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  • Villanova’s Pat McQuaide and Luke Colella have formed instant chemistry on a tight-knit team

    Villanova’s Pat McQuaide and Luke Colella have formed instant chemistry on a tight-knit team

    After Luke Colella officially transferred to Villanova this offseason, someone stopped by his hometown outside of Pittsburgh for a visit.

    It was Pat McQuaide, Villanova’s quarterback.

    McQuaide was on his way home to the Cleveland area, but decided to make a pit stop in Wexford, Pa., to meet his new wide receiver and throw to him.

    “I think that’s kind of where the chemistry started,” Colella said.

    Fast forward seven games into the 2025 season, Colella has become McQuaide’s top target within Villanova’s offense. Colella leads the Wildcats with 41 receptions — 23 more than any other receiver — 630 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Of McQuaide’s 115 completions this season, 35% of them have gone to Colella.

    Villanova extends its winning streak to four games in 56-14 rout over Hampton

    Two weeks ago, McQuaide found Colella on back-to-back drives for touchdowns against Elon. The connection keyed a 26 -point second half for the Wildcats, who rallied from 11 down at the break to defeat the Phoenix, 29-21. Colella finished the game with a career-high 10 receptions and racked up 125 receiving yards to go along with the two touchdowns, while McQuaide threw for 255 yards and the pair of scores.

    During last weekend’s dismantling of Hampton, when the Wildcats led 49-0 at halftime, McQuaide again turned to his go-to guy Colella, hitting the receiver for a 34-yard touchdown before Villanova’s starters were pulled in the second half.

    The two graduate students will look to continue their success Saturday when No. 11/12 Villanova hosts Albany (3:30 p.m., NBCSP+) on homecoming weekend. The 5-2 Wildcats are seeking their fifth consecutive win and 20th straight victory at Villanova Stadium dating back to 2022.

    Acing chemistry

    McQuaide and Colella’s chemistry extends beyond just quarterback and receiver. They have become close friends.

    “Luke’s great,” McQuaide said. “First of all, he’s a great kid. He doesn’t technically live with me, but he pretty much lives with me. He lives across the hall. He’s in my room all the time. And I think that’s probably one of the reasons why it has been so big for us this year in the passing game.”

    Villanova’s offensive coordinator Chris Boden has taken notice of the bond McQuaide and Colella have quickly cultivated.

    “They’re very tight off the field,” Boden said. “They have a great relationship. I mean, it’s just nonstop back and forth, busting each other. They’ve just been on the same page. Personality-wise, they mesh really well. They’re high energy.”

    McQuaide’s infectious energy seemingly doesn’t have an off switch. Every time he hits a receiver for a touchdown, the quarterback can be seen zipping down the field to celebrate with his teammates.

    Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide has thrown 10 touchdowns compared to one interception this season.

    Boden, a former Villanova quarterback himself, has nicknamed McQuaide the “juice captain” of the team.

    “It’s a big part of my game, just trying to bring energy,” McQuaide said after the win against Hampton. “I just try to be a source of positive energy and try to remind everybody that we’re playing a game, and games are supposed to be fun. I think that positive energy is contagious.”

    Boden echoed that statement when asked about McQuaide’s personality.

    “He just has a very contagious personality,” Boden said. “He’s high tempo. He’ll bark at the guys, and he’s always talking. He breaks down the team. He breaks down the offense. He does it on the field as well. He’s got nonstop chatter on the field. And I’ve never had a quarterback that led with that much energy.”

    Acaden Lewis looks like ‘the real deal’ in Villanova’s debut, an exhibition win against VCU

    ‘What it means to be a Wildcat’

    Despite starting their college careers in different programs, McQuaide and Colella’s journeys have some similarities as graduate transfers. McQuaide, a Nicholls State transfer, and Colella, a transfer from Princeton, arrived on the Main Line this year with one final season of collegiate eligibility.

    Both players also harped that the culture of the program was a big reason why they chose Villanova.

    “A lot of people use the word culture, and I think that it’s really, really good here,” Colella said. “And I think that’s a testament to what the coaches bring to the table here. I think it’s just a really close group that gives us that feeling as soon as you walk in here, where it feels like I’ve known [McQuaide] for 10 years.”

    McQuaide credits coaches who were once former Wildcats, like Boden, for helping foster that special culture.

    Mark Ferrante has built a strong family culture at Villanova and has the Wildcats eyeing a fifth FCS playoff appearance in his nine seasons at the helm.

    “I think it’s great when you have coaches that come back,” McQuaide said. “We talk all the time about protecting the brand, the ‘V’, it’s a sacred thing for us, and people hate the ‘V’ outside of here. It’s bigger than just the guys that we have on this team and on this staff. I think having guys like Coach [Mark] Ferrante, who spent his whole career [here] for the most part, and Coach Boden and Coach [Forrest] Rhyne. All of those guys that played here, you can’t put a price on that.”

    For McQuaide and Colella, this season’s accomplishments are not just for them; they are for the Wildcats who played before them and the ones who will come after them. After just a few months spent on the Main Line, the two already feel the significance of what culture and family mean to Villanova as the Wildcats chase a Coastal Athletic Association title and third consecutive playoff appearance.

    “The tightness of the group is obviously set by the coaches,” Colella said. “Like, you look to our left and all the coaches are running stairs together. I’ve never seen that before. I’m sure Pat hasn’t either. They’re together right now, doing their thing. I think it’s really reflective of what it means to be a Wildcat.”

  • What’s ailing Penn State’s offense? It’s anyone’s guess, including the team’s offensive coordinator.

    What’s ailing Penn State’s offense? It’s anyone’s guess, including the team’s offensive coordinator.

    STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State’s once-dynamic offense has faltered this season.

