Garnet Valley’s Donoghue will help captain ’Nova’s team
CAA FOOTBALL POLL
BALTIMORE » Matt Donoghue has vivid memories of his first start with the Villanova Wildcats. It came two years ago in a 24-13 loss to Penn at Villanova Stadium.
Donoghue was a redshirt sophomore at the time and was thrust into the starting lineup when regular center Kyle Wallace had to miss the game due to a death in the family. Donoghue had been on the scout team for his first two years on the Main Line before the Garnet Valley AllDelco lineman got his opportunity to show what he could do as a starter.
“It didn’t go said.
Donoghue, though, did not give up. He went back to work, earned the starting job a year later and received the highest honor of all in the spring when he was chosen as one of Villanova’s four captains for the 2017 season along with safety Rob Rolle, linebacker Ed Shockley and defensive lineman Ricky Young.
“It’s pretty cool,” Donoghue said of his selection as a team captain. “My biggest fear was never playing, so I worked hard, put in more well,” Donoghue time, watched film, did everything I could to get out there and be successful.”
Donoghue was successful. He started all 13 games for a team that went 9-4 and reached the second round of the FCS playoffs.
“I think it just clicked a little late for him,” said Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante, who was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach before his promotion. “His work ethic and his attitude have always been great, but he just developed a little later. I’m real proud of Matt because he basically was on the scout team for his first three seasons and then last year was his breakout year. He became the starting center, which helped him earn is invite back as a red-shirt senior.”
Donoghue is being counted on to anchor an offensive unit that has nine starters back, including all of its skill position players. The Wildcats also have six starters back on defense, which is why they were picked to finish third in the rugged Colonial Athletic Association.
The preseason favorite to win the league title is defending national champion James Madison. Richmond was picked second in the vote of the league’s coaches and media relations directors. The Spiders have been to the playoffs the last three years. Richmond reached the semifinals in 2015 and the quarterfinals last year.
Villanova is also ranked seventh in Street & Smith’s preseason FCS top 25 and eighth by Athlon Sports.
“It’s good to be ranked,” Ferrante said. “It’s good to have high expectations, but I tell the players all the time that high rankings and high expectations are nice, but we’re looking to have high results. The big thing is in our league and at the FCS level, with the numbers, is staying healthy.
“We saw that just two short seasons ago. We were ranked higher that year (No. 1 in CAA preseason poll and No. 4 nationally) than we are this year. We were coming off a 9-4 playoff year in 2014 and then John Robertson and a handful of others go down in the third game and that turns a No. 1 ranking into a 6-5 season.”
Redshirt junior Zack Bednarczyk is back for his third year as the starting quarterback. He threw for 2,198 yards and 19 touchdowns and also ran for 539 yards and two scores despite playing most of the season with an injured hand.
“I think Zack’s going to have a great year,” Donoghue said.
The biggest question is on defense, where the Wildcats have to replace five starters, including All-America defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, who was a secondround pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. Linebacker Austin Calitro is another big loss. He’s in training camp with the Eagles.
The Wildcats were No. 1 in the FCS last season in scoring defense (15 points per game) and total defense (259.8 yards per game), third in red zone defense, fourth in rushing defense (87.6 ypg.), tied for fifth in defensive touchdowns (four) and eighth in third-down conversion percentage defense.
“Yeah, we have some big holes to fill on defense,” Rolle said. “But the reason I think we were so successful was because it didn’t matter where we were on the field or who was making the plays, we did our job as a team.”
It all gets under way when the Wildcats open training camp a week from Thursday.
“I’m ready to get out there and starting hitting someone,” Donoghue said.
*** NOTES » Shockley and punter John Hinchen also earned preseason All-CAA honors. … Richmond defensive end Brandon Waller, an AllDelco from Haverford High, was named to the first-team defense . ... The Wildcats open the season Sept. 2 at Lehigh and play four of their first give games on the road. Villanova takes on Temple Sept. 9 at Lincoln Financial Field and then visits Albany (Sept. 23) and Towson (Sept. 30). The only home game is that stretch is Sept. 16 against Lafayette.