Throughout the 2025 season, Nittany Sports Now will give you a profile of each opponent.
Opponent: Villanova Wildcats
History: Penn State
Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in FCS
Home Field: Villanova Stadium (capacity 12,500)
The legendary venue has been a home for football since 1927. Other sports that participate in Villanova Stadium are lacrosse (men and women), track and field, and field hockey.
Notable Football Alumni and Moments:
Despite being in the FCS, the Wildcats have had some notable and distinguished participants on the gridiron.
Howie Long (1977-1980) – A stalwart on NFL Sunday’s for FOX, the Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Oakland & Los Angeles Raiders (1981-1993) where he was an eight-time Pro Bowl section and a member of the Raiders Super Bowl XVIII.
The Somerville, Massachusetts native got his start at Villanova where he was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1980 Blue-Gray Football Classic.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Brian Westbrook (1997-2001) – Prior to starring with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Westbrook was a dominant force at running back for Villanova. Westbrook was the program’s second Walter Payton Award recipient given to the best offensive player in the FCS. A three-time First-Team I-AA All-American selection and two-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Westbrook was a key piece for two Villanova conference champions.
Brian Finneran (1994-1997) – The school’s first Walter Payton Award recipient in 1997 after having 96 receptions for 1,389 yards. For his efforts, Finneran’s No. 25 was retired by Villanova in 2003. Following his time with Villanova, Finneran spent 13 seasons in the NFL at wide receiver, primarily with the Atlanta Falcons (1999-2010)
2009 National Champions – Andy Talley’s coaching opus with Villanova came in 2009 when he guided the Wildcats to their lone national championship. The Wildcats edged the Montana Grizzlies 23-21. Talley is the program’s winningest coach with 229 wins and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Key Current Players:
Pat McQuaide (Quarterback)
McQuaide has had a long journey through multiple junior colleges before landing at Villanova. In Villanova’s season opener, McQuaide completed 18 for 28 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown in a win over Colgate.
David Avit (Running Back)
Avit had a spectacular freshman campaign with 923 rushing yards, a record for Villanova freshman. While Avit struggled in Villanova’s 24-17 win over Colgate with 49 yards, the Wildcats love to emphasize the run.
Shane Hartzell (Linebacker)
Hartzell enters his senior season having compiled 285 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks. Hartzell was the teams second leading tackler against Colgate with six tackles (2 solo)
They Said It.
“Villanova coming in here, in-state foe that we got a lot of respect for. I’ve known the head coach, Coach [Mark] Ferrante for a long time. Pretty cool. He’s been there 39 years. Former O-line coach, now been the head coach going on nine years, ten years. But the consistency that they’ve had in their program has been awesome, and it’s led to really good things for them.”
Penn State head coach James Franklin in his opening statement this week for Villanova. Franklin had praise for Ferrante’s program and the continuity in the Wildcat staff.
