Villanova Readies For Non-Conference Match-Up With Fordham
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Villanova will be on the road Saturday, travelling up to the Bronx to take on the Fordham Rams out of the Patriot League in a non-conference battle.
The Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from a frustrating season opener last week up in Hartford. They fell to FBS UConn, 20-15, on Thursday night.
"It was a winnable game," Villanova head coach Andy Talley tells KYW Newsradio. "We did not play that well and our players felt that if we played a little better, it was one we could have won. But I think UConn is an up and coming team, their defense is really good. We struggled with their size on defense."
Listen: Andy Talley with KYW's Matt Leon
Talley says they also suffered a key injury in the loss to the Huskies.
"Gary Underwood, our tailback, is a concern for us right now," Talley says. "We're just not sure. He's got a chest injury and it depends how he comes along the rest of this week (whether he will be able to play against Fordham)."
The Wildcats will also be down a starting offensive lineman against the Rams.
"We do lose Jake Prus, our starting right tackle," Talley says, "because he is going to donate bone marrow, so he is out to save a life. We're going to lose a starting offensive tackle, but if it has to happen, that's a good way for it to happen."
Fordham picked up a big win in its opener on the road at West Point, beating Army, 37-35. The Rams rolled up 445 yards of total offense in the process.
"They were a playoff team in the last couple of years and they've really pumped their program up," Talley says. "They've done a great job putting a lot of athleticism into the program. They have a terrific tailback in Chase Edwards (rushed for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns last week). They have a great quarterback, who is a transfer (from Marshall), who played really well against Army."
That quarterback is junior Kevin Anderson. He was 15 of 23 against Army, for 322 yards. He also ran for a touchdown.
Last year when these two teams met, it was all Villanova as the Wildcats picked up an easy 50-6 win on the Main Line.
Saturday's game will kickoff at 6:00pm.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
