Brian

Villanova football flipped the script in 2012, bouncing back from a dismal season in 2011 to take a share of the CAA title and heading back to the playoffs. In 2013, the team expects much more.

Villanova football entered the 2012 season with very low expectations, but the 2013 season will be different. After winning the CAA football conference's NCAA Tournament bid, the Wildcats are setting a high bar for themselves in the Fall season.

"Well, we have, we certainly have aspirations to be a playoff team, and we expect to contend for the title," head coach Andy Talley said. "I really feel we'll be right there with some of the very best teams in the league and the country.

"I've been around a long time and I go on feel. I've watched a lot of spring practices and this spring, I really liked what I saw."

For the first time in a while, the Wildcats return the majority of their key players from a successful season and have had stability in the coaching staff, with no major changes. The effect of that scenario on team chemistry and morale has been noticeable. Last off-season, Tony Trisciani and Roc Bellantoni joined the coaching staff as Billy Crocker moved up to the Defensive Coordinator role, and that defensive staff has learned to work together over the past year to do a better coaching job.

"90% of the Football team that we're going to play with is here, and there's a lot to be said about that," Talley explained. "Mostly from a morale standpoint, a comeraderie standpoint, that all of the players are working together through the Spring, that they've been together through Winter conditioning and running and lifting together. There's a very good bond."

Talley doesn't expect his eight incoming freshmen to come in under pressure to be a factor immediately on the field. That could change if one of the four recruits expected to come in at defensive back impresses in preseason practices. The coaching staff would be just as comfortable going with an older player, however, and using a redshirt to give most of that class a chance to mature and develop before being foisted into a role.

The team brings back almost all of the key offensive players this fall, but there are a few hits taken on defense. Linebacker Devon Bridges is gone, two key players were lost in the secondary at corner and safety, respectively, and the 'Cats will be working in a new defensive lineman as well.

There is some confidence that the young rising-sophomore linebackers will step up to the job this fall, and there were veteran backups available to slot into roles on a defensive line that will hopefully remain a strength for the 'Cats. The biggest question-mark will be over who starts at corner opposite Craig James.

If the Villanova defense can get back to it's run-stopping strength this season, things will be looking up for the 'Cats, who were ripped apart on the ground by a couple of opponents with big and physical offensive lines.

The Wildcats suffered a few injuries both before and during Spring ball, but none were so severe as to keep guys off the field in the Fall.

"One of the things you hope you can do is to get out of Spring practice without any major injuries," said Talley.

Both defensive end Keelan Malone and linebacker Dillon Lucas had shoulder surgery at the end of the season. It was the second shoulder operation for Lucas, with his other shoulder being repaired after his freshman year. Both players should be ready to practice in pre-season after sitting out the Spring.

Coaches were tempted to use a redshirt on Lucas, but the talented linebacker doesn't want to spend a season off the gridiron, so he will most likely be on the field this Fall, once he heals.

The most disappointing injury may have been Jordan Hunter, a big nose-guard type defensive lineman who coaches hoped to be able to slot into a starting role this season. He injured his meniscus and wasn't really able to participate in Spring practices -- it will take between six and eight weeks for him to recover, making preseason practices likely for Hunter.

Rising-senior receiver, Joe Price, was out of Spring practices after undergoing hand-surgery as well. Coach Talley wasn't too concerned about the absence, however, since Price is heading into his fifth-year with the program. A veteran receiver, he noted, didn't need as many reps in Spring to be ready for the Fall season.

Most other injuries weren't serious, however, more like the usual wear-and-tear that is expected on the football field. Robertson had a relatively minor hamstring injury while Shane Harris was sidelined all Spring with a hamstring injury. Jamal Abdur-Rahman tweaked his knee, causing coaches to be careful with him in practice.

Conclusion

Villanova brings back a veteran offense and most of a defense that surprised many last season with an 8-3 regular season record, a share of the CAA title and a bid to the FCS playoffs. Without any major injury concerns this Spring, the team has high hopes that they can be ready to do battle against Boston College over Labor Day weekend.

Expectations going into 2013 will be much higher than they were a year prior. This is a team that is expected to reach the playoffs and make some noise once they are there.

Check back later this week for more-specific post-Spring updates on the offensive and defensive units.

"I think defensively, in the league right now, it's hard because you're seeing so many different styles of offense and there are some terrific players in the league," Villanova football's head coach Andy Talley said.

