Villanova @ W&M preview
Posted by TTHS on October 22nd, 2006
Overview
The Tribe enters this game playing much better than the start of the year. With a fairly close loss to Madison and a close win vs. Liberty, the Tribe may have the slightest bit of confidence. ‘Nova has 2 wins on the year, close ones vs. Penn and Hofstra, but lost it’s homecoming by a TD to Towson and lost by 13 the week prior to Maine. This is definitely the Tribes best chance to get an A-10 win in their final season in the league.
When VU has the ball
VU OL vs. W&M DL
The wildcats mix youth and experience on their offensive line with 3 seniors, a sophomore and a freshman. In 6 games, the VU offensive line has given up 17 sacks and VU only averages a little over 110 yards per game on the ground. The Tribe also mixes young and old with 2 seniors and 2 freshman. Senior end Josh Wright got a sack last week, and also picked up 5 tackles. The other end, freshman Adrian Tracy, only got 4 tackles and no sacks, but evened it out with 2.5 tackles for loss to give him a team-leading 9.5. Tackle Brian Williamson got a half of a TFL and 2 tackles, and while freshman CJ Herbert only got 1 tackle, he has blocked several kicks this year.
VU running game vs. W&M LB’s
No running backs on VU really blow you away, with starter Matt Dicken only averaging 23 yards per game, but fullback DeQuese May(47 ypg) and RB Aaron Jones(18 ypg) turn into a solid combo. QB Marvin Burroughs is also a threat to run, and averages 20 yards per game. The 114 yards per game doesn’t blow you away, but there looks to be several guys who can get it done. The Tribe has given up over 100 yards on the ground every game, and over 150 each game except one. Vs. JMU the Tribe did a solid job stopping Eugene Holloman, but he still got his big runs. Senior Chris Ndubueze got 10 tackles vs. JMU and a tackle for loss. Sophomore Michael Pigram got 6 tackles vs. JMU, and Travis McLaurin got 9 tackles and an interception. Senior Linebacker Travis McLaurin has really fallen off the map since UMass.
VU passing game vs. W&M DB’s
Villanova has been solid passing the ball this year. They average just under 200 yards per game through the air behind QB Marvin Burroughs. He needs to work on protecting the ball, with 6 TD’s and as many interceptions, but other than that looks to be solid and is also a threat to run. FB DeQuese May is also a top receiver, averaging just under 47 yards per game, and he is joined by WR Chris Polite who averages 48 per. Anton Ridley also averages 41 yards per game. The Tribe pass D has been up and down on the year, and was down last week. Whenever Rascati needed one he found a receiver and a few players broke it open. The defensive backfield is talented with Richard Riley, Kevin Allen, Alan Wheeling, and Derek Cox, but they haven’t been consistent enough. This week will be telling about the passing D.
When W&M has the ball
W&M OL vs. VU DL
The run-blocking was solid yet again, as Elijah was 1 yard away from the century mark. The pass-blocking gave up 6 sacks, all when Jake Phillips was in. I am not sure whether that is a coincidence or not, but I’m starting to think it’s not. Phillips seemed to abort the pass whenever a defender got past the line, while Potts just passed it quicker. Villanova only starts 3 players on the DL, running a 3-3-5(according to VU’s website, which is looking shakey). Their only end is sophomore Greg Miller, who only has 26 tackles but balances it out with 3.5 sacks and 5 TFL. At DT they have Peter Caroppolo, a sophomore who only has 7 tackles in(I assume) limited time, and David Dalessandro, a sophomore with 30 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and 2.5 sacks.
W&M running game vs. VU LB’s
Elijah Brooks has put together 2 solid weeks on the ground, gaining 200 yards and 3 TD’s total vs. Liberty and JMU. If he can continue this hot streak the Tribe is looking very good. DeBrian Holmes is also a back that can break one any second, and Elliot Mack is becoming a great threat for reverses. Nova gives up a respectable 122 ypg on the ground, and is led by sophomore Mike Holland who has 5 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. He is joined by JC Cooper and Darrel Young. Cooper, a senior, has 34 tackles, a half a sack, and a half of a tackle for loss. Young, a sophomore, has 32 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and a sack.
W&M passing game vs. VU DB’s
Villanova has had trouble stopping the pass this year, giving up almost 250 yards per game. They only have 2 INT’s, by senior Rodney Badger and senior Allyn Bacchus. The Tribe needs to exploit Nova(and their 5 DB’s) through the air, and the only way to do that is play Mike Potts start to finish. Potts is averages a little over 140 ypg through the air in limited play time(half the snaps each game). He has also only been sacked twice this year, compared to Phillips’ 13 times. There is something seriously wrong with Laycock if Phillips gets as many snaps as Potts, much less start. But I digress. The status of receivers DJ McAulay and Joe Nicholas is unknown for this weekend, but I’d be willing to bet they both play. RJ Archer didn’t play as well last week, but Elliot Mack stepped in nicely with 48 yards receiving and 20 rushing. The tight ends were(and will be) huge, as Matt Trinkle got 4 catches for 57 yards and Andrew Atchison 2 for 27. RB Elijah Brooks can also be counted on to gain 10-20 yards through the air per game. If the Tribe doesn’t dominate this match-up, they are in trouble.
Special Teams
David Caldwell and Derek Cox were both impressive returning the ball last week vs. JMU. Blair Pritchard, however, was not. He missed one kick he should have made, one he shouldn’t, and made one short one. For ‘Nova, last week Tony Canci returned a punt for 40 yards and Salim Koroma returned 3 kicks for 73 yards. Kicker Joe Marcoux is a terrible 2/6 on the year on kicks, but the long is 42. He has the leg. He is 10/11 on PATs.
Final Prediction
Villanova keeps it close behind some big plays by QB Marvin Burroughs, but the Tribe pulls away late to a 10 point win. Homecoming fuels the Tribe to play very well. 24-14 Tribe.
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