Villanova braces for early-season showdown with Temple

Turn back the calendar to Sept. 3, 2009, and Villanova was an underdog heading into that night's inaugural Mayor's Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. Undaunted, the Wildcats posted a season-opening upset that served as a springboard to their Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) title run.

On Friday, Villanova will once again be an underdog against Temple. Could a victory spur another championship season?

"I think it could," Wildcats coach Andy Talley said.

He noted that beating Temple, a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) team, "gives you some maneuvering room as you move along to play in a tough Colonial Athletic Association" in terms of being eligible for the postseason.

But he added that a loss to an FBS team could ultimately hurt your playoff chances.

"Now you look to make the playoffs, and you go, OK, now I have to play five teams in the top 20 [nationally] in our league [Colonial Athletic Association] and try to survive that and only lose two more times," said Talley, whose squad is ranked first nationally in the Sports Networks' preseason poll.

"An 8-3 team is going to get you in the playoffs and a 7-4 probably won't," he added. "So in terms of making the playoffs, I think it's difficult to have a I-A team on your schedule."

Last season, Villanova benefited from five Temple turnovers before a last-second field goal gave the Wildcats a 27-24 victory.

Things could be much tougher this time around.

The Owls boast a Heisman Trophy candidate in sophomore running back Bernard Pierce. Temple also has a fleet-footed backup running back in sophomore Matt Brown.

Villanova didn't have to worry much about the Owls' one-two punch last season. As freshmen, the duo had a limited role. Pierce had six carries for 44 yards, with half of that coming on a 22-yard run. Brown caught three passes for 14 yards and returned a punt 8 yards.

Talley said that maintaining possession will be the best way to slow down Temple's offense.

"They are a pretty quick-strike team, even though they run the ball great," he said. "I mean they'll just pull if off play action and throw deep on you. And Michael Campbell is as good a wideout as there is in the country. They go deep to him three or four times. So the key is not to be on the field too much."

But the Owls realize that they must also keep Villanova's offense in check.

Quarterback Chris Whitney, offensive tackle Ben Ijalana, and do-everything wideout and Wildcat signal-caller Matt Szczur lead a unit that returns eight starters.

Szczur will arguably be the best athlete on the field Friday night. The senior is also recognized as Talley's most talented player since Brian Westbrook was a Wildcat.

In his last game, Szczur rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 68 yards in Villanova's 23-21 FCS national championship win over Montana.

The all-American and Whitney and Ijalana are named to the Walter Payton Award watch list. The award annually goes to the best player in the FCS.

Listening to Talley this week, one gets the sense that beating Temple will be an extremely tough task. He marveled over the Owls' mammoth offensive line, talented running backs, and hard-hitting defenders.

"I think without question, I can go on record and say this would be the best team that we'll play all year," Talley said of an Owls team that returns 16 starters from last season's 9-4 season. "I mean they are deep and talented and a tremendous challenge for us."