The Villanova defense was hit harder by graduation than the offense. The Wildcats are replacing players at every level of the defense. Last season, the defense was good and had successes against a most opponents, but a few teams were able to have their way with the 'Cats.

"We really need to improve against the run. We consider ourselves a run-stopping defense, but last year some teams ran the ball against us; Richmond, Stony Brook -- and they were big and physical.

"I think the running back down at Towson, West, is probably a pro guy. You've got to handle the tailback up at Stony Brook, who was the third leading rusher in the Big Ten three years ago, he's back. I was impressed by the physicality of Richmond."

The defensive unit will need to be stronger in the trenches and get better play from the linebackers in stopping opponents running games. Run-stopping has been a constant factor around the Villanova defense in recent years, helping the secondary out by forcing opposing offenses to go to the air for yards. Bigger offensive lines and stronger running backs are forcing Villanova to adjust to the tougher running games around the FCS.

"On defense, you have to adjust to the styles of defense the other teams play and sometimes that takes some of the aggressiveness out of you. It will be interesting to see if we can be more physical on defense in stopping the run and I think that's where your linebackers are going to be critical for us this year."

One of the biggest changes at linebacker will be in the middle. Devon Bridges graduated, leaving a hole at middle linebacker that will likely be filled by one of the sophomores that the program added in their 2012 recruiting class.

"Corey Majors has come on really well for us as a rising sophomore, and Donny Cherry is another guy who has come on really nicely and, of course, Pat Haggerty returns as well as Joey Harmon," Talley explained of his options. "There's a good group of linebackers available to us. I think both Cherry and Corey Majors have a good chance to play a great deal at linebacker for us.

"I think we can make the transition more at linebacker, I think it will be seamless. In fact, I think we may run better at linebacker than we have in a while."

That change at middle linebacker could be the key that determines whether or not the defense improves against the run. The defensive line also lost a key player in Marlon Johnson, but with Antoine Lewis and Rakim Cox returning, the down linemen will look very similar to a year ago.

Coaches hoped that massive-body Jordan Hunter would be an answer for the team at nose guard, but the South Jersey native missed most of the Spring with a knee injury -- a meniscus tear -- that sidelines him for up to eight weeks. That leaves fellow rising-Junior Pat Williams as the biggest body on the line, and he could see significant time at the nose this fall.

"You've got Antoine Lewis, who was an All-Conference player, you have Rakim Cox who looked great all Spring - a pro-prospect - and Reggie Paris did a nice job at defensive end," Talley said of his defensive linemen. "Pat Williams did a real nice job at nose guard."

The five-man secondary was hardest hit by graduation, however, with the 'Cats losing playmaking safety Ronnie Akins and starting corner Eric Loper.

"The glaring losses would be in the secondary, you know, an All-Conference player in Eric Loper and also an All-Conference player in Ronnie Akins. Ronnie was a playmaker, and I think we're going to miss Ronnie more than anybody."

Akins spot is likely filled, however, with most-improved defensive player, sophomore Cameron McCurry, the likely starter in his place. Replacing Loper has been much tougher.

"We really haven’t tied that corner spot down yet, the way I like to see it. We have some younger players there that really aren’t ready to play yet," he explained.

"Unfortunately Shayne Harris was ticketed to be that guy, but he had a hamstring and missed all of Spring. So, we played with a redshirt Freshman to be in CJ Logan at Corner [in Spring Practice]."

If any freshman will have a good chance to make an impact this summer, it would be one of the young defensive backs that were brought in with the 2013 class. While Logan and Harris will be the leaders in the clubhouse to win the job, the 'Cats will be looking for someone who can fill some big shoes opposite Craig James on Saturdays.

Conclusions

This is the second season in a row with a stable defensive coaching staff, which is a powerful driver for the success of a unit that needs good coordination to be successful. Coaches Roc Bellantoni and Tony Trisciani are entering their second seasons at Villanova, while Billy Crocker now has a year as the defensive coordinator under his belt as well.

The 'Cats scheme hasn't changed dramatically, however, and if the new crop stepping into starting and key-reserve roles in the defensive front can combine to slow and stop opposing runners, who are often times as good as any running backs in college sports, then they will stymie most opponents.

