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Quick 2020 Recap:
Villanova went 2-2 this spring with wins over Stony Brook and Maine while dropping games to Rhode Island and Delaware. They had games against New Hampshire and Albany canceled.
Offensive Player to Watch: WR Rayjoun Pringle
The sophomore wide receiver out of Dumfries, Virginia was a lightning rod for the Wildcats on offense this spring, recording 17 receptions for 245-yards, an average of 61.25 yards per game. He averaged 14.41 yards per reception as well while scoring touchdowns on the season. His best game of the spring came against Stony Brook, recording nine receptions for 171-yards and one touchdown.
Defensive Player to Watch: DE Malik Fisher
Fisher almost left the Villanova program this past winter when he entered the transfer portal but ultimately withdrew his name and stayed with the Wildcats. It paid off for Fisher as he recorded 11 tackles in the four games including four tackles for a loss and three sacks. He also recorded two turnovers with one interception and one forced fumble. He could potentially look to leave the program again this fall if he has interest at playing against a higher level of competition but if not, Fisher is one player on Villanova’s defense who could make some noise against the Nittany Lions.
Major Changes for 2021:
From our research, Villanova isn’t making any major changes heading into the 2021 fall season. The Wildcats return nearly if not entirely the same roster as they had for the spring season. They might fight for an FCS playoff berth this fall and overall, are a decent to good team but it will be hard to keep up with the talent and speed the Nittany Lions will present on both sides of the ball.
Villanova Wins If
If everything legitimately goes wrong for Penn State. The Nittany Lions would have to suffer a ton of injuries before or during the game and they would have to turn the ball over a ton of times for Villanova to keep this one close for more than 15-20 minutes of play.
Penn State Wins If
If the Nittany Lions show up in this one, even partially awake, they should walk all over Villanova. That’s nothing against the Villanova football program, it’s a fantastic program, but they have no chance to even keep this one close. Penn State should be playing mostly backups in the second half. It may not be the same level of absolute domination as Idaho was in 2019 but it should still be a pretty easy victory.