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'Nova's Szczur learns he can play and be a donor

Matt Szczur can now do both. The Villanova wideout will still donate bone marrow to a 1-year-old girl who has juvenile leukemia. And the 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior won't have to miss a Football Championship Subdivision playoff game to do so, as thought. The FCS (Division I-AA) playoffs will run from Nov. 28 through Dec. 18.

Matt Szczur can now do both.

The Villanova wideout will still donate bone marrow to a 1-year-old girl who has juvenile leukemia. And the 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior won't have to miss a Football Championship Subdivision playoff game to do so, as thought. The FCS (Division I-AA) playoffs will run from Nov. 28 through Dec. 18.

Szczur learned Thursday night that he will undergo the procedure at Hahnemann University Hospital in early January.

"It's either the seventh or the eighth [of January] or the 11th or the 12th," he said yesterday.

Szczur will be the second local football player to become a bone-marrow donor this fall. Rowan junior defensive end Matt Hoffman donated bone marrow Monday to a 51-year-old man who has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Szczur was informed Monday that he was a match for the 1-year-old. But at that time, he was under the impression that he would have to donate the week of the championship. Per National Bone Marrow Donor Program guidelines, he will not know the child's identity until a year after the procedure.

At this moment, Szczur couldn't care less. He's just extremely excited about being able to save a life.

"I'm willing to do anything for this little girl," said Szczur, whose close friend, Lauren Muholland, was born with cancer.

"She's fine and she beat cancer," he added about Muholland. "And I know I would do anything for her . . . When I got the call, she was the first one to know. She was excited."

Szczur will begin taking a medication four days before the procedure to increase the number of blood-forming cells in his bloodstream. Swelling of the spleen, bone aches and nausea are a few of the side affects that would have prohibited him from playing football while on the medication.

The speedster would have been missed had he sat out a game.

He's a reason why the second-ranked Wildcats (9-1, 6-1 Colonial Athletic Association) will clinch the CAA co-championship and automatic NCAA bid with a victory over 25th-ranked Delaware (6-4, 4-3) today.

His average of 127.5 all-purpose yards per game ranks second in the conference. Szczur leads the conference with a 28.8-yard average on kickoff returns, and he has 33 receptions for 335 yards and four touchdowns. He also has rushed for 392 yards and four scores, and he is 3 of 3 passing for 21 yards and two touchdowns.

Szczur was originally told the procedure would take place the weekend of the NCAA final. He got the procedure pushed back after talking to Villanova coach Andy Talley, who is heavily involved in the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

"I told him, 'If anybody can get this done, you can get it done,' " Szczur said. "I need to get this changed. And you know I need to play in this game."

But if he had to, Szczur was prepared to miss the game.

"It's not something I can just pass up," he said. "I'm willing to try to save this girl's life for the national championship game if we are [able] to make it there."

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When: Today at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Villanova Stadium.

TV/Radio: The Comcast Network; ESPN-AM (950).

Records: Delaware, 6-4, 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association, ranked 25th in Football Championship Subdivision; Villanova, 9-1, 6-1, ranked second.

Coaches: Delaware, K.C. Keeler (eighth season, 64-38); Villanova, Andy Talley (25th season, 174-111-1).

Series: Villanova won the last three meetings and holds a 21-20-1 series edge.

Delaware update: A victory would give the Blue Hens seven victories for the fourth time in Keeler's eight seasons. Delaware needs to win this game to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. Quarterback Pat Devlin must have a huge game for the Blue Hens to beat their archrival. The Downingtown East product, who transferred from Penn State, has completed 178 of 286 passes for 2,257 yards and 15 touchdowns to go with six interceptions.

Villanova update: A victory would give the Wildcats the co-CAA championship title and conference's automatic bid in the NCAA playoffs. Villanova would also secure its second consecutive 10-win season with a win. The Wildcats boast the nation's third-ranked and CAA's top-ranked scoring defense, holding opponents to 13 points a game. Junior outside linebacker Terence Thomas has a team-leading 74 tackles and 6.5 sacks. - Keith Pompey
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