The Villanovan

Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Matthew Bandelt Aaron Ball rushed for 91 yards in Villanova's 20-14 victory over Northeastern University.

The No. 7 Villanova Wildcats escaped an upset on Nov. 1 with a 20-14 win over the Northeastern Huskies at Parsons Field in Brookline, Mass. It took an interception from sophomore linebacker Marquis Kirkland at the Villanova 2-yard line to end what could have been the go-ahead drive for the Huskies with a little over five minutes remaining in the game.

Instead, the Wildcats began their final drive after the turnover at their own 8-yard line and ran down the clock, going 88 yards in 12 plays before sophomore quarterback Chris Whitney took a knee with under a minute remaining.

"Our captains said one of us had to make a play," Kirkland said after the game. "I think we were waiting for somebody else to make a play. When the interception happened, that's what we needed."

With the narrow victory, the Wildcats managed to avoid back-to-back conference losses that would have seriously complicated the team's playoff chances, especially with a top-10 ranked New Hampshire team scheduled for Saturday.

After giving up a touchdown to Northeastern on the opening drive - a drive in which the Huskies converted a fourth-and-8 on a fake punt deep in their own territory - the Wildcats came back to score 20 unanswered points in about 12 minutes before the half ended.

The first points came at the end of a 60-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Whitney to sophomore receiver Matt Szczur. They added another touchdown on a six-yard rush from sophomore running back Aaron Ball during their next drive to open the second quarter.

Villanova senior kicker Joe Marcoux kicked field goals of 28 and 42 yards to bring the score to 20-7. Marcoux's two kicks tied the Villanova record for most field goals made in a single season with 13.

Realizing there was a serious chance of falling to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the conference, the Huskies tried to erase the 13-point deficit and began playing with urgency in the second half.

Halfway through the third quarter, Huskies senior linebacker Cornelius Bunch intercepted Whitney and returned it for 43 yards, setting up Northeastern's second touchdown of the game. Senior quarterback Anthony Orio hit junior receiver Tony Lott, who scrambled 20 yards into the end zone to bring the Huskies within six.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools