Maine @ Villanova 7:30pm Halloween Night

[Gangtackle11]

A 7:30pm start on Halloween night. Temple takes on Notre Dame at the Linc same night. Villanova reeling after pre season hype has not materialized. Over/under on crowd is 2500.

Villanova Wildcats (3-4 Overall; 2-2 CAA)
Head Coach: Andy Talley (36th year as Head Coach; 31st year @ Villanova)
Overall Record: 246-150-2 (Villanova 218-132-1)
2009 National Champions

Maine Black Bears (3-4 Overall; 3-1 CAA)
Head Coach: Jack Cosgrove (23rd season as Head Coach)
Overall Record: 129-131

Overall Series:
Tied 9-9

1st game:
Maine won 20-17 (1988)

Last game:
Villanova won 41-20 (2014)

2014 Game Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q8BiHUH2pU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlvBLiPxATA

[Ivytalk]

I'll take the under.

[CHIP72]

I'll also take the under on the crowd.

Incidentally, had Notre Dame/Temple (a game I'll be attending) been a 12 PM start, I probably would have attended Maine/Villanova on Saturday night (though I would have passed on the Villanova/Towson game and instead attended the Penn State/Maryland game this past Saturday).

[paward]

This game could bring new meaning to "Trick or Treat." I still can't give up on Nova. Maine had exceeded my expectations. My mind says Maine but Nova had been known to step up when need be.

[Gangtackle11]

Villanova -11 Maine

O/U 41

[Tribal]

I set my DVR to record this game whilst I take my kids trick-or-treating. This should be a good one.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I'll also take the under on the crowd.

Incidentally, had Notre Dame/Temple (a game I'll be attending) been a 12 PM start, I probably would have attended Maine/Villanova on Saturday night (though I would have passed on the Villanova/Towson game and instead attended the Penn State/Maryland game this past Saturday).

I grew up a huge Notre Dame fan and still follow them very closely to this day. I'm not looking forward to Saturday night, lol. I'll obviously be pulling for Temple. Still, hopefully these two don't play for another 50 years. If I don't go to Lehigh-Lafayette I'll be at the Temple-Memphis game most likely. Otherwise, 100% the UConn game.

I had Villanova in the title game before the year so I'm not a hater. It's a shame what has happened to their season. Maine is a "headache" type team. I'll be interested to see if Villanova can win in what will be a very sterile environment at night....

[CHIP72]

I grew up a huge Notre Dame fan and still follow them very closely to this day. I'm not looking forward to Saturday night, lol. I'll obviously be pulling for Temple. Still, hopefully these two don't play for another 50 years. If I don't go to Lehigh-Lafayette I'll be at the Temple-Memphis game most likely. Otherwise, 100% the UConn game.

Interesting. Even though I was brought up Catholic, I've never been a Notre Dame fan. (My Catholic heritage runs back through Italy, not Ireland.) I think the Fighting Irish do have a very fine team this year and I personally think pretty highly of Brian Kelly as a head coach. (Actually, I would have chosen Brian Kelly over Chip Kelly to be the Eagles' head coach in early 2013, though former Temple coach Bruce Arians and then-Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley were my top two choices at that time. I'd still love to have Arians as the Eagles head coach, but that's water under the bridge...)

November 21st will be a big day - obviously Lafayette/Lehigh 151 and Memphis/Temple, but also Villanova/James Madison, the first round of the D2 (and D3) playoffs, and a number of big national games (probably Michigan State/Ohio State most prominent among them). Because of the many games of interest, I doubt I'll attend Memphis/Temple, even though I plan to attend the Buccaneers/Eagles game the next day. I do still hope to attend Connecticut/Temple barring family visit commitments.