    During last year’s College Football Playoff run, the unit ranked 26th in the nation in total offense. Andy Kotelnicki’s flashy play calling enabled Drew Allar to take deep shots, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to each rush for over 1,000 yards, and Tyler Warren to win the Mackey Award as college football’s best tight end.

    But the Nittany Lions’ offensive production has plummeted through seven games. The group has gone from averaging 430.2 yards per game to just 355, which ranks 97th among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

    Temple’s 1-0 approach, more drama at Penn State, and have you heard about Eastern U?

    So, what has gone wrong?

    “I don’t know,” said Kotelnicki, the team’s offensive coordinator. “The reality is it hasn’t gone like we’re hoping. And what do you do? You go to the next play, you go to the next game, you go to the next moment and opportunity. I don’t have a good explanation for where [the offense] is.”

    Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense ranks 97th among FBS programs.

    Penn State has passed for 250 yards just twice through Kotelnicki’s 23 games as offensive coordinator, its last such performance coming last October.

    The offense has thrown for fewer than 150 passing yards in three of its seven games this season. Against Iowa, first-time starter Ethan Grunkemeyer finished with a 93 yards, the lowest passing mark for Penn State this year. His longest pass was for 14 yards.

    Allar’s 67-yard completion to Devonte Ross, a drag route the speedy receiver turned into a big gain against Florida International, is the team’s longest pass play this season.

    Interim head coach Terry Smith wants that to change.

    “On offense, we continue to not be able to throw the ball down the field, or even throw the ball in the intermediate zone,” Smith said. “We’ve gotta get that fixed.”

    But it’s not just the passing game.

    Nick Singleton, who rushed 172 times for a career-best 1,099 yards in 2024, has struggled to find rushing lanes in 2025. The senior running back is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry compared to 6.8 in his freshman campaign and 6.4 last season.

    Singleton is known for his speed, but he has yet to break a run longer than 16 yards and has eclipsed 50 rushing yards just twice through seven games.

    Penn State doesn’t intend to play scared under interim coach Terry Smith

    Smith said he wants to get Singleton going. Kotelnicki said Singleton’s superpower is finding lanes and hitting them with speed.

    “[Nick] has great speed,” Kotelnicki said. “We need to do a good job of getting him on the perimeter, allowing him to get some edges where his speed can show up.”

    Penn State running back Nick Singleton is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in a season that was expected to be his breakout year.

    A steep climb

    With Allar lost for the season, Grunkemeyer will quarterback the Nittany Lions’ offense in Columbus against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox 29), before facing No. 2 Indiana at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 8. The redshirt sophomore completed 15 of his 28 pass attempts and threw two interceptions in Penn State’s 25-24 loss to Iowa last Saturday.

    But considering the circumstances, starting his first college game in a tough road environment, Grunkemeyer’s performance wasn’t all bad. At least in Kotelnicki’s view.

    “There are things that he does really well with his feet. He makes quick decisions, and he goes. That was evident,” Kotelnicki said of Grunkemeyer. “There were some opportunities that he missed or got off the read too fast, but those are things you would expect to say about somebody who got their first career start.”

    Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) faces two stiff defenses in No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Indiana.

    Kotelnicki’s confidence stems from Grunkemeyer’s preparation while serving as the team’s QB2. The second and third tests of that preparation: The nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 scoring defenses.

    Kotelnicki said he is “pleased” with the direction his young quarterback is trending in entering the team’s toughest stretch.

    “I [anticipate] that through this bye week and the next week, there’s a ton of growth from start one to start two,” Kotelnicki said. “How we practiced, how we prepared him, the number of reps we’ve gotten him through all the spring and in the moments where he’s gotten into games has prepared him for how he’s going to handle those things.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Penn State athletics right here!
  • For one week, Dawn Staley is matching each donation Temple women’s basketball receives

    For one week, Dawn Staley is matching each donation Temple women’s basketball receives

    Temple head coach Diane Richardson has led her program to back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time since Tonya Cardoza did it from 2014 to 2017. However, Richardson knows in order to maintain success in today’s era of college basketball, money is a major factor.

    So Richardson decided to start a unique fundraising campaign to get donors excited to help the program. She reached out to Philadelphia legend and former Temple head coach Dawn Staley.

    Richardson and Staley made a fundraising campaign called “Match the Momentum,” where Staley would match each donation the Temple women’s basketball team receives from Oct. 20 to 25. Both coaches want Temple to be competitive, even with Staley sitting as the head coach at South Carolina.

    “Just talking with her about the way the landscape is and that, in order for us to be competitive, we need dollars,” Richardson said. “It was my pitch to her that we want to maintain or even get higher than where we are right now, and it’s going to take money.”

    Staley’s area ties run deep. She was born and raised in the city and attended Dobbins Technical High School. She returned to Philly in 2000 to become the head coach for Temple, where she became a coaching legend in her nine years with the program. She guided the Owls to 172 wins and six NCAA tournament appearances before leaving for South Carolina in May 2008.

    Richardson and Staley have a friendship that goes back to when Richardson was the head coach at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Malboro, Md., and Staley recruited her players.

    Once Richardson had Staley on board to set up the campaign, the fourth-year head coach took the idea to Temple’s marketing department. Staley helped the campaign gain some attention by recording a video talking about what North Philly and Temple means to her.

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    “Her roots are here,” Richardson said. “She understands that if we can put out a product that people can look at and aspire to, all the young girls in the Philly area can say, ‘You know what? I can see myself doing that.’ Her commitment to us at Temple, obviously, she did a lot for Temple when she was here. … She wants young girls to be able to look up to us, just like she did when she was growing up.”

    Temple continued to promote the campaign throughout the week, with videos from guard Tristen Taylor, forward Jaleesa Molina, and Richardson. Taylor and Molina spoke about what it means to be an Owl, their experiences with the program, and how the donations could help the team with traveling, recruiting and nutrition.

