Villanova at Maine Football Preview | October 1st

After a disappointing Family Weekend game against Monmouth, Villanova travels to Maine this Saturday (October 1st) to take on the 0-3 Black Bears. This will be the first matchup between the Wildcats and Black Bears since April 2021, where Villanova crushed Maine, 44-17.

Keys to Success

Even though the Black Bears are 0-3, Villanova still has to figure out their defense in order to be successful. The Wildcats have given up 49 points in back-to-back games and have yet to keep an opponent’s offense to less than 21 points. After last week’s loss, Coach Mark Ferrante emphasized the team’s need to tackle better. In terms of offense, the Wildcats will need big games from QB Connor Watkins, who threw for 239 yards against Monmouth, and RB Jalen Jackson, who ran for 187 yards and scored three touchdowns last Saturday. Villanova will also need to utilize Jaaron Hayek throughout the entire game and find a way to use Rayjoun Pringle more effectively, especially on third downs.

A Glance at the Opponent (University of Maine)

This will be Maine’s first matchup against a CAA team. So far this season, Maine has lost to New Mexico, Colgate, and Boston College. However, the Black Bears put up a fight in their losses to Colgate and Boston College. Their only home game was against Colgate on September 10^th, where Maine lost by just three points. The Black Bears QB, Joe Fagnano, has thrown for 631 yards this season, but only has three touchdowns and a 53.2 completion rating. Maine has also struggled to run the ball this season with the Black Bears only totaling 227 yards on the ground.

My Prediction:

Villanova 31- Maine 21