With a 72-55 win over Seton Hall in its conference home opener, Villanova’s winning streak reached seven on Friday night.
The Wildcats (9-2, 2-0 Big East) made an early statement at Finneran Pavilion against one of their prime conference rivals. Seton Hall (7-4, 1-1 Big East) was third in the conference preseason poll, while Villanova was ranked fourth.
Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Ryanne Allen added 19 points.
Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe (11) prepares to shoot a three-point basket against Seton Hall on Friday.
The Pirates were paced by sophomore guard Jada Eads, who scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.
It wasn’t one of Villanova’s strongest shooting nights. The Wildcats went 30-for-68 (44.1%) from the field, including 12-of-34 on three-pointers. But they thrived on defense to claim a double-digit victory over their Big East foe.
Villanova’s success in the turnover battle was key, as they scored 18 points off 15 Seton Hall turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pirates managed four points from Villanova’s 12 turnovers.
Shaking off the rust
It took some time for the Wildcats to find their rhythm after a nearly two-week hiatus from competition. Villanova last played on Dec. 7, when it beat St. Joseph’s to claim the Big 5 Classic championship.
The Wildcats shot just 5-for-18 from the field in the opening 10 minutes.
However, Villanova leaned on its steady defense, notching six steals in the first quarter and holding Seton Hall to 5-for-14 shooting from the field.
As Villanova trailed, 11-7, with 49 seconds left in the first quarter, Bascoe stole the ball and drove in a layup. Freshman forward Brooke Bender then sank a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a one-point edge heading into the break.
Allen heats up
Allen fueled the scoring in second quarter, making all five of her three-pointers.
The Wildcats continued to control possession as 12 of their 23 points came off turnovers.
With 1 minute, 23 seconds remaining in the first half, junior forward Brynn McCurry grabbed a steal and passed it to Bender. She then assisted Allen’s fourth three-pointer to secure a 35-25 halftime lead.
Using offensive depth
Villanova pulled away from Seton Hall in the third quarter. A three-pointer from Bender gave the Wildcats a 21-point advantage in the period’s final seconds.
The Wildcats shot just 3-for-14 on three-pointers in the final 20 minutes, but Bascoe and McCurry were effective in distributing the ball.
Villanova finished with 20 assists, and McCurry dished out a team-high eight.
Meanwhile, Villanova limited Seton Hall’s movement, holding the Pirates to just six assists.
Up next
Villanova will host St. John’s (11-2, 1-1 Big East) on Monday (noon, ESPN+).
MILWAUKEE — Duke Brennan came up to the top of the key and set a screen for Devin Askew, rolled to the paint, and rose for a two-handed dunk to put Villanova up eight in overtime, sending Wisconsin fans to the exits.
The inside of Fiserv Forum on Friday night felt more like a Wisconsin home game than a neutral-site nonconference matchup. It was a tale of two halves for Villanova, but when the clock hit zero, the Wildcats picked up a resumé-boosting 76-66 overtime win against the pesky Badgers, who had beaten Big East foes Providence and Marquette.
The win moved Villanova (9-2) into the 29th spot of KenPom’s rankings and sends the Wildcats into the Big East slate on a high note.
“I thought they did a really good job of extending their halfcourt defense on us, which kind of surprised us a little bit,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said postgame. “We had opportunities in the second half to win the game. And when you have two freshmen and a sophomore out there, sometimes you have to live through those mistakes.”
Live by the three, die by the three
The Wildcats got off to a hot start from the three-point line, hitting 8 of 19 attempts in the first half, led by Tyler Perkins’ barrage. He came into the game making 40.5% of his three-pointers, and his third three-pointer of the half from the top of the key pushed Villanova’s lead to 13 before the break.
Perkins paced the Wildcats with 19 points and earned praise from his coach afterward.
“I like the fact that Perk’s looking to shoot the basketball,” Willard said. “He’s shooting a high percentage. He does all the little things that most people don’t see. But when he’s aggressive out there, it gives us another scorer.”
Villanova guard Tyler Perkins prepares to shoot a three-pointer against Wisconsin on Friday.
But the second half was a different story. The three-point shots weren’t falling (1-for-10 in the second half), and the pressure Wisconsin (7-4) put on Villanova’s ballhandlers, like freshman Acaden Lewis and transfer guard Bryce Lindsay, left little room to operate.
A lead that had ballooned to 15 early in the second half was slowly whittled to three with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation. After a Brennan layup with 6 minutes, 16 seconds left, the Wildcats did not score a field goal for nearly five minutes. Villanova was outscored, 34-21, in the second half and shot just 8-for-29 from the field.
“We knew they [were] going to go on that run,” Lindsay said. “They got everybody in the crowd [into it], their fans. We just had to stay [together] as a team and play together.”
