It’s time to roadtrip to Maine! Just like when you were a kid, except now instead of tolerable weather it’s for November football.
Villanova Football is back in action on Saturday (12:00pm ET, Maine All-Access) to take on the Maine Black Bears. Both teams have just one loss in the CAA and are firmly in the hunt for a conference title.
Maine has won five straight games, but they’ve all been close
When they Black Bears started the season 0-3 there was legitimate cause for concern up North. Although two of those losses came against FBS foe, it’s quite the hole to dig yourself into early on.
They’ve responded well, winning five straight overall and four straight in conference play. But all of those wins have come by seven points or less. Are they executing well late in games or getting lucky?
Maine’s defense is not very good
One reason for those close games? The Black Bears actually allow more points per game (27.1) on average than they score themselves (23.8). While Villanova has leaned on their defense to shut opponents down and control the game, the Black Bears have needed score more.
That strategy will be put to the test against one of the league’s best defenses (and a pretty good offense too).
Villanova’s secondary will be put to the test
Led by junior Rob Rolle, the secondary has been putting in a fantastic year. Surrending just 156 yards per game through the air, they’ll go up against QB Dan Collins and a passing attack that ranks second in the conference (222.8 ypg).
Collins has multiple weapons, but his favorite is Micah Wright. The 6’1” 190 lb. sophomore leads the conference in receiving touchdowns and is fourth in yardage. He’s a big-time threat that Rolle, Trey Johnson and others will have to keep in check.