    The Owls will open their season on Nov. 3 against George Mason and were picked to finish fourth in the American in the preseason poll.

    “Our players have been doing a great job,” Richardson said. We’ve had back-to-back 20 win seasons, without the notoriety. So now that hopefully we have some fans and we have some donors and we have some more money, we can continue that climb.”

    Richardson is also hoping the campaign will put more eyes on her program. Staley is one of the most popular figures in women’s college basketball, and both coaches want to see Temple back at the top.

    “I think it puts an eye on us,” Richardson said. “Obviously football and men’s basketball is really important, but women’s basketball has really exploded. Now, with Dawn behind it, she’s got name recognition, and people would look at that and say, ‘Well, Dawn’s doing it, then let me take a look at Temple women’s basketball.’ I’m sure we will get some eyes that have never seen Temple women’s basketball, because she put her name out there, her commitment, and her belief in us. Now other people will follow.”

  • Temple’s 1-0 approach, more drama at Penn State, and have you heard about Eastern U?

    Temple’s 1-0 approach, more drama at Penn State, and have you heard about Eastern U?

    It’s starting to get really fun keeping track of Temple football again.

    While it might be a bit too soon to suggest that head coach K.C. Keeler has revitalized the program, it’d be unfair to suggest that he hasn’t brought in a fresh perspective bolstered by a new coaching staff and a belief that his roster can deliver results.

    It’s worth noting that Keeler, who could pick up his 276th win as a head coach this weekend with a road matchup against Tulsa on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+), has been honest with his team — and the media — on his expectations.

    K.C. Keeler earned his 275th career win. The first-year Temple coach recounts how he got there.

    But it also seems like he’s put the right people in place — on the field and off — to deliver.

    “I feel like they are just starting to figure out that they are a good football team,” Keeler said this week. “That’s what showed when we played Charlotte. When we played them, I think it finally came out that we’re a good football team.”

    The Owls (4-3, 2-1 American) have a winning record at this juncture of the season for the first time since 2019. Now, they are eyeing a real possibility of being bowl eligible in Keeler’s first season.

    After Tulsa, the road doesn’t get any easier as teams like East Carolina (Nov. 1) and Tulane (Nov. 22) await. But both of those matchups are at home, where the Owls are 2-2 and could be 3-1 if not for a late flop against Navy two weeks ago on homecoming weekend.

    It appears that Temple is applying the same mentality to its season that Penn State has vowed to employ. Each week, the Owls say they are going into games trying to be “1-0.” Defensive end Allan Haye says that approach is motivating them ahead of this weekend’s game.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Temple athletics right here!

    “Just 1-0,” Haye said during Monday’s press conference. “Last week, we went 1-0, so now it’s 0-0 coming into this week. We’re coming into this game like it’s a clean slate; and every game from now on is our Super Bowl. Every game is very important because it’s the next game. That’s just how we move and how we think.”

    Who would have believed that mindset would be working better for the Owls than the Nittany Lions?

    Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can’t put a finger on what’s plaguing the Nittany Lions’ offense.

    Choice of words

    Speaking of Penn State, Andy Kotelnicki might’ve wanted to use more time to think about his response when asked about what’s plaguing the Nittany Lions’ offense.

    “I don’t really have a good explanation,” he said when asked Wednesday.

    Now, more was said in context, which is available on the team’s website, but that’s not what fans want to hear about a team that currently ranks 97th in the FBS in total offense with around 355 yards per game.

    Temple, meanwhile, is 72rd with 381.4 yards per game. And while playing UMass and Howard isn’t the same as playing Oregon and Iowa, we’re talking about a team that went from No. 2 in the nation to an afterthought in two months.

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    Needless to say, Kotelnicki’s response is getting the business on social media forums from irate Penn State fans who are looking for a little more insight into the collapse of a team that reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff just a season ago.

    Fortunately, Kotelnicki and the Nittany Lions have some time to figure it out as a bye week provides a few more days before a showdown with No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox29).

    In one week …

    Lincoln Financial Field becomes the home to one of the most anticipated HBCU college football games of the season when former Eagles Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson go head-to-head as coaches on Oct. 30 (7 p.m., ESPNU, tickets).

    Vick’s Norfolk State will take on Jackson’s Delaware State on the same field where the two made memories for themselves and Eagles fans alike.

    But arguably the most memorable moment didn’t happen at the Linc; it happened in 2010 against Washington at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., when Vick threw an 88-yard pass to Jackson on the first play of the game, part of a six-touchdown outburst by Vick.

    Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide threw five touchdowns on just 13 passing attempts against Hampton last Saturday.

    Three questions

    🏈 How the heck did Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide throw five touchdowns on just 13 pass attempts in a rout of Hampton last week, and can he do it again against Albany at home on Saturday (3:30 p.m., FloSports)?

    🏈 Will Penn pick up its first 3-0 start in conference play after knocking off last season’s co-champs in Dartmouth and Columbia in the last three weeks? This week, a road trip to Yale (noon, ESPN+) will answer that question.

    🏈 How come no one told us about how good the football is over at Eastern University? The Division III Eagles, who play on the campus of Valley Forge Military Academy, are off to a 5-1 start to their season and are on a three-game winning streak. They’ll look to make it four in a row when they travel to take on Misericordia University on Saturday (1 p.m., watch live).

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    The BIG number

    20: That’s the number of consecutive home victories Villanova would have with a win over Albany this week. The Wildcats already own the second-longest active home winning streak in college football and are coming off a 56-14 win over Hampton last weekend at Villanova Stadium.

    Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed will lead the Aggies into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., to take on No. 20 LSU on Saturday.