Wisconsin tied the game with 31 seconds left, and Lewis’ contested stepback jumper fell short right before the buzzer to send the game to the extra frame.
But in overtime, it was Lindsay, who shot 1-for-9 from the field through the first 40 minutes, who ignited the Wildcats. He opened the scoring with a curling three from the top of the key after a Brennan screen freed him. A dribble handoff with Villanova’s big man got Lindsay loose again two minutes later, pushing the Wildcats up seven with 2:59 left in overtime.
“I see one fall, the hoop gets a little bigger for me,” said Lindsay, who finished with 12 points.
Brennan’s battle on the boards
Brennan was tested by the size of Wisconsin big men Nolan Winter (7-foot) and Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10). The 6-10 Brennan, who entered the night averaging 11.6 rebounds, second-most in college basketball, pulled down seven of his 11 rebounds in the first half and outrebounded Winter and Bieliauskas combined.
He also found soft spots in the middle of Wisconsin’s defense on pick-and-roll action. Lindsay found him in the lane for an and-one layup to open the second half, and Lewis found him on a similar action to end a scoring drought later in the half.
Villanova’s Duke Brennan dunks the ball during overtime of a 76-66 win over Wisconsin.
He played a team-high 39 minutes finished with his fourth double-double of the season.
Turning up the heat defensively
It was a shame that Lewis got into foul trouble in the first half because he was a big reason Wisconsin turned the ball over.
His full-court pressure, along with Lindsay and Askew, made the Badgers uncomfortable in the first 20 minutes, which was part of Villanova’s game plan. The Wildcats scored 15 points off 16 Wisconsin turnovers, eight of which came in the first half.
“That’s a Wisconsin team that can put up a lot of numbers,” Willard said, “and to have them struggle and turn them over like that, to me, was huge.
“If you let them just run their offense, they will pick you apart. And really early in the game, we wanted to get them uncomfortable.”
Free basketball at Fiserv Foum. Villanova and Wisconsin tied at 56 heading into extra period.
Friday was another learning experience for Lewis, who had opportunities to close out the game for Villanova. He missed the front end of a one-and-one with the Wildcats up three with 59 seconds left, committed a foul on the other end to give Wisconsin two free throws, then missed the potential game-winning shot and didn’t play most of the overtime period.
However, he didn’t turn the ball over and finished with seven points and two assists on 3-for-9 shooting.
Villanova freshman Acaden Lewis attempts a shot over Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd on Friday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
“I thought he played great,” Willard said. “This is a great learning experience for him of what to do at the end of the game. But he had two huge steals in the end of the second half. And he’ll make his free throws next time, and he’ll make a better play at the end of the game.
“That’s why you got to put him in those situations, and he’ll learn from it. He’s done it every game.”
Added Perkins: “He’s so mature. … He got in foul trouble early. And a lot of freshmen would dig in their head, not be ready, not stay in the game. But he had some great stops at the end of the game.”
Before the game, Villanova announced that freshman guard Chris Jeffrey underwent right knee surgery and is out indefinitely. Jeffrey, a Brooklyn native, had a knee injury before he arrived on campus that “recently flared up,” the program said.
In nine games this season, Jeffery was averaging 4.2 points across 10.6 minutes. The team also announced that walk-on Wade Chiddick also had right knee surgery and has no timetable to return.
Up next
Villanova will open conference play at Seton Hall on Tuesday (7 p.m., Peacock). The Wildcats hope to ride the momentum they gained through their tough stretch of nonconference play.
“The schedule we inherited, didn’t give us a whole ton of games in November to test ourselves,” Willard said. “And I think going through Michigan, [Pittsburgh], now Wisconsin, and now we got a really good Seton Hall team on Tuesday, now we’re testing ourselves, and I like the way these guys are going.”
When Kevair Kennedy saw Ernest Shelton enter his name in the transfer portal after spending two years at Division II Gannon University in Erie, Pa., the Merrimack College pledge texted his former Father Judge teammate about joining him in Massachusetts.
“I was just telling him, if me and him team up again, we could cause so much damage,” said Kennedy, now a 6-foot-2 freshman point guard. “He’s familiar with my game, I’m familiar with his game. He knows that I like to drive, he like to shoot, so we got a good one-two punch. I also was reminding him about all the good times that we had at Father Judge, and he bought into it.”
That he did. Shelton, a 6-5 junior shooting guard who led Gannon with 17.4 points last season, didn’t have any Division I scholarship offers in high school. But after proving himself in the PSAC, Shelton wanted to move up a level.
