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Villanova has its hands full against upstart Stony Brook

The Seawolves didn’t win a game last year. Things have changed.

Capri Martin, part of a stout Villanova defense, puts pressure on Youngstown’s quarterback Beau Brungard in the season opener.
Capri Martin, part of a stout Villanova defense, puts pressure on Youngstown’s quarterback Beau Brungard in the season opener.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    by Katie Lewis
    Updated 
    Published 

Villanova will be facing a very different Stony Brook team than the one it trounced last October.

Under new head coach Billy Cosh and freshman quarterback Malachi Marshall, Stony Brook, which went winless last season, currently shares Villanova’s 4–1 overall record and 1–0 Colonial Athletic Association record.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 6 nationally in FCS, visit the Seawolves on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at LaValle Athletic Stadium. The rest of Villanova’s schedule includes only CAA opponents.

Defense faces tough test

Villanova’s strong defense will have to deal with Stony Brook running back Roland Dempster, a redshirt senior. Dempster was named FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Stony Brook’s 22—3 win over Morgan State last week. Dempster rushed for 158 yards and scored three touchdowns. He has also earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors twice so far this season.

Marshall has averaged 138.0 passing yards and 11.7 rushing yards for Stony Brook.

» READ MORE: Villanova QB Connor Watkins sees the ‘big picture’ in his sixth year

Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said he is confident in Villanova’s linebacker corps, which is made up of some of the Wildcats’ most tested veterans and has been essential through the first five games of the season.

Senior Brendan Bell, with 42, and junior Shane Hartzell, with 39, lead the Wildcats in tackles. Hartzell recorded seven last week against LIU along with a fumble recovery.

Villanova has allowed an average of just 10.8 points per game from FCS opponents. The Wildcats are currently ranked second in the CAA in scoring defense.

Young ground game on the rise

After Villanova’s 24—10 win over LIU last week, Ferrante said that he was expecting Villanova’s generally young offense to “catch up” to the standards the defense has established since the beginning of the season.

Redshirt freshman Isaiah Ragland and true freshman David Avit, Villanova’s top running backs, scored all three of Villanova’s touchdowns against LIU. Ragland leads the Wildcats with 330 total yards on 55 carries. Avit has 275 yards on 48 carries. Avit, the CAA Rookie of the Week, scored his first career touchdown with a 5-yard rush in the fourth quarter against LIU.