Two of the best rushing attacks in the CAA square off in Hampton, Virginia, #13 Villanova vs. Hampton Preview

HAMPTON, VA—#13 Villanova travels to Virginia for a CAA contest against the Hampton Pirates. The Wildcats look to continue their defensive success against Hampton on Saturday afternoon.

Villanova enters Saturday’s game with a 6-2 overall record, including three wins in their first four conference games. They rebounded nicely from a blowout loss in Maine two weeks ago with a 14-6 victory over New Hampshire this past Saturday in the annual Homecoming Game at Villanova Stadium.

Villanova vs. New Hampshire at Villanova Stadium last Saturday.

Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante discussed Villanova’s execution of their gameplan against New Hampshire at his CAA press conference earlier this week.

“I think we stayed pretty good with our gameplan throughout and were able to secure the win,” Ferrante said. “Like you said, we only ran 47 plays, but three of them were knees. And two of them were handoffs to end the first half. The bottom line is we were able to get into the endzone a couple of times and were able to hold them out of the endzone when they had opportunities to get there.”

The Wildcats’ defense held UNH to just six points on two field goals. They finished the game with two goal-line stops against New Hampshire. Linebacker Shane Hartzell led the team with a career-high 20 tackles.

Villanova’s offense scored two passing touchdowns on deep passes from QB Connor Watkins. Devin Smith and Lucas Kopecky both received a touchdown reception last weekend. Despite some passing game success against UNH, Villanova has only scored 21 points in their two games since the bye week.

Coach Ferrante mentioned the success and impact of Kopecky in his first season playing collegiate football.

“He’s a nice addition,” Ferrante said. “He could run for days.”

The Wildcats’ rushing attack will feature David Avit and Isaiah Ragland. Avit had 556 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his first eight games of the season. He totaled 59 yards on the ground against UNH last weekend. Ragland returned from an ankle injury this past Saturday. He had just six carries and 27 yards in his return. Ragland’s carries should increase as he fully recovers from the injury. The Wildcats are getting healthier on both sides of the football, especially offensively.

Hampton’s Two-Game Winning Streak

Hampton is 5-3 overall in their 2024 campaign. The Pirates are 2-2 in CAA play, with their two wins coming in back-to-back weeks against North Carolina A&T and Elon. They started their conference schedule with two consecutive losses against William & Mary and Rhode Island. Rhode Island, the conference leader, defeated Hampton, 46-44, in double overtime on October 5^th.

The Pirates’ Excellent Rushing Attack: 23 Touchdowns

Like Villanova, Hampton’s rushing attack is the best part of their offense. The Pirates’ offense averaged 34.5 points per contest in the first eight games. The rushing attack had 23 total touchdowns and averaged 205.3 yards on the ground per contest.

Elijah Burris leads Hampton in rushing yards with 488 yards this season. He also accumulated four touchdowns in eight games. Ja’Quan Snipes and Tymere Robinson both enter today’s game with six touchdowns in 2024. The Pirates’ running back room has a lot of depth, and head coach Trent Boykin will give Villanova different looks at the running back position.

Hampton’s Two Quarterbacks

Hampton’s starting QB, Malcolm Mays, completed 72 of his 101 passing attempts this season. Mays has nine passing touchdowns and just one interception. However, Mays only had one game with more than 200 passing yards in his first eight contests.

The Pirates will also utilize their backup quarterback, Chris Zellous, who has played in all eight games. Zellous had nine more passing attempts than Mays in the first eight contests, but he had just two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Hampton’s best wide receiver is Brennan Ridley, a freshman from Richmond, Virginia. He has 34 receptions for 444 yards and three passing touchdowns. Hampton has 11 passing touchdowns this season, as most of their offense comes from their ground attack.

Hampton’s defense allowed just 26.3 points per game in 2024. They allowed 19 points per game in their last two CAA matchups. Defensive back Tre Everett III leads Hampton with 34 solo tackles. Defensive lineman Christopher Eaton has three and a half tackles for a loss of 20 yards in 2024.

Coach Boykin highlighted some challenges his team would face against Villanova on Saturday afternoon.

“Coach [Ferrante] has been there forever,” Boykin said. “He was at Villanova when I was a player at Youngstown State. So, he understands the system there. They have a culture there. He does a great job. Their defense is stingy. They’ve got two great linebackers. Their pass defense is probably one of the elite we are going to see. They swarm to the football. Offensively, they got a great quarterback. They’ve got two good running backs that can run the football. They got a couple wide receivers that are fantastic.”

Coach Ferrante also acknowledged Hampton’s high-powered offense and recent success in his preparation for this game.

“They are putting up a ton of points on offense,” Ferrante said. “They have some big play explosive opportunities with some guys. They seem to be playing all three phases of the game really well. They are playing with confidence.”

Today’s Game Details

WXVU will not have live coverage of today’s game, but there will be some social media content. The game can be watched on FloSports and begins at 1 p.m. at Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, Virginia.