His name and background — being a Father Judge product coached by Chris Roantree — stood out to Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo, who heavily recruits the Philadelphia area and has built a relationship with Roantree. So with the push of a former teammate and the familiar ties to his hometown, Shelton landed with the Warriors, where he and Kennedy are the team’s leading scorers, averaging 14.6 and 15.2 points, respectively, for the 6-7 team.
The two have quickly emerged as impact players, and their addition to the program, which lost its top scorer last season in former West Catholic standout Adam “Budd” Clark, now at Seton Hall, has filled a large void.
“I knew Kev would probably have to carry a big load with us losing Budd, and we’re a pretty point guard heavy program,” Gallo said. “We always have a great guard, so I knew he’d have the opportunity to do it. He’s definitely exceeded expectations, and Ern the same thing. You never know when a player goes from Division II and transfers up a level if it’s going to translate. But they both hit the floor running right from the summer.”
Here’s a glimpse of their contributions so far: Shelton tied the single-season program record with 9 three-pointers against Boston on Nov. 15, where he finished with a career-high 33 points and was named MAAC Player of the Week. Kennedy also had his first career double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) against the Terriers. He’s been selected as Rookie of the Week twice.
A familiar face played a major part in their success. Shelton and Kennedy met while playing AAU together on Philly Triple Threat. Shelton spent his first two years of high school at Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote, before it closed down at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
He considered going to Archbishop Wood, where Roantree was a longtime assistant under John Mosco. But once Roantree landed the head job at Father Judge, Shelton decided to follow his coach there. He was reconnected with Kennedy, then a freshman who saw minutes. He later became a stater on the varsity team.
The team took some bumps in those first two years as the program underwent a rebuild under a new coach. The Crusaders finished 4-9 in the Catholic League in 2021-22. They were 6-7 in 2022-23. But last season Father Judge made school history, earning a Catholic League and state championship.
Kennedy played a large role in that achievement.
Coach Chris Roantree of Father Judge raises the trophy after his team defeated Roman Catholic in the Catholic League championship. Kevair Kennedy is on the left.
“I feel like I grew a lot in leadership there,” Kennedy said. ”Somebody had to be the leader, be the voice, and get us going on days when they didn’t feel like it. I feel like [Roantree] trusting me at an early age helped me with my accountability, not just hold others accountable, but hold myself accountable too.”
Kennedy, who held one other scholarship offer from Wagner, had the chance to play at the Plaestra as a college player when Merrimack competed in the Cathedral Classic from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30. It wasn’t the same as playing in front of 10,000 fans for the Catholic League championship, but it was “a special moment” as the current Father Judge staff and team attended some of the games.
The Warriors were riding a four-game winning streak before falling to Vermont on Dec. 14, thanks in part because of Shelton and Kennedy. The two would consider themselves to be more reserved, but on the court, they always seem to know where each other are.
“It’s a lot more eye contact then words,” Gallo said. “Kev gets Ern a lot of unscripted three-point shots in transition, where we don’t even have to call a play, because [Kennedy] knows where [Shelton] is.”
They aren’t the only Philly-area players on the team, either. Graduate student Jaylen Stinson is a former Archbishop Wood guard, senior forward Brandon Legris attended Perkiomen School, and next year, Rocco Westfield, a senior at Father Judge, intends to play for Merrimack.
Gallo likes to recruit the area because of the the high-level competition in the Catholic League, and earlier in the season, when Merrimack faced Auburn and Florida, Kennedy and Shelton looked unfazed.
“They’ve just been Philadelphia battle tested,” Gallo said. “Neither one of them blink at any of the competition we played against. I think that’s just going to continue to pay dividends.”
So would Shelton and Kennedy say their time at Father Judge is helping them now?
“For sure, definitely,” Shelton said. “It means a lot to have someone that you grew up with in college.”
Kennedy added: “Having him here, it made me break through the ice even easier than it would have been if he wasn’t here. It was easier for me to get out of my shell, knowing that if I don’t know anybody at least I have Ern.”
Ahkil Crumpton, a Philadelphia product and former West Catholic Prep football star who played two seasons for the storied University of Georgia Division-I football program, was convicted on state murder charges in Georgia earlier this week and received a life sentence without parole by Georgia Superior Court Judge Eric Norris.
Crumpton, 28, was already convicted in 2023 on all counts in a federal case related to the same 2021 fatal shooting of RaceTrac gas station attendant Elijah Wood, in Watkinsville, Georgia. Crumpton is serving a 30-year sentence in the federal case, and his federal sentence would run concurrently with the state sentence, meaning he would serve the longer, life sentence.
“We will definitely be appealing the conviction and the sentence,” said Crumpton’s Atlanta-based attorney in the state case, Bruce Harvey. “A sentence of life without parole – essentially death by incarceration – is manifestly unjust for a young, highly accomplished athlete, with no prior criminal history convicted of an unintentional killing. We are all hopeful that Ahkil may return to contribute to the community as exemplified by his life and the testimonials given at the sentencing (Thursday).”
