Villanova vs. Towson Preview + Hampton Recap
Written by David Szczepanski on November 4, 2022
Recap from Last Weekend vs. Hampton
Villanova defeated Hampton, 24-10, on October 29th.
Villanova needed a win like the one on Saturday vs. Hampton. The Wildcats were 4-3 overall on the season and 2-2 in CAA play coming into the game. In order to keep playoff hopes alive, Villanova would most likely have to win out. On Halloween Weekend, the Wildcats kept their playoff hopes alive with their victory.
Connor Watkins had some trouble throwing the ball, especially in the pocket. He went 14-32 for 161 yards with one passing touchdown and one interception. However, Watkins brought his running shoes with him on Saturday. He led the Wildcats in rushing yards with 130, including a huge 75-yard run and two touchdowns. TD Ayo-Durojaiye also had another great game as he rushed for 112 yards. Jaaron Hayek had five receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown.
Glance at This Weekend’s Opponent
The Wildcats will travel to Maryland this weekend for a 2pm Saturday (11/5) matchup against the Towson Tigers.
The Towson Tigers are 3-5 overall (1-4 CAA) after a 52-48 win over Monmouth last week. Tigers’ QB, Tyrrell Pigrome has a 57.3 completion percentage. Pigrome has thrown for 1,118 yards and eight touchdowns this season. However, Pigrome had his best game of the season last week against the Hawks. He completed 20 of his 25 attempted passes (80%) for 216 yards and one touchdown.
The Tigers will utilize two running backs on Saturday: Devin Matthews and Joachim Bangda. Matthews leads the team in rushing attempts with 72 for 394 yards and four touchdowns. Bangda has rushed for 172 yards this season while averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
Although the Tigers offense put up 52 points last week against Monmouth, this past Saturday was the first game that the Tigers put up more than 29 points all season. However, Towson’s defense has also been a huge problem this season. In their last six games, Towson’s defense has given up an average of 40.8 points per game.
My Prediction
To win this weekend, Villanova should focus on playing solid defense: bend but do not break. The Wildcats’ offense is definitely capable of scoring some points on the Towson defense. Although Watkins will most likely throw more this week, he will also utilize his running game like he did last Saturday.
Villanova 41- Towson 17
