Penn State football is back again after two straight weeks of blowouts against inferior opponents. Despite this, the Nittany Lions are one day away from facing off against FCS opponent Villanova, and they have yet to cover the spread.

As the age-old saying goes, good teams win, great teams cover. Well, Penn State faces another extreme spread, walking into the third game of the season as 48.5-point favorites, per FanDuel.

The Nittany Lions have an overall record against the Wildcats of 6-3-1. With that being said, Villanova has won three of the last four meetings, only falling to the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium in 2021.

Last season, Villanova finished 10-4, losing in the second round of the FCS playoffs to Incarnate Word. The Wildcats find themselves at the No. 11 spot in the FCS Coaches Poll after picking up a win against Colgate on September 6.

One of Villanova’s strong suits is its experienced coaching staff. This includes head coach Mark Ferrante, who is in his ninth year in control of the Wildcats. He began his career as the running back coach for Wagner before moving to Lafayette in 1985. He made the move to Villanova as a linebackers coach in 1987 and worked his way up to head coach.

Chris Boden, the program’s all-time passing yards leader, serves as the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats. He is one game into his seventh season at his alma mater after returning to help out the university in 2019. Before the move back to Philadelphia, Boden worked as the head coach for ASA College Miami.

The current defensive coordinator for Villanova is entering his fourth year in the role, but his eleventh year with the program. Ross Pennypacker has consistently put out one of the best defenses in the FCS, including back-to-back seasons as a top 10 defensive team in the country in 2023 and 2024.

The Offense

The Wildcats’ offense is built similarly to Penn State’s. The team’s two star running backs returned, as well as their top seven offensive lineman, while the receiving core is completely new and mainly from the transfer portal.

Villanova’s best running back, David Avit, rushed 173 times for 923 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 as a freshman. His impressive numbers earned him All-CAA Honorable Mention and FCS Freshman All-American honors. In his first game of 2025, Avit ran 15 times for 49 yards and added one reception for eight yards.

Avit will split touches with another returning running back, Isiah Ragland, who saw 13 carries for 26 yards and one reception for 12 yards against Colgate.

On the offensive line, seven players rotate relatively equally, but the stars of the show are Jake Picard, First Team All-Conference in 2024, and Stephane Voltaire, Honorable Mention All-Conference in 2024. Picard has tallied over 2,000 snaps of college football and should offer a unique challenge for Penn State’s young defensive front.

The Wildcats did lose both of their top targets from 2024, but brought in talented and proven FCS receivers from the transfer portal. In the first game of the season, Luke Colella was the most productive, hauling in five balls for 124 yards. Returning receiver Lucas Kopecky also surprised Villanova fans, putting up 98 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

Leading Villanova under center this season is Pat McQuaide. The Nicholls State transfer has two years of starting experience under his belt, going 395-of-686 for 4,414 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions in 23 games.

McQuaide impressed in the season opener, throwing for 299 yards and one touchdown to seven different receivers. While he is not known for his running ability, the quarterback also added 41 yards on the ground on three attempts.

While the passing attack is good for the FCS, Villanova still ran the ball on the majority of its plays. Penn State can expect more of what it has seen throughout the first two games of the year, with constant run plays and little to no downfield shots.

The Defense

Similar to the offense, the Wildcats return a lot of the production that helped them allow just 18.8 points a game last season. Just over 53% of the team’s top 15 tacklers and top 15 snap leaders came back for 2025.

Shane Hartzell, who is one of the best linebackers in the FCS, leads the group of returners. The Perkasie, Pennsylvania, linebacker is a four-year starter and was given First Team All-Conference in 2024. In the first game against Colgate, Hartzell was second on the team with six total tackles.

The linebackers in general are a strength for Villanova, who mainly run a 3-3 stack on defense. JR Strauss, another returner, impressed in his season debut with a team-leading eight tackles. Richie Kimmel also adds depth with over 700 snaps played in his career.

The Wildcats returned three defensive linemen with over 500 snaps from a season ago in Obinna Nwobodo, Ayden Howard, and Capri Martin. The three combined for 11 tackles against Colgate. Three down linemen can make it tough for them to have significant effects on the game, though.

Zahmir Dawud leads the secondary as one of the top cornerbacks in the FCS. The sophomore was just under 500 snaps in 2024, recording 47 tackles, four TFLs, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. The rest of the defensive backs saw limited time last season or were brought in from the transfer portal.

Special Teams

The Villanova special teams unit is the only unit on the team dealing with a new coach, as the former special teams coordinator, Matthew Colangelo, joined Penn State this offseason as a special teams analyst.

In the season opener against Colgate, the special teams did their job, though. Kicker Jack Barnum made his only field goal attempt of the game from 39 yards, and kicked off five times for an average of 61.4 yards with one touchback. Luke Larsen, the 33-year-old Australian punter, kicked five times for an average of 39.6 yards.

There are no stats on punt returns for the Wildcats, but Ja’Briel Mace returned three kickoffs for an average of 22.67 yards.