Crumpton will be in state custody, Harvey said, and a court official said Crumpton is currently being held at the Georgia Department of Corrections.
It has been a dramatic fall from grace for a player who dreamed of playing in the NFL one day, and who landed at Georgia by way of Los Angeles Valley junior college after graduating from West Catholic.
But despite playing for Georgia coach Kirby Smart – who had identified Crumpton in 2017 as the elite receiver the team needed – for two seasons, Crumpton never reached his goal of playing pro.
“[Crumpton] was on a mission to make it to the NFL. I think he was so hell-bent on playing professional football,” a former L.A. Valley football coach who worked with Crumpton and asked not to be named, told The Inquirer in a past interview. “When things didn’t go the way he had planned, I’m sure it probably broke him, and I’m sure there was a lot of disappointment.”
In 2021, Crumpton’s life was forever altered through his links to two homicide cases – one in Georgia and one in his native Philadelphia.
Wood was killed in March 2021. But after a months-long investigation into Wood’s killer involving multiple state and federal agencies stalled, it was a ballistics match that ultimately led to Crumpton’s arrest for Wood’s murder. A July 2021 homicide in Philadelphia, just four months after Wood’s murder, involved Crumpton. Authorities said Crumpton fired 13 shots at a man named Anthony Jones near a South Street diner in Philly. Jones died at the scene.
It wasn’t until a federal agent ran the ballistics on both the Wood homicide and the Jones homicide that authorities came up with a match, tying Crumpton to both murders. Crumpton’s criminal records pertaining to the Jones case were apparently expunged.
Crumpton was living with his former Georgia teammate Juwan Taylor in Georgia in 2021. Taylor later testified against Crumpton in the federal trial that Crumpton came to their apartment after the Wood shooting and was “holding the pistol and was visibly upset saying, ‘I didn’t mean to do it – I just wanted the money, I just shot him at the store,’ ” according to the Department of Justice press release after Crumpton’s federal sentencing.
This week, a Georgia state jury found Crumpton guilty on all six counts, including felony murder.
“(Crumpton) can appeal the conviction and the sentence. But (it’s a life sentence without parole) unless he’s pardoned by the governor, or the law changes, and he can be resentenced, like the Menendez brothers (Erik and Lyle),” said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and now the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. “Something has to change.”
Temple entered halftime against Davidson on Thursday with a 13-point lead and was looking to earn its third straight win.
Instead the Owls (7-5) went quiet, and it didn’t take long for their lead to dwindle.
Down by four with 35 seconds remaining, Davidson (8-3) had the chance to send the game into overtime or even win it when guard Parker Friedrichsen launched a three-pointer.
However, it ricocheted off the rim and went into the hands of forward Ian Platteeuw for the offensive rebound. Plattueew tried to give it to guard Roberts Blums, but it went over his head and into the back court. Blums corralled it and tried to call a time out with 19 seconds left. The only issue was that the Wildcats had none left.
A technical foul was called, and Temple drilled its free throws to seal a 68-63 road win.
Next up, Temple will host Princeton (3-10) for the second time this season in its nonconference finale on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Showing their depth
Temple has been without guard AJ Smith, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury and missed his third straight game. But he wasn’t the only player sidelined with an injury. The Owls were without guards Masiah Gilyard and Gavin Griffiths due to lower body injuries.
Their absences gave freshmen Ayuba Bryant Jr. and Cam Wallace bigger roles. Bryant earned his first career start, while Wallace saw 23 minutes of action and finished with 9 points, with 8 coming in the first half.
The Owls’ depth allowed guards Derrian Ford (23 points), Aiden Tobiason (19), and Jordan Mason (14) to lead the way in scoring.
Turning to old habits
Temple’s first-half success came from forcing Davidson to take low percentage shots. However, both sides of the ball started to collapse after halftime, and the Wildcats took advantage.
Blums and Platteeuw were the main beneficiaries. The two combined for 23 points.
Instead of making an extra pass, Temple relied on hero ball and played in isolation. The Owls finished with just five assists, after compiling 48 in the past two games.
They also shot 39.1% from the floor, and the Owls had a seven minute scoring drought in the second half, as the Wildcats went on a 13-0 run.
Part of their struggles stemmed from not having Griffith on the floor. The guard, who is third on the team in scoring with 10.9 points, leads Temple in three-pointers. On Thursday, the Owls made six of 19 attempts from deep.
Tobiason provides a lift
As Davidson crawled back, Temple’s offense fizzled and relied on its free-throw shooting, where the Owls made 26 of 33 attempts.
