PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Villanova University football team is still alive in the FCS playoffs. The Wildcats head down to Stephenville, Texas, this weekend to battle Tarleton State in the quarterfinals.
In the first round, Villanova rocked Harvard 52-7. In the second round last weekend, the Wildcats held off Lehigh 14-7. In two playoff games, the Wildcats have allowed just 14 total points.
“They’re playing fundamentally sound,” said head coach Mark Ferrante. “We’re covering the gaps. We’re not out of position that often. Every now and then, we get hit with something, but we’re pretty much playing good fundamentals. Our tackling has gotten much better.”
Villanova is now 11-2 on the season and riding a 10-game winning streak. On Saturday, they will take on a Tarleton State team that is 12-1 and coming off a 31-13 win over North Dakota in the second round.
“They score a lot of points,” Ferrante said of Tarleton State’s offense. “They’ve got a good quarterback, they’re big up front, good running back; they rotate a couple of guys there. Wideouts look explosive, kind of similar to what we see when we go and play Monmouth, that level type of wideout.”
Monmouth was actually the last team to beat Villanova, back in September. Since then, Villanova has run off 10 straight wins.
Villanova has only turned the ball over five times in their 13 games this season — the fewest in all of the FCS. Tarleton State only has eight turnovers.
Saturday’s game begins at noon.