Villanova vs. Goliath: Can the Wildcats conquer mighty South Dakota State in FCS quarterfinals?

The scene at Villanova’s FCS playoffs selection show party was typical. When the Wildcats were announced, players leapt to their feet in jubilation, whooping and hollering, jumping on chairs, and celebrating receiving a first-round bye.

Then some reality set in. Instead of being seeded fifth or sixth, as some Wildcats expected, they received the No. 8 seed. If they won their second-round matchup, they likely would travel to play the best team in the bracket — the defending FCS national champion and a team that’s currently at 26 straight wins.

Goliath on Goliath’s home turf.

After a 45-28 win over Youngstown State on Saturday, that possibility became reality. No. 8 Villanova (10-2) will travel to Brookings, S.D., to take on No. 1 South Dakota State (12-0) on Saturday (noon, ESPN) in the FCS quarterfinals. The Jackrabbits haven’t lost to FCS opposition since 2021, and in their lone loss since then, to FBS Iowa, the Jackrabbit defense allowed three points.

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“We have our work cut out for us, to say the least,” Ferrante said Monday, “but I’d say our guys are up for the challenge.”

Out of 128 FCS teams, the Jackrabbits are first in scoring defense, total defense, third- and fourth-down conversion percentage, red zone offense, and red zone defense. They’re fourth in scoring offense and sixth in total offense. They’re eighth in turnovers lost, and they’re in the top 20 in turnovers forced and completion percentage.

And for good measure, their punter, long snapper, and return specialist made the all-Missouri Valley Conference team.

Junior quarterback Mark Gronowski is one of three Payton Award finalists, given to the top offensive player in FCS football. He led the nation in passing efficiency.

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Senior running back Isaiah Davis is the top weapon, rushing for 99.3 yards per game. He finished seventh in Payton Award voting and shared MVC co-offensive player of the year honors with Gronowski.

Senior linebacker Jason Freeman led the Jackrabbits in tackles with 78. Six members of the Jackrabbit defense made all-conference teams.

SDSU is heavily favored, but even as a three-touchdown underdog, Villanova has a chance. The crux of it is this: Villanova won 10 games for a reason. The Wildcats are the only other team other than South Dakota State with a top 10 offense and defense. Gronowski led the country in passing efficiency, but Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins wasn’t far behind in fourth. The Jackrabbits have a strong rushing attack, but Villanova’s rush defense is one of the nation’s best.

With Watkins, Villanova has a trio of excellent receivers in graduates Rayjuon Pringle and Jaaron Hayek and sophomore Jaylan Sanchez. Pringle and Sanchez are the top two receivers in FCS in yards per catch. South Dakota State has only allowed nine passing touchdowns all season, but few teams have three quality options like Villanova.

If there is one thing that first-year SDSU coach Jimmy Rogers wants to improve on, it’s penalties. The Jackrabbits are bottom-20 in FCS with seven penalties per game.

The Wildcats would need a number of things to go right, but if they can win the penalty battle, force a few turnovers and find a couple of big plays, it just might have a chance against SDSU.

It’s well-known in the FCS: If you want to win a national championship, you’ll have to go through the Dakotas. Ten of the last 12 titles have been won by SDSU or rival North Dakota State. Former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz quarterbacked North Dakota State to two of those.

In two of Villanova’s last three trips to the FCS playoffs, this has been where they’ve fallen. They lost at No. 8 SDSU in Andy Talley’s last game in 2016, 10-7, and hosted in 2021, but fell, 35-21.

If Villanova does pull the upset, it would face the winner of No. 5 Albany (10-3) at No. 4 Idaho (9-3) in the semifinals next weekend. Conference foe Albany is the only FCS team to beat Villanova this season.