Ford was the main beneficiary, as his late free throws helped Temple keep Davidson at arm’s length. However, it was Tobiason who gave the offense some life.
Aiden Tobiason delivers in the clutch with a cold-blooded step-back. ❄️🔥
He made a layup to give Temple its first field goal in nearly nine minutes to push the lead to four. A few possessions later, he drilled a three-pointer to make it a six-point game. Then he swished a step back as the lead grew to 10.
The Wildcats continued to counter, but Tobiason had a rebuttal. He got a layup in the waning seconds that all but sealed the deal. Nine of his 19 points came in the final 10 minutes.
There was no time Aaron Ball enjoyed more than being in victory formation on the football field, and 16 years ago Thursday was particularly special.
The former Villanova running back, now living just outside of Virginia Beach, Va., still has fond memories of the program’s only FCS championship victory, a 23-21 win over Montana on Dec. 18, 2009.
“When [it was] the fourth quarter and the time was running out, and we’re in victory formation‚” Ball told The Inquirer, “it was just an incredible feeling. Just thinking about the moments we had, like after the game in the locker room and going crazy, the trophy and everything. That whole experience was incredible.”
The Wildcats, now led by Mark Ferrante, who was assistant head coach under Andy Talley on that 2009 team, are one game away from being back in the national championship game.
After a comeback victory in the FCS quarterfinals against Tarleton State, Villanova will host Illinois State in the semifinal (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) on Saturday, the team’s first home game this late in the playoffs since the 2009 team narrowly defeated William & Mary, 14-13.
Like that 2009 team, this year’s squad suffered an early CAA loss and went on a lengthy winning streak. Former quarterback Chris Whitney, a St. Joseph’s Prep graduate who was the team’s leading rusher in 2009, believes there is an uncanny resemblance between his team and this year’s group.
“I feel like there’s a lot of similarities. The defense is really good, and they’ve shown that in the last three games in the playoffs, playing against three top teams in the country,” Whitney said. “And then you flip to the offensive side, they have a great three-headed running game. … Even down to the running backs, very similar to our running backs, Angelo Babbaro and Aaron Ball.
“Then, from a quarterback perspective, [current starter Pat McQuaide] is taking care of the ball.”
Brandyn Harvey helped Villanova upset Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in 2009.
‘We never felt like anybody could beat us’
Former wide receiver Brandyn Harvey knew something special was afoot when Villanova went to Lincoln Financial Field and beat Temple by three points to open the 2009 season.
Harvey, the team’s leading receiver that year who is now living in Los Angeles, said that “beating Temple was more fun than beating Montana,” because of the back-and-forth the two schools had that summer leading up to that August matchup.
“It put us on the right trajectory to just finish and be successful throughout the rest of the season,” Harvey said.
Former tight end Chris Farmer, a West Catholic graduate, added: “I know we all thought that we could beat Temple, which would have been a [FBS] school at that point. So once we did that, I think our confidence got rolling a little bit more. And we just took it from there.”
Ball, though, had a different perspective on when he knew Villanova could be a championship team.
After Villanova lost to New Hampshire on Oct. 10, the former running back, who finished with 794 rushing yards in 2009, third-most on the team, thought the team was “overlooking our opponents.”
“After that game, it was a big turnaround for us,” Ball said. “[We were] just doing a little bit too much, and needed to settle in. And then the next game, we bounced back [beating James Madison, 27-0]. And I was like, ‘OK, we’re actually a pretty good team.’ When I’m comparing ourselves to other teams and where they’re at and where we’re at. And I was like, ‘Man, you really can kind of do something special with this team.’”
For Farmer, who started his career at defensive line and switched to tight end as a junior, what stood out most to him was the talent and the “great camaraderie” that 2009 team had. Everyone hung out with each other, Farmer said, and outside of having class, the “locker room was always filled.”
And the one common trait that Whitney, Harvey, Ball, and Farmer agreed that the team had back then? Perseverance.
The 2009 college football season was perhaps the most successful in Philadelphia history. Penn won the Ivy League, Villanova won the FCS national championship and Temple reached a bowl game for the first time in 30 years.
“We always felt like we were supposed to win, especially at that point in the season,” Farmer said. “So in those playoff games when we were down, just leaning back into the camaraderie, everyone kept their energy going. [The] sidelines never got disappointed or [had their] heads down. I think that camaraderie probably carried us through, to be honest.”
Added Harvey: “We may have been out of a possession, but we never felt like we were out of the game. We never felt like anybody could beat us at the end of the day, like we were just very confident. I wouldn’t say we were cocky, but we were just very confident, just in ourselves, just based off the work that we put in, because we know how hard we work, especially in the summer, and all that just carried over and translated to the season.”