    Game of the week

    No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., 6ABC)

    LSU’s fall to No. 20 is considered surprising, but there’s a real chance to prove naysayers wrong against SEC opponent Texas A&M, the No. 3 team in the nation. Vegas only has the Tigers as a 2.5-point underdog, and that’s because LSU boasts a 4-0 record at Tiger Stadium this season.

    Looking for a channel flipper? Consider No. 25 Michigan at cross-state rival Michigan State happening at the same time (7:30 p.m., NBC10).

  • Elijah Robinson and Fran Brown wanted to ‘build a program together.’ The two are fulfilling that dream at Syracuse.

    Elijah Robinson and Fran Brown wanted to ‘build a program together.’ The two are fulfilling that dream at Syracuse.

    Syracuse coach Fran Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson played football together at Camden High School. The two also overlapped at Temple and Baylor as assistant coaches from 2014 to 2017.

    From a young age, they shared a dream to eventually work on the same sideline.

    “We’ve talked about it for a long time, early in our careers, about one of us having the opportunity to become a head coach at some point, and that we would love to build a program together,” Robinson said. “I’m grateful for him wanting me to come and join him on his path.”

    One of Robinson’s greatest coaching success story came while serving as Temple’s defensive line coach from 2014-16. Former Eagles defensive end Haason Reddick, now with the Buccaneers, joined the Owls as a walk-on in 2012. Robinson coached Reddick during his three of five years as an Owl, helping the future two-time Pro Bowler go from an unrecruited prospect to an early first-round draft pick.

    “[Hasson’s] somebody that everyone can look up to,” Robinson said. “He went about his day as a pro — the way he prepared, the way he practiced, and he just continued to develop. He’s a guy that had to fight, pay his own way, and he didn’t get a scholarship until his senior year in college.”

    After three seasons at Temple and one at Baylor, Robinson was hired as Texas A&M’s defensive line coach, where he helped starters DeMarvin Leal (Steelers), Micheal Clemons (Jets), McKinnley Jackson (Bengals), and Jayden Peevy (Saints) earn NFL contracts.

    Before the 2022 season, Robinson added assistant head coach and run game coordinator to his job titles. The following year, after Texas A&M fired head coach Jimbo Fisher with just two games remaining, Robinson got the job on an interim basis.

    Temple’s players starting to believe that this team is in fact good

    “I was just honored to be chosen to lead that group of young men for the remainder of that time,” Robinson said. “They needed some leadership; they needed someone that cared about them, that was going to stick with them through it all.”

    On Nov. 28, 2023, Fran Brown was hired as Syracuse’s head coach, and Robinson was announced as his defensive coordinator just days later.

    Elijah Robinson was interim head coach at Texas A&M in 2023.

    At that point, Texas A&M had about a month left of practices and a bowl game remaining.

    “When Coach Fran got the job [at Syracuse], there only would’ve been one way that kept me from coming to join him,” said Robinson. “That was [being] the head coach at Texas.”

    The reason that Robinson accepted the defensive coordinator job at Syracuse was because the Aggies had already found his replacement. On Nov. 27, 2023, Texas A&M hired Mike Elko to be its next head coach, though he wouldn’t take over his new role until after the 2023 season.

    “I appreciate [Syracuse] for allowing me to finish it out with those guys [at A&M] until their head coach came and took over,” Robinson said.

    While Robinson was a big addition for Syracuse in terms of player development, he may have been even more valuable for his recruiting. In 2022, the Penn State alum won 247 Sports’ recruiter of the year award, an honor Brown received two years later.

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    But when Robinson arrived at Syracuse, he took a firm stance against recruiting players from his old job.

    “[Texas A&M] treated my family and I really well, and I built a lot of great relationships there,” said Robinson. “So, I wanted nothing but that program to have success, and for me to tell players or encourage players to leave, I wasn’t going to do that.”

    Now in his second season at Syracuse, Robinson isn’t closing the door on becoming a head coach. Last November, Brown was asked about the possibility of both Robinson and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, who also has Temple ties, potentially taking what was a vacant head coaching job with the Owls.

    “When we continue to win the way that we’ll continue to win, I think there’ll be opportunities that open up that’ll put them in the same Power Four level, instead of trying to have to go down a level to coach,” Brown said.

    But as of now, Robinson has his focus elsewhere.

    “At the end of the day, you got to be where your feet are, something I learned as a player,” Robinson said. “I think if I start looking at opportunities too far ahead, they’ll never show up.”

  • How the ‘different personalities’ of Acaden Lewis and Tyler Perkins will guide Villanova

    How the ‘different personalities’ of Acaden Lewis and Tyler Perkins will guide Villanova

    NEW YORK — Tuesday morning was going to be an unfamiliar experience for any player who joined Villanova coach Kevin Willard at Madison Square Garden for the annual Big East media day.

    The Wildcats have 11 new players on the roster, all of them new to the Big East, and just one returning player who saw the floor last season, junior guard Tyler Perkins. Which players would Willard opt to put in the spotlight at the conference’s kickoff event and why? Perkins was an obvious choice “because he’s the only player that scored in a Big East game,” Willard said.

    The second choice could have been a few people. Villanova has multiple seniors or graduate students. Any of them — Long Beach State transfer Devin Askew, Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan, and Maryland transfer Tafara Gapare — would have been a reasonable second option. So would Matthew Hodge, the redshirt freshman who was forced to sit out last season at Villanova.

    But Willard chose to pair Perkins with freshman point guard Acaden Lewis, the consensus top-35 prospect Willard landed in May when the Washington native decided to reopen his recruitment after originally committing to Kentucky last fall. It is a sport sometimes dominated by upperclassmen and a conference that leans a little older. Braylon Mullins was named the conference’s preseason freshman of the year, but he wasn’t one of the players Dan Hurley brought with him to represent UConn.

