Villanova Football looks to rebound from fourth quarter loss

Happy Monday Nova Nation! Villanova Football lost in heartbreaking fashion this weekend after a fourth quarter comeback by #2 JMU. Now the WIldcats head into a bye week before regrouping and coming back to Villanova for their homecoming celebration.

Despite their first loss of the season, the Wildcats should still be in good position for a playoff berth. It’s only their first loss of the season, and dropping a game on the road to the #2 team isn’t going to hurt them much in the polls. The only two ranked opponents left on the schedule are their homecoming opponent, #22 Stony Brook, and the season finale with #15 Delaware. Both of those games will be at Villanova, in fact 4 of Villanova’s remaining 5 games will be in their home stadium.

Given the nature of their loss, the Wildcats should still be considered as a contender for a championship, or at least a team that could knock off one of the top few seeds. The Wildcats will hopefully use the bye week to get healthy, and possibly get a better idea of when to expect the return of stud running back, Justin Covington.

In other “news”, Bryan Antoine is on pace to return to practice in November, St. Joe’s and Villanova take on sports betting, and updates from the Wildcats in the NBA. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

Villanova Basketball: Wildcats ceiling lowers if Bryan Antoine can't play | Busting Brackets
It seems that Bryan Antoine's injury isn't getting better. How big of an impact will it have on Villanova Basketball if he can't play?

With Collin Gillespie sidelined, Villanova’s Jay Wright putting other point guards to the test | The Inquirer
The Wildcats aren't short on options, but the starting point guard is unknown after Gillespie broke his nose.

Gillespie brothers shine in the City of Brotherly Love | 6abc.com
While not quite a household name, most Philadelphia sports fans know Collin Gillespie. But right down the Blue Route, there's another Gillespie starring in college sports in the city of Brotherly Love.

Villanova 5-star freshman Bryan Antoine, coach Jay Wright quell redshirt speculation | Sporting News
The No. 2 shooting guard in the class of 2019 had shoulder surgery in June and Wright said redshirting was "a possibility" then backtracked.

What's to Like (and What's Not) from Thursday's Blue/White Scrimmage | The Villanovan
Yes, for those of you with money on this – Jay Wright did refer to Chris Arcidiacono as Ryan post-scrimmage, before hanging his head and sighing at what he had

NBA Wildcats

Eric Paschall fitting in with Warriors, making good early impression | Yahoo! Sports
In two preseason games, Eric Paschall showed exactly why the Warriors hoped he'd fall to them in the NBA draft.

Phoenix Suns reportedly pick up options on Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges | Arizona Sports
The Phoenix Suns have reportedly picked up the third-year options on two of its standout rookies from last year, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.

Kyle Lowry's Trade Appeal Boosted By Extension | SLAM
The Toronto Raptors inked Kyle Lowry to a one-year contract extension earlier this month. Now, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that one of the reasons wh

Zion Williamson hilariously wouldn’t give Josh Hart a high-five | USA Today Sports
Despite changing teams, Josh Hart is still struggling to get a proper high-five from his new teammates.

From honoring dads to Mortal Kombat characters, here is how the Bulls picked their jersey numbers | The Athletic
How do you pick a jersey number? Sometimes it picks you.

Golden State Warriors: If Chriss stays, Omari Spellman will likely be dealt | Blue Man Hoop
The Golden State Warriors were impressed with Marquese Chriss in his first preseason outing. However, adding him may force the Dubs to deal Omari Spellman.

Villanova Football

No. 2 JMU rallies for a victory over No. 5 Villanova | The Virginian-Pilot
With two huge fourth quarter turnovers, No. 2 James Madison comes back for a 38-24 win over No. 5 Villanova.

#2 JMU Erases Fourth-Quarter Deficit to Rally Past #5 Villanova, 38-24 | WHSV
Second ranked James Madison forced four turnovers and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally past fifth ranked Villanova, 38-24 in Colonial Athletic Association action on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium on Saturday.

Pick-6 cements James Madison comeback, top Villanova 38-24 | NBC 12
MJ Hampton returned an interception 83 yards for the winning score and James Madison rallied with a dominant fourth quarter to clip Villanova 38-24 in a clash of two teams ranked in the top five of the FCS polls

Football Suffers Heartbreaking First Loss to James Madison | The Villanovan
Villanova lost its first game of the season this weekend to national powerhouse, James Madison. The Dukes avoided an upset by scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and

FCS Week 7 Recap: Four Top 10 Teams Go Down | HERO Sports
What went down in Week 7 of the 2019 FCS season?

FCS playing a big role in XFL draft | KETK
Nearly 150 former FCS-level players will play a key role in the XFL draft Tuesday and Wednesday.

Villanova Athletics

Quinnipiac loses 2-1 to Villanova for the third time in as many years | The Quinnipiac Chronicle
"Some nights we can look like the best team in the country, others we look like the worst," Quinnipiac head coach Becca Main said. This was one of those games

Wildcats Drop Close Battle to No. 2 James Madison, 38-24 | Villanova University Athletics
HARRISONBURG, Va.—A matchup of top-five teams lived up to the billing as No. 5 Villanova (6-1, 3-1 CAA Football) fell in a hard-fought battle at No. 2 James Madison

Early Goals Propel Villanova over DePaul 3-1 | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova, Pa.- The Villanova Wildcats (7-4-3, 3-1-1 BIG EAST) got off to a fast start scoring two goals in the opening 10 minutes and held on to defeat the DePaul

Behind Two Hat Tricks, Villanova Propels Past La Salle 8-3 | Villanova University Athletics
Behind two hat tricks, Villanova (6-6, 1-3) defeated La Salle 8-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Proving Grounds.

Swimming & Diving win six events in season opener | Villanova University Athletics
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The men and women's swimming and diving teams hit the road for their season opener, traveling to Pittsburgh on October 12 to take on the Panther,

Villanova Adjacent

Radnor police issue 200 citations for underage drinking | Mainlinetimes
RADNOR — Radnor police issued about 200 citations for underage drinking at a Garrett Hill bar in the evening on Oct. 4. The police took action after the owners of

Good Luck Enforcing Your Sports Betting Bans, Pennsylvania Colleges | Penn Bets
St. Joseph's University is trying to ban betting on its games among its students and faculty, but the rule will prove completely toothless.

At two Philadelphia universities, you can bet on sports, but not on the home team | The Inquirer
St. Joseph's and Villanova have drawn a line and adopted policies banning all students, faculty and staff from wagering on any events involving their university’s teams.

College Basketball

Jim Calhoun -- Never 'knowingly treated any woman unfairly because of her gender' | ESPN
Jim Calhoun, responding to allegations of sexual discrimination by a former associate AD at the University of Saint Joseph, told the Hartford Courant in a statement Saturday that he "at no time, knowingly treated any woman unfairly because of her gender."

Second-year coaches -- who's ascending, who's stagnating | ESPN
The rookies in charge will get a lot of the preseason attention, but it's the second season that could make or break the tenure of these coaches.