With four weeks remaining in the 2021 regular season, Villanova is undefeated against FCS competition and making a strong case for one of the top seeds in the upcoming playoffs. 

William & Mary comes to the Main Line on Halloween eve looking to disrupt the Wildcats’ postseason outlook—and throw the Colonial Athletic Association championship race into chaos. 

The Tribe come into Villanova one of three teams just one game behind the Wildcats in the CAA loss column. They have been knocking on the door of the Top 25 in recent weeks, but going on the road to knock off the nation’s No. 4-ranked team would kick that door in. 

Easier said than done. 

Villanova is coming off arguably its best performance of the season in a 44-0 manhandling of Rhode Island last week.

William & Mary played arguably its best game a week ago, too, routing Towson 40-14. The emphatic bounce-back from the Tribe’s first loss to an FCS opponent (27-16 at Maine on Oct. 16) rekindled hopes for the program’s first postseason appearance since 2015.

Defense Through Offense

Villanova and William & Mary coming into Saturday’s matchup among the CAA’s top four in the standings is no coincidence given both defenses rank in the top four for points allowed. 

Last week’s rout of URI marked the third time this season Villanova held an opponent to single digits scoring, and the Wildcats have given up just 10 combined points in their last two games. 

Recent results catapulted Villanova to No. 7 nationally at 15.4 points allowed per game. 

Boasting the nation’s fifth-most prolific turnover generation is one reason for Villanova’s defensive prowess, and cornerback Christian Benford has been central to that end. He’s tied for the most interceptions in FCS with five. 

𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱!

That’s 🖐 interceptions this season for Christian Benford! pic.twitter.com/osYn4Fp4MO

— Villanova Football (@NovaFootball) October 26, 2021

William & Mary coach Mike London said containing Villanova’s special teams and offense is as much a part of attacking the Wildcats’ defense as moving the ball. 

“You can see the confidence they have in what they play with, and it feeds off of their offense,” London said. “We’ve got to do a great job with the team play, the team feeding off all three elements.”  

Villanova employs an effective, ball-control offense, averaging a massive time-of-possession advantage of 31:23 to 28:37. The Wildcats’ ability to eat up the clock on long scoring drives gives the defense time to rest and come out fresh, and forces opposing offenses to play with a heightened sense of urgency. 

That can lead to forced plays and turnover opportunities. 

Rushing Rotations

Villanova’s multidimensional rushing approach can hurt defenses with any number of ball-carriers. Operating behind a stout, veteran offensive line, the Wildcats send a variety of rushers at opponents with no drop-off in production.

To wit, standout running back Justin Covington did not play against Rhode Island. All reserve Justin Jackson did was go off for 104 yards on just 12 carries.  

“He’s been patiently waiting [for] his opportunities,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrant said of Jackson. “We have a really good running-back room—at least, we think we do—we’ve got some nice depth there. You can never keep four guys or more happy; there aren’t enough carries in a game.” 

Between Jackson, Covington, DeeWil Barlee and TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Villanova has a lot of options to spread out too few rushing opportunities. Quarterback Dan Smith’s mobility adds another pair of legs to feed. 

It may not be great for individual stat-padding, but it’s key to the Villanova offense.

Few teams around college football can claim similar depth in the running game—but William & Mary is one of them. 

The Tribe rank No. 15 nationally at 211 rushing yards per game. Donavyn Lester leads the way at 487 yards and five touchdowns. Lester’s coming off his best two-game stretch, going for 112 yards against Maine then 99 yards with three scores against Towson. 

Quarterback Darius Wilson has been a revelation this fall, complementing his 63.6 percent passing efficiency with a 49.5-yard per game rushing average. 

Do-everything Bronson Yoder has 268 rushing yards, and springtime breakout freshman Malachi Imoh returned to the lineup this month to add 172 yards in just three games. 

Perhaps most impressive is that each of William & Mary’s four ball-carriers average at least 5.5 yards per carry. 

Explosive X-Factors

Both Villanova and William & Mary have a proven ability to turn the tide of games with explosive plays, whether on the ground... 

Justin Covington is off to the races! PAT is blocked. @NovaFootball leads 13-7.#CAAFB pic.twitter.com/dS47vbDA0L

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 9, 2021

...or through the air. 

Did someone say FIREWORKS!? @WMTribeFootball takes no time punching back. Darius Wilson connects with Zach Burdick for the 65-yard score. Tune in to this game folks!#CAAFB on @FloFootball:https://t.co/JHpSKnO4zj pic.twitter.com/pIIHInnTjo

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 23, 2021

Saturday’s contest may well come down to which offense can generate an explosive score of 20-plus yards.