    To be fair, Willard’s roster is not laden with the same type of talent as UConn’s, but Lewis, who will be relied on heavily to be the engine that makes Villanova’s offense go, was chosen by Willard for a reason.

    “Acaden is a big-time freshman recruit,” he said. “I know this is good for his career.”

    With an experienced Villanova point guard injured, freshman Acaden Lewis might get the keys right away

    This basketball season will bring a lot of firsts in Lewis’ life, and this week was the start of it all in some ways. Villanova’s media day traveling party arrived Monday in New York. While Willard had some other things to attend to — including a meal with Jay Wright — Lewis, Perkins, and another Villanova staff member dined at TAO, the popular upscale Asian fusion chain. On Tuesday, Lewis was in Madison Square Garden fulfilling various media obligations, shaking hands, smiling for the cameras.

    “Most freshmen don’t get the chance to do this, not even sophomores,” he said. “This definitely isn’t normal. I’m just really thankful that I get to be in opportunities like this, and that’s why I’m here to experience some of these things. I’m here with a lot of talented guys, amazing coaches, legendary coaches, and we’re in New York. This is amazing.”

    Villanova freshman Acaden Lewis got a talking to from coach Kevin Willard after a flashy play in an exhibition game.

    The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh among 11 teams in the Big East’s preseason poll. The conference is a “guard league,” Willard said, and while Villanova has a couple of other traditional guards — like Askew and Bryce Lindsay — who will factor largely in where the 2025-26 season goes, the dynamic between Lewis and Perkins will be a big one.

    Lewis is a self-described “flashy” player, and his big and mature personality was on display for a larger audience Tuesday. Perkins is an off-ball guard whose defensive intensity might be the loudest thing about him. He’s quiet but steady, and Villanova will need that to stabilize what could be a bumpy early portion of the season as all the new pieces try to fit together.

    Willard will rely on that steadiness from Perkins, too, to help Lewis navigate his first college basketball season.

    That much has been communicated to Perkins.

    “[Willard] just said it’s not going to be easy for him and us as a team,” Perkins said.

    And the dueling dispositions?

    “We definitely do have two different personalities, but they mix, though,” Perkins said.

    Kevin Willard is ‘home’ at Big East media day, where his Villanova Wildcats are picked seventh

    How will Perkins help Lewis in Willard’s mind?

    “Tyler’s the only guy we have that has experience,” Willard said. “He’s the only guy that’s scored in the Big East so far. So what I rely Tyler on is to teach Acaden the intensity that you have to play in this league. It’s such a big transition. … Every night, he’s going to face physicality. Every night, he’s going to have to be on. Tyler has been really good in, not only in practice, but just talking to Acaden about ‘You can’t be cute. You can’t be casual. You have to be on the go at all times.’ I think Acaden’s really taken that message and ran with it.”

    Wildcats guard Tyler Perkins drives to the basket against VCU’s Ahmad Nowell during an exhibition game on Sunday.

    Not always. Villanova won its first exhibition game Sunday vs. Virginia Commonwealth. Lewis led all scorers with 15 points while adding three assists (against three turnovers). Perkins had 14 points, five rebounds, and five steals. But Lewis’ flashiness was on display. Near the end of the first half, the freshman tossed an underhanded pass deep down the court. It worked, but his new coach wasn’t a big fan.

    Most of Villanova’s players and coaches traveled one way to get back to the locker room for halftime, but Willard and Lewis took a different route.

    “He cursed me out the whole time there,” Lewis said. “It just wasn’t the best play. He told me I could beat the big [man], so there was no need to do all of that. He just gave me a little bit of words of encouragement.”

    That’s one way to put it.

    “It did work, so I couldn’t really argue with him as we were walking off the court,” Willard said. “But I think I told him, ‘If you ever … do that again, I’m going to kill you.’ He kind of said, ‘OK, I’m going to go with your message and not my message.’”

    Another new experience, and another lesson learned in a season when there will be many — some from a fiery coach, others from a quiet teammate.

  • K.C. Keeler earned his 275th career win. The first-year Temple coach recounts how he got there.

    K.C. Keeler earned his 275th career win. The first-year Temple coach recounts how he got there.

    After Temple’s 49-14 win against Charlotte on Saturday, quarterback Evan Simon decided he wanted to give out a game ball to someone who stood out. Usually, that’s the coach’s job.

    This time, it was K.C. Keeler’s turn to get recognized.

    Simon exclaimed that the victory was Keeler’s 275th, which puts him in the top 20 all-time in wins among college coaches. The team erupted and mobbed Keeler.

    In honor of reaching 275 career wins, Keeler took a trip down memory lane, recounting some victories that stood out and the people who helped him along the way.

    “This is not just business to me,” said Keeler, who’s in his 32nd year as a head coach. “I truly want to be successful so [my players] are successful. I truly do want to help them through life. I explained this to our staff, if this is just a business arrangement, your cap is only so high. But, like, if this is truly like something where you’re in this thing together and there’s love and trust between the players and the coaches, it takes your ceiling so much higher.”

    Success at Rowan

    Keeler was named the head coach at Rowan before the 1993 season. He had been the offensive coordinator and was promoted when his predecessor, John Bunting, left for a job with the Kansas City Chiefs.

    The Profs beat Newport News, 54-7, in Keeler’s debut as head coach, and the victories did not stop there. Rowan won 10 more games that season and played for a Division III national championship. Although Keeler’s squad lost to Mount Union in the final, it was a banner first year for him.

    “First game, there’s funny things that I can remember like stopping at a rest stop on the way home with the fellas and just kind of hanging with the players and just enjoying being with them,” Keeler said. “I remember my wife made it down for the game also. And so it was a big deal. It took a lot of pressure off getting that first win. It really did.”

