McCloskey impresses as Cats fall to Elon 19-14
Patrick Zeng
It was a sunny afternoon at Villanova Stadium for homecoming weekend as the Villanova Wildcats welcomed in the 6-1 Elon Phoenix. Last year, the Wildcats defeated Elon 42-7 in North Carolina, however led by a strong freshman class, this Phoenix team was very different. Freshman quarterback Kyle McCloskey was welcomed home for his first career start in front of the Villanova faithful. And while the team performance was not up to par in the 19-14 loss, the freshman signal caller displayed a load of promise.
The Wildcats had the ball first and they were sure to establish their gameplan early. Aaron Forbes featured heavily throughout the game with 11 carries for 44 yards as well as another 5 receptions for 74 yards. One of those receptions was a beautifully thrown touch pass from McCloskey on a wheel route down the sideline for a 42 yard score. McCloskey was also able to find the endzone on a 24 yard touchdown pass to star wide receiver Taurus Phillips as Phillips blazed across the middle of the field and into the endzone. Those were the only scores of the game for the Nova offense as the gameplan was understandably conservative with the young quarterback going up against the #10 ranked team in the FCS.
The Elon offense found a way to be both incredibly impressive, yet underwhelming. Led by another true freshman in Davis Cheek at quarterback, the Elon offense was able to rack up 357 yards through the air. Cheek showed poise and precision in the pocket as he continues to develop during his maiden season in college football. Even more so than Cheek, the standout player from Elon was freshman receiver Kortez Weeks. Weeks had 11 receptions for 205 yards as the slot receiver. The six foot freshman receiver was a match-up problem all day for the Cats defense as his route running torched the secondary and his elusiveness on bubble screens left would be tacklers dumbfounded. The Phoenix offense was able to move up and down the field however, they struggled in the redzone only coming away with one touchdown in their five trips inside the Villanova 20.
This was not a flagship game for Mark Ferrnate's defense. Villanova came into this game allowing just under 50 yards per game on the ground, good for the #1 spot in the country. But the combination of De'Sean McNair, Brelynd Cyphers and Davis Cheek was able to run for 136 yards on the ground as coach Curt Cignetti stayed committed to a balanced offense. The lack of pressure from the Wildcats defensive front has also been an issue only registering two sacks on the afternoon and thirteen total for the season through eight games. The secondary was able to intercept Cheek twice through sophomore Davis Dage and senior Tre Johnson.
After a season that has been decimated by injuries, the takeaway from this game is the potential that was seen from Kyle McCloskey. The Germantown Academy product sporting #11 showed smart decision making in the pocket as he did not turn the ball over. McCloskey knew when to throw the ball away and used his legs as a weapon, racking up 83 yards rushing. The freshman showed guts in never sliding, but instead lowering his shoulder on all of his runs. Other than the occasional over/underthrow, McCloskey showed solid accuracy, especially for someone in their first career start. And the two touchdown passes were beautifully lofted over the defenders to both Forbes and Phillips.
Every loss is disappointing especially during homecoming weekend, but given the circumstances it is understandable. Kyle McCloskey shined, Aaron Forbes continues to cement himself as a key player, and the Nova defense stood strong in the redzone. The crushing injuries to Zach Bednarczyk, Ryan Bell, Matt Gudzak and Rob Rolle have just so far proven to be too much to overcome for this Wildcat bunch.
Next week the 4-4 Wildcats will welcome in the 4-4 Richmond Spiders who are coming off of a 27-24 loss to Stony Brook.
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| 247 Sports |
The Wildcats had the ball first and they were sure to establish their gameplan early. Aaron Forbes featured heavily throughout the game with 11 carries for 44 yards as well as another 5 receptions for 74 yards. One of those receptions was a beautifully thrown touch pass from McCloskey on a wheel route down the sideline for a 42 yard score. McCloskey was also able to find the endzone on a 24 yard touchdown pass to star wide receiver Taurus Phillips as Phillips blazed across the middle of the field and into the endzone. Those were the only scores of the game for the Nova offense as the gameplan was understandably conservative with the young quarterback going up against the #10 ranked team in the FCS.
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| 247 Sports |
The Elon offense found a way to be both incredibly impressive, yet underwhelming. Led by another true freshman in Davis Cheek at quarterback, the Elon offense was able to rack up 357 yards through the air. Cheek showed poise and precision in the pocket as he continues to develop during his maiden season in college football. Even more so than Cheek, the standout player from Elon was freshman receiver Kortez Weeks. Weeks had 11 receptions for 205 yards as the slot receiver. The six foot freshman receiver was a match-up problem all day for the Cats defense as his route running torched the secondary and his elusiveness on bubble screens left would be tacklers dumbfounded. The Phoenix offense was able to move up and down the field however, they struggled in the redzone only coming away with one touchdown in their five trips inside the Villanova 20.
This was not a flagship game for Mark Ferrnate's defense. Villanova came into this game allowing just under 50 yards per game on the ground, good for the #1 spot in the country. But the combination of De'Sean McNair, Brelynd Cyphers and Davis Cheek was able to run for 136 yards on the ground as coach Curt Cignetti stayed committed to a balanced offense. The lack of pressure from the Wildcats defensive front has also been an issue only registering two sacks on the afternoon and thirteen total for the season through eight games. The secondary was able to intercept Cheek twice through sophomore Davis Dage and senior Tre Johnson.
After a season that has been decimated by injuries, the takeaway from this game is the potential that was seen from Kyle McCloskey. The Germantown Academy product sporting #11 showed smart decision making in the pocket as he did not turn the ball over. McCloskey knew when to throw the ball away and used his legs as a weapon, racking up 83 yards rushing. The freshman showed guts in never sliding, but instead lowering his shoulder on all of his runs. Other than the occasional over/underthrow, McCloskey showed solid accuracy, especially for someone in their first career start. And the two touchdown passes were beautifully lofted over the defenders to both Forbes and Phillips.
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| 247 Sports |
Next week the 4-4 Wildcats will welcome in the 4-4 Richmond Spiders who are coming off of a 27-24 loss to Stony Brook.
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