‘Coach Ferrante was the president’
The offensive line and assistant head coach on that 2009 team is the same coach who leads Villanova now: Ferrante, now in his 38th year with the program.
While Talley led the program during the first 29 years that Ferrante was with the program, it was the latter whom players say was key in getting them to play on the Main Line. Ferrante was the local recruiter for both Whitney and Farmer, as both played in the Catholic League.
Both worked closely with the offensive line — Farmer at tight end, Whitney at quarterback — and each agreed that Ferrante’s impact on the team was apparent.
“He served, as I would say, a father figure to a lot of guys on the team,” Farmer said. “Honestly, he was — if coach [Talley] was the chairman or CEO, then coach Ferrante was the president, making sure everything was up to speed and running the way Coach T wanted it.
“He put a lot of time, a lot of sweat into the program, you know, to be honest, man, so to see him finally have the opportunity to take the reins … and quickly getting the program to be successful, it’s really cool.”
Added Whitney: “I have a special place in my heart for Coach Ferrante, frankly. … To talk about a guy who is deserving, putting in his time [for 29] years as an assistant, with the same program putting in that time to then get his chance as a head coach and get a chance to to reach the top of the mountain. I would love nothing more than that for him.”
Villanova coach Mark Ferrante on the sidelines during its game against Harvard on Nov. 29.
College football has changed plenty in the 16 years since Villanova’s last football title, including the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness to name a few, though the latter doesn’t affect the FCS level as much. But Harvey says his 2009 team only had a handful of transfers, none of whom started on their team, compared to this year’s Villanova team, which starts a transfer quarterback, wide receiver, and has a few other rotational defensive players who transferred in.
While the culture in college football is different now, Harvey points to the transfer portal as a positive development to the competitiveness of the FCS level.
“I feel like the portal has really impacted the FCS level. I was thinking about this last week, watching a couple of games and just seeing where some of the players came from. I think when I was playing, I don’t know if it was our culture, but we didn’t really accept transfers,” Harvey recalls. “Players literally come from everywhere, no matter the level. … I know people tend to knock [the] FCS, but it’s also competitive level as well.”
Added Whitney: “For Pat [McQuaide, a Nicholls State transfer] to come in the spring, and a lot of those guys coming in the spring and meshing as well as they have, it’s a credit to them. It’s also a credit to coach Ferrante. I mean to get these kids to bond so quickly and play together is pretty tough, but it is obviously the new norm in college football.”
The years in between have looked different for each former player, but the love for their alma mater remains the same. Spread from coast to coast, they still keep in touch with former teammates, tune in to watch Villanova’s football games, and share various memories from that title team with their children.
They will all be watching this weekend. Harvey and Ball plan on making the trip to the title game if Villanova beats Illinois State.
And speaking of common threads, here’s one more: the 2009 team won the FCS title game in its final year in Chattanooga, Tenn., and this year’s championship game will played in Nashville, Tenn., after a 16-year stint in Frisco, Texas.
Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best Philly sports images from the last seven days. This week, the Eagles dominated the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-0, to end a three-game losing streak and secure their first shut out win since 2018.
The Flyers took the Carolina Hurricanes to a shootout last Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, but lost 4-3. The Sixers, though, defended home court with a strong performance by Joel Embiid in last week’s 10-point win over the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile, Villanova picked up a much-needed nonconference win over Pittsburgh, buoyed by a strong performance from Duke Brennan.
And finally, our Alex Coffey spoke to Billy Gordon’s family, who still has his VHS collection of basketball games of nearly five decades in Cobbs Creek.
Our photographers were on hand for it all.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett gets his jersey grabbed by Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt during the third quarter of Sunday’s game.Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts evades Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter during a run in Sunday’s game.Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt watches the action as snow falls at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert drops a pass in the end zone against the Raiders on Sunday.Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches the football with Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter in coverage during the second quarter of Sunday’s game.Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (center) stops a shot attempt from Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (right) with teammate Ty Murchison last Saturday night.Flyers center Trevor Zegras celebrates his first period goal against the Hurricanes last Saturday.Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is fouled by Pacers forward Pascal Siakam while attempting a dunk last Friday. The Sixers won 115-105.Villanova forward Duke Brennan (center) is defended by Pittsburgh forward Roman Siulepa (right) during the first half at Finneran Pavilion on Saturday. Villanova own 79-61.Crates filled with various tapes of NCAA, NBA, and WNBA games from 1986 to 2024 in the room of Billy Gordon in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday. Gordon taped and collected men’s and women’s college and professional game broadcasts for 38 years until his death in 2024.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State announced Thursday the addition of two offensive coaches who will join Matt Campbell in Happy Valley.