    Temple’s players starting to believe that this team is in fact good

    Keeler continued to stack wins and Rowan won at least 10 games from 1995 to 1999 under his guidance. As Rowan continued to build momentum under Keeler, there was one program that had its number, Mount Union.

    The Purple Raiders beat the Profs in the national championship in 1993, 1996, and 1998. They brought a 54-game winning streak into a matchup with Keeler and Rowan in 1999 in the playoff semifinals. In that game, however, Rowan was on the right side of the outcome.

    “Larry Kehres is a legend, a phenomenal football coach,” Keeler said. “We beat him in overtime out there to break the longest win streak ever.”

    K.C. Keeler took over as head coach at Delaware in 2002.

    Keeler won 88 games in nine years at Rowan, which set him up to land a job at his alma mater, Delaware, in 2002. That job meant more to him than just being a head coach. Keeler played linebacker at Delaware from 1978 to 1980 and described it as his dream job.

    Without Rowan, he never would have ended up at Delaware.

    “I show up at a [Rowan] team meeting,
and I get a standing ovation. What I realize is those kids realize they got me my dream job,” Keeler said. “They knew how much I loved Delaware. … I got really emotional. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, they’re giving me permission to leave.’ They got me this job. It was so powerful. There’s a couple of moments in your life you remember forever. I wasn’t expecting it. It wasn’t something that was on my radar. That was something that I’ll always remember about Rowan. They didn’t want to lose me, but they felt good. They were turning me over to my alma mater.”

    Taking Division I-AA by storm

    Keeler went 6-6 his first year at Delaware. It was the first time in his career he did not finish above .500. That one season was all Keeler needed to turn the Blue Hens into a national power.

    At Rowan, Keeler was in a “do it all” role and got involved in everything football-related. That was not the case for him at Delaware. He moved into more of a “CEO” role in which he was more of a manager.

    Once Keeler realized he needed to change his approach as a coach and trust his coaching staff, Delaware took off.

    K.C. Keeler holds the trophy after his Delaware squad defeated Colgate, 40-0, in the NCAA Division I-AA championship on Dec. 19, 2003.

    In his second season, Keeler guided the Blue Hens to a 15-1 record. Delaware cruised through the playoffs in Division I-AA (now known as the FCS) and faced Colgate in the national championship. Keeler lost five national championships with Rowan, but his luck finally turned at Delaware.

    “We went out and won, 40-0, and had the biggest point differential in the history of a national championship game,” Keeler said. “They had me, and the energy level we came out with was off the charts. They say you take a championship, that team took a championship. That would be my most memorable win just because it’s a national championship at your alma mater and they had never won a FCS national championship.”

    Patience and trust have turned JoJo Bermudez into one of Temple’s best receivers

    Keeler spent nine more seasons with the Blue Hens and amassed 86 wins, ranking second in school history behind Tubby Raymond. He was fired after the 2012 season when the Blue Hens went 5-6 and decided to take a year off from coaching.

    He worked as a commentator for ESPN and for NFL Matchup. It did not take long for Keeler to realize he missed being around the game. The Sam Houston State job opened in 2014, and it was the last job available in the cycle. Keeler took it.

    Once Keeler was back on the sideline, it was like he never left.

    He won double-digit games in his first four years with the Bearkats, then in 2020, he won the FCS national title.

    Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler watches during an FCS quarterfinal against Villanova on Dec. 13, 2014. Sam Houston State won, 34-31.

    “We ended up beating the only three teams to win an FCS national championship in the last decade in 16 days,” Keeler said. “We beat
North Dakota State, James Madison, and South Dakota State in 16 days. All three of those are the only teams besides Sam Houston now that have won national championships in a decade. Some people said there should have been an asterisk because of COVID. There should have been an asterisk because of how we did it. We had to do it during COVID and we beat the best three teams in the last decade in 16 days.”

    Sam Houston’s success under Keeler boosted the program to the FBS in 2023. The Bearkats won only three games in their first year but won 10 in 2024.

    Fans are becoming more engaged as Temple and K.C. Keeler reimagine the football program

    On Sept. 28, 2024, Bearkats squared off with Texas State in a battle to “take back Texas.” Texas State led, 22-0, before Sam Houston stormed back to win, 40-39.

    “Their whole thing was take back Texas,” Keeler said. “So when we played them, we took back Texas. That was really a cool moment for the program and for a rivalry that had not been played in 10 or 11 years.”

    Keeler left as the second-winningest head coach in Sam Houston State history with 97 victories. He decided it was time to head back home.

    Writing a new chapter

    Keeler was hired at Temple on Dec. 1, 2024, and tasked with turning around a program that finished 3-9 for four consecutive seasons. Keeler needed seven games to surpass the three-win mark, doing so in the milestone victory over Charlotte.

    Entering a road matchup against Tulsa, Temple is 4-3. Each win this season has meant a great deal to Keeler, especially the Owls’ 42-10 victory against UMass in the season opener.

    “That obviously is a really memorable game because [the players] put their trust in myself and the staff, and they had results that they really hadn’t had in a while,” Keeler said. “I think we all felt really good about that, and it was a great way to start the building.”

    K.C. Keeler led Temple to its fourth victory of the season Saturday after the Owls finished 3-9 in four straight seasons.

    Keeler is tied with Monte Cater for 20th all-time in wins among college football coaches. He had plenty of people to look up to on the way to 275, especially his father, Ralph Keeler, and Raymond, his coach at Delaware whom he replaced.

    While the milestone is special, it’s just another win in Keeler’s eyes.

    “That 275 is just a symbol of the fact that I’ve done this a long time,” Keeler said.
”I coach a lot of great players, and I put together really good coaching staffs. And that’s how I got to that number. Every one’s significant. I am going to be as happy for 276 as I was for 275.”

