Villanova looks to keep its powerful total offensive train chugging against New Hampshire

It was probably the best way to come off a bye week.

In its commanding 48-13 win over Stony Brook last Saturday, Villanova totaled a season’s-best 556 yards of total offense.

“Coming off a bye, you never know how we’re going to respond,” Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said. “We were able to hit some explosive plays early and that kind of opened the game up for us.”

Villanova (6-2, 4-1 Coastal Athletic Association) now heads to New Hampshire (1 p.m., FloSports) for its first away game since Oct. 7.

New Hampshire (4-4, 2-3) is coming off a 34-28 loss to Rhode Island and will return to Durham for its first home game in over two weeks.

While some may write off UNH’s 2-3 CAA record, the other Wildcats are an offensive powerhouse. Averaging 38 points and led by junior quarterback Max Brosmer, the Cats will be an offensive threat.

Brosmer has a 150.37 QBR, with just one interception. With his precise passing and ability to control the ball, Brosmer has 223 completions with a 64% completion rate and 23 touchdowns.

But part of Brosmer’s success is who has on the receiving end of his passes, and for the Wildcats that’s senior running back Dylan Laube, who leads UNH in both rushing (570) and receiving (603) yards.

On the ground, Laube gains 71.25 yards a game and 4.3 yards per carry. However, Laube has found even more success on the receiving end, as he picks up more than 75 yards a game.

Villanova graduate quarterback Connor Watkins threw a career-high 361 yards in the win against Stony Brook last week. He had eight completions for 20 yards or longer, going 13-of-19 and tying a career high with four touchdowns.

Throughout the season, Watkins has also found more weapons with which to connect. In the dominating win over the Seawolves, Villanova had three different receivers top 100 yards, including fifth-year receiver Rayjuon Pringle, who had a career-high 196 yards on just five catches. Fellow fifth-year wideout Jaaron Hayeck also had five catches for a season-high 102 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Jaylan Sanchez had four catches for 103 yards and a score.

All time, Villanova is 11-12 against the Wildcats with UNH having won the last six matchups. The programs have not seen played since 2019 when UNH beat the Wildcats, 28-20. Villanova has also notoriously struggled to play well at Cowell Stadium, as it hasn’t won at UNH since 2003.

“They’re good up front, they have linebackers that fly to the football. They’re athletic, and one thing you know you’re going to get when you play a New Hampshire team, they’re going to be tough, they’re going to be physical, they’re going to be ready to play.” — Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante

Villanova will head back home for Week 10 to take on Towson on Nov. 11 (1 p.m., FloSports). The Tigers (3-5, 2-3 CAA) currently sit 10th in the CAA with Villanova holding a 10-5 all-time advantage.

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