1. #6 West Virginia 1-0 (0-0)
2. Rutgers 1-0 (0-0)
3. Syracuse 1-0 (0-0)
4. South Florida 1-0 (0-0)
5. Pittsburgh 1-0 (0-0)
6. Louisville 1-1 (0-0)
7. Cincinnati 1-1 (0-0)
8. Villanova 0-2 (0-0)

[matt314hew]

Quote: Originally Posted by superjames1992

I understand what you all are saying, but my approval bar is at zero midway through year two and I have very little chance at changing that no matter how good/bad I do at this point. My team rating is a D, which doesn't help matters. It's a helplessly futile situation due to the lack of coaching contracts logic in this game. I really wish this game had contracts like on CH 2K8.

I see what you are saying. Hopefully you don't get canned. I am hoping Nova does actually move up to the Big East. I am excited for the TCU Expansion. Go Nova.