  • ‘We all failed Coach Franklin:’ Penn State enacts some of the philosophies of its former coach

    ‘We all failed Coach Franklin:’ Penn State enacts some of the philosophies of its former coach

    STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Former Penn State coach James Franklin recruited every player, hired every staffer, and had a say in nearly every decision within the football program since 2014.

    So after his firing, the players with whom he developed relationships, whose homes he visited, whose families he befriended, were devastated.

    “We all failed Coach Franklin,” interim coach Terry Smith said. “Sunday was traumatizing to [the players]. They are all hurt and torn, disappointed in what happened.”

    Penn State interim coach Terry Smith says he feels like the team failed former coach James Franklin.

    Franklin may no longer patrol the team’s sidelines or walk arm-in-arm with his offensive linemen as the Nittany Lions take the field, but his philosophies remain entrenched within the program, notably his “1-0” mantra.

    The saying still is etched on the team’s locker room doors at Beaver Stadium. It still graces the video board outside Holuba Hall, the site of the team’s practice field. And it remains ingrained in the minds of Penn State players.

    Penn State doesn’t intend to play scared under interim coach Terry Smith

    “[The 1-0 standard] is all I know. Since I’ve been here, that’s what we do,” defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “How can we win this one rep? How can we win this day? I’m going to continue to have that mindset, and Coach Terry preaches it, too. So we just keep pushing it throughout the team.”

    Who’s under center

    After a much-needed bye week, the Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) will seek to go “1-0″ against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox 29).

    Again, they will have Ethan Grunkemeyer under center.

    Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer performed under a good deal of pressure all night from Iowa’s defense.

    The redshirt sophomore quarterback replaced Drew Allar, who is out for the season after suffering a broken ankle against Northwestern. Grunkemeyer, who threw for 98 yards without a touchdown in last Saturday’s 25-24 loss to Iowa, inherits a sputtering offense searching for answers.

    Center Nick Dawkins, a team captain in his sixth season, said he has “all the confidence in the world” in Grunkemeyer. Durant said the quarterback can “make all the throws.” Zakee Wheatley called him “100% ready.”

    Grunkemeyer will need the backing of his teammates when Penn State battles Ohio State (7-0, 4-0), which allows just 5.9 points per game, the fewest in the FBS. Entering that environment could be daunting to some, but not to the 6-foot-2 quarterback, who, before the Nittany Lions’ game against Iowa, noted that he just wants to play ball.

    “I definitely feel prepared. … It is a bigger role, but the preparation has been the same,” Grunkemeyer said. “I’m a guy that likes to go out there and just play, so whatever [offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki] dials up, I’m ready for it.”

    Saquon Barkley says Penn State firing his former coach James Franklin ‘definitely hurts’

    ‘Do it for your brother’

    Smith has been in charge for less than two weeks, but his fingerprints are visible throughout the program. He tells players to “check their feelings at the door.”

    The Nittany Lions entered last Saturday with a 3-3 record. After losses to UCLA and Northwestern, they had a 0.1% chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN. Now, with the loss to Iowa, that vision is all but obliterated. And with two of Penn State’s five remaining games against Associated Press Top 25 opponents, clinching bowl eligibility is not even a given.

    But two-time captain Dom DeLuca remains motivated. The fifth-year linebacker said Franklin took a chance on him when no one else would, which is all the inspiration he needs to go 1-0 in the next game.

    “Do your job,” DeLuca said. “Do it for Coach Franklin. Do it for the guy to the left and right of you. Do it for all the Penn Staters who love the game and love the Nittany Lions.”

    Durant added: “Do it for your brother. Do it for your goals. Do it for each other. [We’ve] got a lot of ball left.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s full coverage of Penn State athletics right here!
  • Kevin Willard is ‘home’ at Big East media day, where his Villanova Wildcats are picked seventh

    Kevin Willard is ‘home’ at Big East media day, where his Villanova Wildcats are picked seventh

    NEW YORK — Big East commissioner Val Ackerman was finished with her introductory remarks Tuesday morning, and it was time to take a photo. She invited the 11 men’s basketball coaches onto the Madison Square Garden court, and there was new Villanova coach Kevin Willard, hugging St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, whom he has known for years and worked under at Louisville.

    Willard made the rounds. There was Ed Cooley, whom Willard later called one of the best tactical offensive coaches in the sport.

    Villanova freshman point guard Acaden Lewis said he hasn’t seen Willard smiling quite like he has over the last two days in New York.

    “It feels good to be back home, especially back in the Garden,” said Willard, who played at Pittsburgh when the school was a Big East member and coached 12 seasons at Seton Hall. “I missed the Big East tournament. I missed the battles that we had in here.”

    Media day means preseason poll day, and if the other programs are onto something, Willard’s Wildcats will need to make some kind of run at that conference tournament in March to avoid Villanova missing the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll of the league’s 11 head coaches. It’s a two-horse race at the top, with Pitino’s Red Storm getting seven first-place votes, three more than Connecticut.

    “To be honest with you, I don’t even know who’s on anyone’s team,” Willard said when asked about his team’s preseason ranking.

    That has to make voting hard, right?

    “I didn’t vote,” Willard said. “I don’t know who voted for us. I think someone did.”

    Someone must have, but Willard’s response — and his abstaining from the voting process — speaks to the meaningless nature of these preseason exercises that have become even more useless in the transient world of college basketball. Villanova brought with Willard a freshman point guard, Lewis, and junior guard Tyler Perkins, one of its two returning scholarship players from last season’s roster.

    Villanova’s new coach, Kevin Willard, watches his team during an open practice at the Finneran Pavilion on July 28.

    The rest of the Wildcats mostly are unknown to Villanova season ticket-holders, let alone opposing programs that haven’t had any need to dig into rival rosters at this part of the calendar. No Villanova players made it onto the three preseason all-conference teams.

