Villanova football ‘chomping at the bit’ to prove preseason naysayers wrong

Villanova football will be out to prove a number of naysayers wrong — including the pundits within its own conference.

The Wildcats were picked No. 7 in Coastal Athletic Association preseason poll ahead of CAA football media day on Tuesday. It comes on the heels of a 4-4 conference finish last season (6-5 overall) for a Villanova team that brought in 11 new players this offseason.

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Seeing where his team landed in the rankings wasn’t surprising for Villanova coach Mark Ferrante, but noted that it is somewhat motivating.

“It’s hard not to see it,” Ferrante said to reporters Tuesday via Zoom. “With social media today, you’re going to see all the preseason rankings and preseason all-league selections. It’s unavoidable … but we try to approach every season not looking at the [record] from the season before.”

Villanova, which opens against Lehigh (noon, Sept. 2), returns a number of players who fueled its offense last season, including graduate quarterback Connor Watkins. Watkins threw for 2,057 yards and 16 touchdowns last season and was second on the team with 467 yards rushing, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Additionally, Watkins’ favorite target, wide receiver Jaaron Hayek, returns for his final season, coming off a year in which he led the team and conference with 36 catches for 810 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. Hayek, who alongside Wildcats graduate offensive lineman Michael Corbi was named to the CAA’s preseason all-conference team, led the conference in receiving last season.

Defensively, Villanova will look to improve on a group that finished near the bottom of the conference, allowing 4,386 total yards, with more than half of that on the ground (2,273). However, with a returning secondary, the Wildcats will look to put the clamps on opponents this season — now that the core group knows what to expect.

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“It makes things a lot easier because it’s more than one voice talking,” said graduate defensive back Jalen Goodman, who also was named a CAA preseason honorable mention. “When everyone has that kind of experience, then they know what to expect and what’s going to come when that motion happens and it makes everything easier on the field when there’s that much experience in the back.”

Villanova also has experience against its season-opening opponent, Lehigh. The Wildcats opened against Lehigh last season and won, 45-17, at home. With a mid-table preseason ranking and a great deal to prove, it’s setting up to be a must-watch on the tone Villanova is looking to set for the season.

“I know our guys are chomping at the bit to get started,” Ferrante said. “Especially the ones returning from last year’s program because they especially are not happy with how our season went.”