Noah Pauley will serve as wide receivers coach and Jake Waters will be the quarterbacks coach. Both held the same titles at Iowa State this past season.
Pauley spent the last three seasons as the Cyclones’ wide receivers coach and added passing game coordinator duties in 2025. The 36-year-old started as a receivers coach with Minnesota Duluth in 2016 before stops at North Dakota State and Iowa State in the same position.
Pauley is known for his player development skills. At North Dakota State, he coached the Green Bay Packers’ Christian Watson from a two-star wide receiver to a second-round NFL draft pick.
In 2024, Pauley developed the Texans’ Jayden Higgins, a two-star receiver, and Jaylin Noel, a three-star receiver, into second-and third-round picks, respectively. Under Pauley’s tutelage, Noel and Higgins became the first duo in Cyclones history to have 1,000-yard seasons in the same campaign.
Pauley won the 2024 FootballScoop.com National Wide Receivers Coach of the Year for his work with Noel, Higgins, among others.
Now, he joins a Penn State receiver room that has not produced an NFL draft pick since 2023.
Jake Waters, quarterbacks coach
Waters, an All-Big 12 quarterback at Kansas State in 2014, spent the last two seasons as Iowa State’s quarterbacks coach after serving the previous three as the Cyclones offensive quality control coach.
In the 33-year-old’s first campaign as quarterbacks coach, the Cyclones scored the most offensive touchdowns (52) in a single season.
Waters spent the last two seasons coaching Rocco Becht, QB who passed for more than 6,000 yards and 41 touchdowns under Waters’ tutelage. Becht, who has an additional year of eligibility, is considered a potential target for Penn State, should he enter the transfer portal.
Waters replaces Danny O’Brien, who served as the Nittany Lions’ quarterbacks coach since 2021 before joining James Franklin’s staff at Virginia Tech in the same role. Trace McSorley, who played quarterback at Penn State from 2014-18 and was on Franklin’s staff as the assistant QBs coach in 2025, is expected to remain on Campbell’s staff, according to On3.
By advancing to the FCS semifinals for the first time since 2010, Villanova gets to continue a successful 2025 season on its home turf as it hosts Illinois State on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN2).
The No. 12 seed Wildcats and unseeded Redbirds have piled up upset victories to find themselves with a national championship game appearance on the line.
Villanova (12-2) is coming off a 26-21 road win over No. 4 seed Tarleton State. Villanova’s defense slowed down Tarleton, the top scoring offense in the FCS. The Wildcats rallied from a 14-0 deficit as graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide passed for 180 yards and one touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Braden Reed threw a touchdown pass of his own and had the game-winning touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Illinois State (11-4) headed to the West Coast and took down No. 8 seed UC Davis, 42-31. Senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse led the way with 266 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Illinois State running back Victor Dawson (5) has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games.
Get to know Illinois State
Illinois State will be making its first FCS semifinal appearance since 2014 and its third in program history. It has been a historic playoff run for the Redbirds, from upset wins to school records broken, under head coach Brock Spack, who’s in his 17th season.
Illinois State finished third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and lost, 37-7, to Southern Illinois to end the season. But the Redbirds bounced back, starting with a 21-3 victory over No. 16 seed Southeastern Louisiana in the first round of the playoffs.
Illinois State’s most impressive victory of the season came as it slid by defending champ and No. 1 seed North Dakota State, 29-28, in the second round. The Redbirds secured the comeback win over the 10-time FCS champions by means of a two-point conversion with a minute left.
The Redbirds have been unfazed when playing in enemy territory, as each of their three playoff wins have been on the road. Illinois State has won eight consecutive away games against FCS opponents.
Pat McQuaide (7) will try to deliver Villanova to the FCS final playoff round for the first time since the Wildcats won it all in 2009.
Quarterback battle
Rittenhouse has been playing some of his best football of the season during the playoffs. With his performance last weekend, Rittenhouse surpassed 3,000 passing yards this season. In his second season as Illinois State’s starter, Rittenhouse is averaging 200.4 passing yards per game, with a 66% completion rate.
Rittenhouse and senior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz have become a dangerous duo, connecting on a 93-yard touchdown at UC Davis. Sobkowicz now holds school records for career receptions (250) and for touchdowns in a single season (16).
In his first season as Villanova’s quarterback, McQuaide, a Nicholls State transfer, is averaging 208.9 passing yards per game with a 60% completion rate. While McQuaide has rushed for just 10 yards this season, Villanova has leaned on its powerful run game and experienced offensive line.
Sophomore running back Ja’briel Mace has been McQuaide’s primary option, running for 151 yards and one touchdown at Tarleton State. He leads the team with 887 rushing yards this season.