One final thought related to both those 11/21 games and Notre Dame - as a college player, Brian Kelly was a standout linebacker and team captain at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. I bring this up because Assumption is having one of their best seasons in many years (much like the Lehigh Valley, at least one college football team in Worcester is good, but isn't a Patriot League team!), and has the inside track to win their league (the NE-10) and qualify for the D2 playoffs in Super Region 1. (The Division 2 playoffs are broken into four regions, and each region is composed of 3-4 conferences. The D2 playoffs were expanded by one team per region this year, and now 7 teams per region, or 28 total teams, make the playoffs.) If Assumption makes the playoffs, which I think would be their first-ever D2 playoff appearance, they'd play their first game on 11/21, possibly against a PSAC team. I almost never watch Notre Dame games on TV, but I wouldn't be shocked if Assumption gets a mention during a Notre Dame game if they make the playoffs (or even this week when they moved into the D2 top 25 for possibly the first time ever).

OK, back to the regularly scheduled Maine/Villanova thread topic programming.

[melloware13]

If it wasn't for the WS, I'd be watching to try to see how Maine looks. Speaking of PSAC games, I have a swim meet at Bloomsburg sat afternoon to coach, but of course the Huskies are in my backyard for their game. CHIP, which LV college is doing well, assuming you don't mean Becahi after they mercy ruled my mounties last week

[CHIP72]

If it wasn't for the WS, I'd be watching to try to see how Maine looks. Speaking of PSAC games, I have a swim meet at Bloomsburg sat afternoon to coach, but of course the Huskies are in my backyard for their game. CHIP, which LV college is doing well, assuming you don't mean Becahi after they mercy ruled my mounties last week

Moravian is having a surprisingly good season (6-1 right now) and Muhlenberg, while slightly disappointing, still is 5-2. (Based on the strength of the Centennial Conference, I think Moravian may have an outside shot at a D3 playoff berth, ala Muhlenberg last year, if they win out.) This is a very rare year where (if you don't mind the quality of D3 football) the "other" Lehigh Valley college football rivalry game, Moravian at Muhlenberg, may be more worthwhile for the non-affiliated fan to watch than Lafayette at Lehigh.

[Nova09]

Crazy how without those pick 6s we'd be a good bet to make the playoffs now that Vad is out. Oh well, that's football.

[Gangtackle11]

Villanova Game Notes: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/release/release_20151029aaa.pdf (http://http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/release/release_20151029aaa.pdf)


Maine Game Notes: http://static.psbin.com/6/p/ipofnccprnzzfu/Villanova.pdf

[PurpleStreamers]

Crazy how without those pick 6s we'd be a good bet to make the playoffs now that Vad is out. Oh well, that's football.

xrolleyesx Starting to really enjoy how the Dukes went from possibly a bit overrated to massively underrated by our future opponents. Schor is going to be a true surprise to anyone outside the program.

[KPSUL]

xrolleyesx Starting to really enjoy how the Dukes went from possibly a bit overrated to massively underrated by our future opponents. Schor is going to be a true surprise to anyone outside the program.

Maybe, but I think most of us are waiting to see how tomorrow's game @ W&M goes for the Dukes. I thought that would be your biggest test even before Richmond came into Bridgeforth with guns blazing (Don't worry about the reference, I've never been accused of domestic violence), and Vad Lee unfortunately sustained a season ending injury.

[ccd494]

That was absolutely a fumble, should be Maine's ball.

[Gangtackle11]

[QUOTE=CHIP72;2273275]I'll also take the under on the crowd

You lose 4309 was official attendance. Maine traveled reasonably well for being 10 hours away.

[CHIP72]

I'm glad to see there were a solid number of fans in attendance (though I'm guessing that 4309 was the announced attendance rather than in-stadium attendance, which is always at least a little less at pretty much every game for every team), and even more glad Villanova found a way to win, even if it sounds like it was an ugly win.

[Gangtackle11]

Chip72,

Probably right on the attendance, but it was better than I thought.

Team needed a win. It was ugly as the 2 teams took turns offensively trying to keep the other team close. Villanova has to be 1 of the worst red zone teams in the country. Can't even convert easy field goal opportunities although we passed that on to the Maine kicker as well. I wish they would have a power I set for inside the 20, but with all the injuries on the OL it wouldn't matter this season.

It was definitely a snoozer of a game, but 4-4 and headed to Rhode Island. Still alive, but just winning a few games and avoiding disaster feels ok for this empty season. Happens.