    With an experienced Villanova point guard injured, freshman Acaden Lewis might get the keys right away

    Willard was asked what he thought about the two-headed race at the top of the conference and mentioned, again, that he didn’t really know who was on either team. He was also asked what he thought those St. John’s-UConn games might be like later this season.

    “I don’t care,” he said jokingly to a reporter. “I don’t. I’m not playing in them, why do I care what they’re like?

    “I didn’t know this was St. John’s-UConn. It’s the V,” he said, pointing to the Villanova banner behind him.

    While the event was “like riding a bike” to Willard, representing Villanova on the annual preseason stage was new. His first look at his roster against real competition came Sunday in an exhibition against Virginia Commonwealth, and the Wildcats won, 70-51. They play again Friday in an exhibition at Virginia before opening the season for real Nov. 3 against No. 8 BYU in Las Vegas.

    Villanova will play 11 nonconference games before it opens Big East play on Dec. 23, when Willard will make his first trip as Wildcats coach to his old stomping grounds at Seton Hall, which was picked last in Tuesday’s poll.

    By then, a lot more will be known about his new-look team — and the rest of the Big East, for that matter.

    “I actually watched a podcast yesterday while I was waiting for dinner, and it’s kind of comical,” Willard said. “Preseason polls now, I don’t know how anyone ranks anybody. No one literally has any idea how these kids are all going to fit together, play together. No one’s really dove through people’s schedules to see what’s going on. There’s so much that goes into this. Like, KenPom, how can you have KenPom rankings? It doesn’t make any sense.

    “I just don’t get it. This time of year, I just think you have to play basketball and see how everybody is.”

    It all starts soon enough.

    For Villanova’s Matthew Hodge, a long wait is almost over: ‘It’s everything I’ve worked for’

    Villanova women picked fourth

    The Villanova women’s basketball team was picked to finish fourth in its preseason poll Tuesday morning.

    The Wildcats trail defending national champion UConn, Marquette, and Seton Hall.

    Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe, a first-team all-conference selection last season after collecting 16.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, was named a preseason first-team selection.

  • Temple’s players starting to believe that this team is in fact good

    Temple’s players starting to believe that this team is in fact good

    The Monday after Temple’s disheartening 32-31 loss to Navy on Oct. 11, quarterback Evan Simon asked coach K.C. Keeler if he could talk to the team. Keeler obliged and Simon relayed the same message that the team heard from Keeler: Don’t let Navy beat you twice.

    While the team already heard the statement from Keeler, it felt more powerful coming from its leader and quarterback. Simon’s message started the week right and ultimately set the Owls up for a 49-14 drubbing of Charlotte on Saturday.

    The key in Keeler’s eyes, which he explained Monday, was that he sees his players finally believing that they are a good team.

    Temple (4-3, 2-1 American Conference) will have to funnel that feeling on the road against a Tulsa team (2-5, 0-4) that may be better than its record shows.

    “I feel like they are just starting to figure out that they are a good football team,” Keeler said. “That’s what showed when we played Charlotte. When we played them, I think it finally came out that we’re a good football team.”

    A major factor in the Owls’ success this year has been their ability to win the turnover battle. They have turned the ball over more than their opponent only once, against Navy. Temple’s ability to create turnovers was on display against Charlotte.

    Cornerback Adrian Laing recorded a 64-yard pick-six in the second quarter that put Temple up, 21-7. Then safety Louis Frye scooped up a fumble and scored on a 70-yard return to extend Temple’s lead to 49-7 in the third quarter.

    Temple’s defense has forced 10 turnovers while its offense has given the ball away just once. That difference has been a major emphasis for Keeler and his staff.

    “My thing is if you win the turnover battle in college football, you win over 70% of your games,” Keeler said. “It’s a really important thing. …
It’s been a major point of emphasis on offense of, protect the rock, then on the defense, getting that thing back for them.”

    Fans are becoming more engaged as Temple and K.C. Keeler reimagine the football program

    Keeler’s other takeaway for the program’s best start since the 2019 season was the offensive line.

    The line was one of the biggest points of concern for Keeler when he took over in December. He could not rebuild the offensive line through the portal because of how much linemen cost in the portal, so he and his staff had to improve internally.

    Temple coach K.C. Keeler during a game against Howard.

    Since he took the helm, the offensive line has improved more than any position group, Keeler says. The same five linemen started the first six games and did well protecting Simon and opening holes for the running backs.

    Right guard Eric King did not against Charlotte because of an injury, forcing Mausa Palu into his place. Keeler feels Palu played well, displaying the offensive line’s depth. Left tackle has also shown depth as Giakoby Hills stepped in after Kevin Terry went down with a preseason injury and he has remained the starter since, even with Terry healthy.

    “That unit might have made more progress than any unit I’ve seen in my career in a short period of time,” Keeler said. “I think when we walked in here, the evaluation was: You’ve got to fix the offensive line. … There’s a strong belief in the starting five. There’s a really strong belief. And obviously, losing Eric, Mausa fit in and we don’t really skip a beat. I think a lot of credit goes to my O-line coach and my strength staff.”

    King is expected to return against Tulsa, Keeler said.

    Despite Golden Hurricane’s 2-5 record, Keeler believes their difficult schedule disguises how good they actually are. Three of Tulsa’s four conference losses came against three of the top teams in the conference: Navy, Tulane, and Memphis.

    Although the Owls are coming off a big win and are playing a bottom-tier team in the conference, Keeler wants to make sure his team stays focused.

    “It’s their homecoming game, so it’s going to be a very similar situation where we have to go into a homecoming environment and we have to make sure we’re focused,” Keeler said. “We have to make sure that we bring our intensity and are locked in. It’s a great opportunity for us. When you put the tape on, you can see that they’ve done some really good things at times. It’s just that they have played a pretty tough schedule.”