Mark Ferrante’s team has shown discipline in avoiding turnovers this season.
Limiting miscues
Avoiding preventable errors will be crucial in Saturday’s matchup.
Last Saturday’s win over Tarleton State was uncharacteristically messy for Villanova. McQuaide threw a costly interception in the opening drive, and the Wildcats nearly gave the game away because of defensive penalties in the fourth quarter. Holding and unsportsmanlike conduct charges on the same play advanced Tarleton 25 yards to the Villanova 27. Fortune struck for Villanova as Tarleton’s apparent touchdown pass on fourth down was overturned and ruled out of bounds.
Villanova’s offense has overall been effective at protecting the football this season. The Wildcats have conceded just six turnovers, the fewest in the FCS.
Flags have rarely been an issue for Illinois State, which ranks sixth in the FCS for fewest penalties per game (4.27).
However, the Redbirds have at times struggled with turnovers this season, committing 19 total. Rittenhouse threw five interceptions at North Dakota State, and one at UC Davis.
Villanova receiver Braden Reed motioned to the backfield and awaited the snap against Tarleton State last Saturday in the FCS quarterfinals. He took a handoff and ran in the opposite direction, but instead of heading downfield, he threw a 27-yard pass toward the end zone.
The pass landed directly over the shoulder and into the hands of Villanova receiver Lucas Kopecky for a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 26-21 victory. Reed became the first Villanova receiver to throw a touchdown pass since Jaaron Hayek in 2019.
“It was cool,” Reed said. “I was appreciative that the coaches had so much trust in me as a freshman to throw a ball in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. I think that’s something really special that they were able to trust me with that.”
Reed has been a standout on Villanova’s special teams and recently on offense. For a majority of the season, he led the FCS in average punt return yards. In the last two games, he has caught game-winning touchdowns against Lehigh and Tarleton State.
Now, Reed and Villanova are gearing up to host an FCS semifinal game on Saturday for the first time since 2009 (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). No. 12 Villanova will face unseeded Illinois State with a trip to the FCS championship on the line.
“He’s not a freshman anymore,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said after the Tarleton State game. “I don’t even know what our overall record is, to be honest, but he’s got that many games under his belt now. So he’s pretty much moved up to be a sophomore, as far as playing time. He’s been able to come in and pick the system up really well. So you’re seeing the fruits of his labor. He works really hard, and the results are now showing up on the field.”
The freshman is one of the first guys on the field for practice and the last one to leave. After morning practice, Reed will return in the afternoon to catch passes from one of the quarterbacks or the JUGS machine.
Recently, Reed was named to the Stats Perform FCS Freshman All-America team and the 2025 FCS Football Central Freshman All-America team. He has tallied 31 receptions for 462 receiving yards and three touchdowns. On special teams, he has returned 20 punts for 298 yards, which currently ranks No. 6 in the FCS.
In high school, the Pope John Paul II graduate was first-team all-state, was a three-time first-team all-conference honoree, and Pioneer Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Reed grew up around football. His father, Scott Reed, played the sport at West Chester and was his son’s head coach for three years at Pope John Paul II.
“It’s been huge for me,” Reed said of having his father as a coach. “I wouldn’t be where I am without him. He’s one of my biggest fans and biggest haters. He’ll be the first one to humble me. He calls it the honest report. He tells me how it is. He’s very good at just keeping me grounded, keeping me humble and hungry, and just always wanting to strive for more.”
In his senior year at Pope John Paul II, Reed helped his team reach the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals. While he has experience playing games late into the season, Reed says he is not thinking too much about what’s at stake.
As of now, he still gets to do what he loves for another week.
“I’ve always kind of subscribed to the idea that every game is kind of the same,” Reed said. “At the end of the day, we’re playing a kid’s game, and we just happen to take it really serious. I try to not look at any of the outside stuff and just enjoy the fact that I get to play a game in December. I think that’s one of the coolest things ever. Really, the reward of the playoffs is getting to play more football. As much as championships are cool, getting to do what you love longer is something that drives me.”
Reed describes himself as “a big family guy,” and when making his college decision, he wanted to stay close to home. After every home game, he goes home to spend time with his family.
Braden Reed runs with the ball against Albany.
Reed’s family will be in the stands this weekend as usual, but this time, a larger crowd will be supporting him. His former high school teammates will be home from college for winter break, and some will be there in support. Reed’s uncle Tom, who has not missed a game since his freshman year of high school, also will be in the stands.
While the game this Saturday isn’t average, Reed and the team are treating it like it is any other week of the season.
“I think [we] keep everything the same as any other week,” Reed said. “Go 1-0. It’s about the guys in our locker room, and one of the big things that we’ve harped on all year is to protect the brand, protect the ‘V.’”
