College Football Preview: Richmond vs Villanova

Thursday, November 5, 2009

By Sebastian Salazar
CSNwashington.com

For the seventh time this fall, the University of Richmond prepares to defend their #1 national ranking against a fellow member of the Colonial Athletic Association.  This weekend's test may be the stiffest yet for Mike London's team, as fourth-ranked Villanova visits U of R Stadium.  The two teams have had some epic battles in recent years, including back-to-back one-possession ball games in 2007 and 2008.

"Last year's game was one of those games that just went back and forth," London said of his team's 26-20 loss last fall to the Wildcats, "Coach [Andy] Talley has been around for a while and Villanova has done a phenomenal job of consistently putting out good teams."

In addition to showcasing two of the best programs in the FCS, Saturday's game will also pit two of the nation's most exciting quarterbacks against each other.  The Spiders are led by Eric Ward, who has thrown 12 touchdowns while completing 63% of his passes this season.  Ward is coming off one of the most efficient outings of his stellar career, as the senior completed 11 of 14 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-14 blowout of Towson a week ago.  In the opposite huddle, Chris Whitney may not have Ward's experience, but there isn't a quarterback hotter than Villanova’s junior signal caller.  In his most recent performance, Whitney ran for 128 yards against Rhode Island while hitting all but four of his fifteen passes.  A physical runner with great ball skills, Whitney provides a true dual-threat in the 'Nova backfield.

"We are going to have to be sound in our assignments and not give a very, very good quarterback in Whitney any opportunity," noted London when asked about game-planning for Villanova's attack,  "he's definitely a dual-dimension guy when he's back there."

Beyond the implications for both Richmond and Villanova, Saturday figures to have a huge impact on the rest of the CAA.  With five teams in the Top 25, the league has already established itself as the best at the FCS level... but with the NCAA playoffs looming, a good performance by both teams could go a long way in earning the conference some well-deserved respect among the selection committee.

"I've always said that I think our conference is the strongest conference in FCS football," said London, whose team received one vote in the Division I AP Top 25 poll, "if that is true, then hopefully the implications of that will be revealed when the time is appropriate."

Villanova leads the all-time series between the two schools 19-9.  Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 Saturday afternoon in Richmond and the game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.

Watch Richmond coach Mike London talk about this weekend's showdown with Villanova.

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