Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Black has been standing tall for ’Nova’s defense
RADNOR » Amin Black isn’t your prototypical middle linebacker, even at the FCS level. At 5-foot-9 and 225 pounds, the fifth-year senior from Villanova is a little on the short side.
Yet his lack of height has not stopped Black from being an impact player for the fifth-ranked Wildcats (5-1 overall, 3-0 CAA). He got on the field as a special teams player as a freshman in 2017 and has played in 32 games in his career with 14 starts.
“I use it as motivation,” Black said. “Coming out of high school (Imhotep Charter) I was always the guy that was looked over. Coaches and scouts said I wasn’t tall enough at the big schools so that drives me. I know I’m 5-10 but I have the heart of someone who’s 6-4. I’m a baller.”
Black’s numbers bear that out. He leads the Wildcats in solo tackles (18) and tackles for loss (seven) and is second only to fellow linebacker Forrest Rhyne in total stops (52-34) heading into Saturday’s homecoming showdown with No. 18/19 Rhode Island (51, 3-1) at Villanova Stadium (3:30 p.m.)
“You can’t measure passion, heart, determination, intensity and strength,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said of Black.
“My mom (Michelle Straughter) was always on me growing up,” Black said. “She would always tell me that If you want to play football, you have to give it everything . If you don’t give it everything you’re not going to get out of it what you want and at the end of the day you’re going to regret that you didn’t. So I’ve always installed it in myself that when I’m on the field I’m going to give 100 percent, even 101 percent. You never know that extra percent may be the difference between a missed tackle and a made tackle, so I always try to go as hard as I can all the time.”
That desire and determination sustained him through tough times. Black missed the final six games in 2019 after tearing the ACL in his left knee. He didn’t play in last spring’s shortened season partly because his knee wasn’t ready but also because of personal and academic issues that he needed to resolve.
“It made me hungrier,” Black said. “I was still working out with the guys but was not out there on the field. I was doing scout team all spring and that gave me my hunger back and gave me the trust in my knee.”
Saturday’s game with the Rams is the start of a tough, five-game stretch for the Wildcats. They host William & Mary (4-2, 2-1) next week, travel to Elon (33, 2-1) the following week, are back home against Stony Brook (2-5, 1-3) and close out the season on the road against No. 23/25 Delaware (3-3, 2-2).
Rhode Island, though, is the only team on Villanova’s mind this week. The Wildcats remember what the Rams did after they pulled out a 40-37 victory in overtime last spring at Villanova Stadium.
Several Rams players jumped up and down on the V in the middle of the field after the game.
“Knowing what they did to us is always in the back of our minds,” Black said. “What they did to us was disrespectful, stomping on our V after the game. Saturday we’re going to come to play.”
Widener at Stevenson, 1 p.m.
The Pride (6-1, 4-1 MAC) is looking for its third straight win when it heads to Owings Mills, Md. to take on the Mustangs (15, 1-3).
Widener held Wilkes to 14 yards rushing and 250 yards of total offense in a 30-13 win over the Colonels. Quarterback Triston Harris threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Tahir Cruse returned to the lineup after missing four games with an injury and ran for 91 yards and a TD on 11 attempts. Shawn Thompson added 82 yards as the Pride ran for 219 yards as a team.
Stevenson snapped a five-game losing streak with a 37-0 victory over Misericordia last week. Two of the losses were to nationally ranked teams. The Mustangs fell to No. 20 Johns Hopkins (53-18) and No. 9 Delaware Valley (34-17). The Mustangs have won four of the last five meetings including a 36-10 victory at Mustang Stadium in 2019.
Jersey Gators at Williamson, Noon
The Mechanics (4-1) are playing at home for the third week in a row and look to extend their winning streak to three games.
Williamson needed a stop by linebacker Joe Molitor (Ridley) on a twopoint try with 2:25 to play in the game to pull out a 20-18 victory over the New Jersey Warriors. Joe Kelly (Cardinal O’Hara) returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for the winning score. He finished with nine tackles including four for loss. Tyler McLaughlin (Sun Valley) pitched in with six tackles.
Quarterback Anthony Ellis (Sun Valley) threw for 84 yards and a TD to lead the offense.