The Villanova Wildcats football team is coming off a tough loss in last week’s homecoming game, getting blanked 34-0 by New Hampshire. This week, the Wildcats will attempt to get their first conference win of the year and rise out of the cellar of the CAA against the Richmond Spiders. 

The Spiders have a record of 3-5, with the team’s only conference win coming against Albany. Last week Richmond lost 38-28 to the sixth-ranked Elon Phoenix. Although the Spiders managed to put 28 points on the board against a solid defense, they could not keep up with Elon’s offense. 

The Spiders have taken a step back on offense this season after losing quarterback Kyle Lauletta to the NFL. Although they rank 12th in passing yardage, they are only 85th in scoring offense. Sophomore quarterback Joe Manusco led the offense last week, finishing 12-28 with 215 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, freshman running back Aaron Dykes ran the ball 12 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. While the Richmond offense isn’t as dangerous as it was last year, they certainly are carrying momentum against a struggling Villanova defense, which is 119th in red zone defense and has let up 30+ points in two straight games. 

Luckily for the Villanova offense, which has been shut out two weeks in a row, Richmond’s defense is only mediocre. The Spiders allow 395.4 yards per game and let Elon take over the game offensively last week with 38 points allowed. In fact, the Spiders allow an average of 35 points a game, which puts them towards the bottom of the country in scoring defense. With Villanova’s offense being practically anemic the last two weeks, Richmond could be a spring pad for the offense to carry momentum into the end of the season. 

While the Wildcats are out of the playoff race and dead last in the conference, they can at least try and end the season on a good note starting this week with Richmond. 

Kickoff is this Saturday, November 3rd, at 3 p.m.