Coming into 2019, there was a feeling that Villanova had the potential to be one of the better "improvement" stories in the FCS, but the questions were there. Who would lead the attack at quarterback … how would this tough-nosed defensive team counter with its offensive attack?
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The quarterback battle wasn't resolved until August, and Campbell transfer Daniel Smith emerged as the leader of the competition among several capable signal callers. Smith came to 'Nova with a positive reputation, having been a 1,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher as a freshman with the Camels. But that was in the Pioneer League … how would that translate to a tough, defensive-minded CAA?
Apparently, Villanova's coaching staff serves as a strong translator of the distinct language known as "CAA-ese", and Smith was a sponge, a willing and capable student.
On Saturday, Smith played easily the toughest defense in his entire three-year college career as a starter, and he hardly flinched. With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, he had the Wildcats leading the Dukes 24-17, with a stat line of 263 passing yards on 19-of-29 passing, with three touchdowns and no INTs. Oh, and one of the nation's leading rushers — Justin Covington — was not dressed for the game after suffering a non-season ending injury last week against William & Mary.
FCS COACHES CORNER: Villanova's Mark Ferrante Talks To HERO Sports
So the Wildcats had virtually no rushing threat against one of the top defensive statistical rushing units in the FCS, putting all the pressure squarely on the QB's shoulders … yet through three quarters plus he held the lead, his offense had outproduced JMU 306 yards to 239 and they'd only been able to sack him one time, though they'd hurried him multiple times on the day.
He'd looked cool, calm and collected even though he'd never played in an atmosphere like this one. Now, JMU's defense finally broke loose down the stretch of the final 10 minutes of the game and forced some turnovers, but a lesser quarterback with his star RB missing would have been pressured into the same mistakes in the first 10 minutes of the game and the game never would have been in doubt.
The dam broke and JMU eventually won by 14 points, 38-24.
"It's just another Saturday in the CAA," Smith said during the postgame press conference.
But the question is … when these two teams inevitably meet again in the postseason, and Villanova has Covington back healthy and the injury bug finally leaves the Wildcats alone (it'd be the first time in three seasons) and lets them be at full strength when it's do-or-die time, could that matchup be even crazier than Saturday's was?
We asked Villanova coach Mark Ferrante. He wouldn't bite, and why would he? We asked James Madison coach Curt Cignetti after the presser, and he basically said … hey, can we just enjoy this one for a few hours?
Read between the lines, folks, they know there's a chance this "game" isn't really over yet in 2019. Think December. And Smith and the offense and the Villanova defense seem up to the task, so stay tuned.
Time will tell, but one thing is for sure … Smith has found a way to go from success in a non-scholarship league to playing in the only FCS conference in history to produce six playoff bids in one season. The CAA is competitive and features good defenses, and Smith found a way to operate with the proverbial "one hand tied behind his back" offensively.
Villanova's season is hardly over, folks. Oh, and 2020 isn't looking too shabby either. And … if you pay attention to recruiting news, you probably already knew that
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Listen to this week's episode of B-Mac and Herd's FCS Podcast, which is also available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, Stitcher and Spreaker.
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