Villanova ready for ‘good barometer’ in conference foe Rhode Island

After two games against inferior competition and a third against an FBS opponent, No. 25 Villanova will finally get a gauge on its own squad Saturday.

The Wildcats (2-1) expectedly cruised past Patriot League opponents Lehigh and Colgate, but were throttled last weekend at UCF, 48-14. Their Coastal Athletic Association opener (2 p.m., FloSports) at home against No. 17 Rhode Island (2-1, 2-0 CAA) will be the first time they face a team of a similar talent level.

“I think this weekend will be a good barometer to see how good we are, " Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said Wednesday, “or how good we can be.”

» READ MORE: Villanova hires former guard Corey Fisher to basketball staff

Like Villanova, Rhode Island won two games against weaker squads and lost to an FBS opponent. Unlike Villanova, the Rams’ wins were against league opponents — and they almost won their FBS matchup.

The Rams nearly upset Georgia State in their opener, losing 42-35, though they led early in the second half. Their wins came against perennial CAA strugglers Maine and Stony Brook.

URI’s offense is led by quarterback Kasim Hill, a seventh-year senior who started at Maryland and spent a year at Tennessee. Hill leads the CAA in total offense at 313.7 yards per game. He’s thrown for 941 yards and eight touchdowns, but he’s a threat to run as well, with 276 rushing attempts over three-plus years with the Rams.

“It’s like having another coach on the field,” Ferrante said of Hill’s experience. “He’s a really good football player.”

The Rams’ other top offensive threats are local products. Top receiver Kahtero Summers, a graduate student from Coatesville, has at least 99 receiving yards in all three games. Top running back Ja’Den McKenzie, who ran for 121 yards and a touchdown against Maine, is from Morton.

McKenzie spent his undergraduate career at Division II West Chester before transferring to Rhode Island. He’s 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, and physical, but West Chester coach Bill Zwaan says McKenzie’s speed shouldn’t be ignored.

“He would run over people in our league, and he’s sneaky fast,” Zwaan said. “So he would run over that guy, get behind the secondary, and then run away from everybody because nobody knew he could run away from people. They knew he was big and hit hard, but they didn’t realize how fast he was.”

For Villanova to win its first-ranked matchup of the season, it needs to establish its run game. The Wildcats utilize a trio of graduate running backs led by Jalen Jackson, but managed just 84 rushing yards against UCF. While some of that can be attributed to the lopsided score, it showed Villanova needs to rely on Jackson and others to stick with the best teams on its schedule. The Wildcats averaged over 200 yards on the ground entering the game at UCF.

» READ MORE: Villanova overmatched by UCF in 48-14 road loss

Villanova will also look to reintegrate top receiver Jaaron Hayek. Hayek led the CAA in receiving yards per game last season (101.3), but has been limited in 2023 with a lower-body injury. He played 11 snaps at UCF, but is expected to be back at full speed Saturday.

On defense, the Wildcats need to minimize big plays. Hill’s 941 passing yards rank second in the FCS, and have been helped by four touchdown passes of 35 yards or more.

“If you’re talking about Power Five leagues, it’s probably distanced. If you’re looking at maybe a MAC [school] or some of those other schools, maybe not so much, because [big schools are] poaching all their players. … The rich get richer, and the rest of us kind of stay the same” — Ferrante, on the disparity between FBS schools and the FCS.

Villanova travels to Albany (1-2, 0-0 CAA) next Saturday (3:30, FloSports). Both Great Dane losses came against FBS opponents, including a 31-20 loss at Hawaii on Sept. 10.