Here’s why Villanova can’t overlook Monmouth in a quest to capture another CAA crown

As far as hiccups go, Villanova hasn’t had to deal with too many in a goal to defend its cochampion title in the Coastal Athletic Association.

That said, the No. 9 Wildcats currently are looking up at a red-hot Richmond team riding an eight-game winning streak followed by a one-loss Delaware squad. In fact, despite Villanova’s three-game winning streak, it’s nestled in third place with an identical record (8-2, 5-1 CAA) to Rhode Island and Stony Brook.

But considering football programs love to preach the “one game at a time” approach, it’s safe to say coach Mark Ferrante and the Wildcats are only concerned with leaving Kessler Stadium, the home of CAA foe Monmouth (4-6, 2-4), with a win after their matchup on Saturday (noon, NBCSP+, FloFootball).

It’s the only way to remain in the hunt and “control your own destiny,” another widely used cliché in the college football world.

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It’s certainly doable. Monmouth enters the game on a three-game losing streak while the Wildcats rank among the top 25 in the FCS in seven categories, most notably No. 5 in scoring defense.

In its last three games, Villanova has only allowed 23 points — and just two opponent touchdowns — in those contests against New Hampshire (14-6), Hampton (20-14), and North Carolina A&T (31-3).

Monmouth is anything but a pushover, however. In fact, the Wildcats have never beaten the Hawks, who hold a 2-0 record in the series, most recently a 49-42 win in 2022 at Villanova Stadium.

The plan? Yet another cliche, one used by Villanova sixth-year quarterback Connor Watkins, who fueled last week’s win against A&T after a disjointed start to the game: “Come out and execute.”

“We moved the ball, moved the ball, then we’d shoot ourselves in the foot and go backward,” Watkins said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime: We need to come out and execute.”

If Villanova continues firing on all cylinders behind the likes of Watkins, running backs Isaiah Ragland and David Avit, and a defense that despises giving up points, it has a strong chance of beating Hawks for the first time and setting the stage for another potential tie for the CAA regular-season title. That would be with the regular-season finale at home against conference rival Delaware on Nov. 23 (1 p.m., FloFootball).

It will mark the end of an FCS rivalry that’s been contested every year since 2001, when Villanova won, 19-14. Delaware will make the leap to the FBS in 2025 as a member of Conference USA, which sets the stage for what surely will be a game for all the marbles, regardless of how the regular season ends.

But first, Monmouth.

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