| 1997 Villanova Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
A-10 champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 34–37 vs. Youngstown State | |
| Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 1 |
| Record | 12–1 (8–0 A-10) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Dave Clawson (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Bob Shoop (1st season) |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Villanova Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New England Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Hampshire x | 5 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maine | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston University | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UMass | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Villanova x$^ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Delaware ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Northeastern | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William & Mary | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Madison | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1997 Villanova Wildcats football team represented Villanova University during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. It was the program's 100th season and they finished as Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) champions after posting a perfect 8–0 record in conference play.[1][2] The Wildcats earned a berth as the #1 seed into the 16-team Division I-AA playoffs, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Youngstown State, 34–37.[1] Villanova was led by 13th-year head coach Andy Talley.[1] Villanova finished the year ranked #1 in the nation according to The Sports Network's final poll, which was released prior to the playoffs starting.
Among the many postseason awards received, coach Talley was honored as the AFCA Coach of the Year and Eddie Robinson Award winner for being the Division I-AA national coach of the year.[2] Senior wide receiver Brian Finneran received the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the nation's top offensive player.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | No. 18 (D-II) West Chester* | W 64–0 | ||||||
| September 13 | at No. 6 Delaware | No. 19 | W 35–25 | |||||
| September 20 | Maine | No. 10 |
| W 34–14 | [3] | |||
| October 4 | No. 22 James Madison | No. 4 |
| W 49–17 | 7,631 | [4] | ||
| October 11 | 1:00 p.m. | UMass | No. 3 |
| NESN | W 49–27 | 7,109 | |
| October 18 | at Richmond | No. 3 | W 40–29 | 6,240 | [5] | |||
| October 25 | at No. 14 William & Mary | No. 1 | W 20–13 | 10,559 | ||||
| November 1 | at Rhode Island | No. 1 | W 37–15 | |||||
| November 8 | New Hampshire | No. 1 |
| W 23–20 | ||||
| November 15 | 1:00 p.m. | Buffalo* | No. 1 |
| W 42–28 | 6,831 | ||
| November 22 | No. 20 Northeastern | No. 1 |
| W 49–35 | ||||
| November 29 | Colgate* | No. 1 |
| W 49–28 | 8,875 | [6] | ||
| December 6 | No. 4 Youngstown State* | No. 1 |
| L 34–37 | ||||
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Roster
| 1997 Villanova Wildcats football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Awards and honors
- Walter Payton Award – Brian Finneran
- First Team All-America – Chris Boden (Walter Camp); Brian Finneran (Associated Press, The Sports Network, AFCA, Walter Camp)
- First Team All-Atlantic 10 – Chris Boden, Brian Finneran, Jason Tenner
- Second Team All-Atlantic 10 – George Freiberger, Mark Kiefer
- Third Team All-Atlantic 10 – Josh Dolbin, Ryan Knight, Shaun Lyons, Chris Machovina, Mitch McCrimmon, Shannon Riley
- AFCA Coach of the Year Award – Andy Talley
- Eddie Robinson Award – Andy Talley
- Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year – Andy Talley
References
- 1 2 3 "1997 Villanova Wildcats football results". College Football Data Warehouse. William Goodyear. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- 1 2 3 "2018 Villanova Wildcats Football Media Guide". villanova.edu. Villanova University. 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ↑ "Villanova lights up UMaine". The Bangor Daily News. September 22, 1997. p. 19. Retrieved April 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Finneran rewrites record book as 'Nova rolls to win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Nova stops Richmond, 40–29, on a banner day for Boden". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 19, 1997. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Juliano, Joe (November 30, 1997). "Villanova's Strong Finish Eliminates Colgate, 49-28". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.