The secondary remains a concern for the Wildcats, however, but if McCurry can handle the safety spot and a young corner steps up enough, they will have a chance to grow and get better during the season. A good effort at run-stopping, however, will make things easier for the secondary as it has in the past.

The staff at VU Hoops is very thankful for your patience over the past two days as SB Nation and Vox experienced site performance issues across the network.

A solid group of experts and professionals have been working non-stop in providing a stable site for this Villanova community. Things are slowly getting better, and Ed, Chris, Brian, and I truly appreciate your dedication.

Here's a quick note from the mothership...

As SB Nation users, you have certainly noticed the significant performance drop across the network this week. The SB Nation team and all of Vox Media sincerely apologize for the site performance problems affecting your experience on our sites and communities over the past few days. We understand how frustrating it is for you. Given the nature of the issue, it is taking several days to fully restore performance completely. We have been working around the clock, taking incremental and comprehensive measures, to restore performance to normal levels.

Our approach to correcting the issues affecting the network has been two pronged: 1) improve performance as much as possible incrementally and 2) restore long-term stability to the system.

The first prong has been focused on improving the performance of logged-in users as these users have experienced the biggest drop in performance. Some of the improvements that we have pushed out to this point include:

• Page load performance for logged-in users, including lower error rates
• Commenting performance
• Logging-in
• Publishing content, including Fanposts and Fanshots

We have all hands on deck to complete this work and will be performing maintenance after hours this weekend to restore full service to the network. Of course, we would like to do this work sooner, but we need to be extra careful and thorough in making these changes, so as to not risk new problems.

Again, we completely understand the frustration our users have felt over the past few days and will continue to do everything in our power to restore full service to the network and ease your frustration. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we've worked through these issues and bring long term stability to the network. Thank you for your dedication to and support of SB Nation and Vox Media.

As reported earlier, Raphael Chillious has left the Villanova program as an assistant coach. The University released the following press-release announcing the move. Chillious has already been removed from the team roster's list of coaching staff on Villanova.com.

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova assistant coach Raphael Chillious has elected to return to the University of Washington to rejoin the staff of head coach Lorenzo Romar, it was announced today.

Chillious, a graduate of Lafayette College, came to the Wildcats in August of 2012 after serving three seasons with the Huskies from 2009-12.

"Raphael did an outstanding job with our team last year," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He and his wife Charlene and daughter Zaya quickly became a part of our Villanova family. Raphael has an opportunity to return to Washington in a more integral position on that staff. The Nova Nation will miss ‘Chill’ and his family."

Chillious, a native of Olney, Md., was part of the staff that helped the Wildcats return to the NCAA Tournament in 2012-13 with a 20-14 record that included victories over three teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 5 – Louisville, Syracuse and Georgetown.

#NovaNation will miss @coachchills as he and his family head back to Washington - did an outstanding job for our team last season!

— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) May 16, 2013

I want to thank Coach Jay Wright, the staff, players & #NovaNation for a great 8 months! Wish the program nothing but the best!!

— Raphael Chillious (@CoachChills) May 17, 2013

Based on the "internal applicants" posting by Villanova to fill his position, it is expected that one of the current basketball staff members will take on the Assistant Coach role. Either Jason Donnelly will resume those duties or one of George Halcovage, Curtis Sumpter or Arleshia Davidson would be promoted. Davidson would be a big longshot in that grouping as Director of Basketball Operations, and as a female, however former assistant Keith Urgo was hired to the assistant rank from the same position.

Most likely may be for Jason Donnelly to regain assistant coaching responsibilities, if the Wildcats keep their "search" in-house.

Happy Thursday, 'Nova Nation! Not much commentary from me today except for....2014 recruiting post up later today!

Here's your "news."

ACC Coaches want Basketball Tournament at MSG
Kevin Monangai mentioned as one of the most skilled backs in the FCS. You'll be hearing #2's name called a lot this fall.

FCS running backs can carry heavy load - The Sports Network
Kevin Monangai mentioned as one of the most skilled backs in the FCS. You'll be hearing #2's name called a lot this fall.

St. John’s To Open Season Against Wisconsin in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Play for the Garden
So they're trading a road game in the best college town in the country for a game in South Dakota? What's the over/under on St. John's fans that make the trip?

Hawaii to bring back the Rainbow Warriors - SBNation.com
After more than a decade without it, the Hawaii football team will reportedly have "Rainbow" back in its nickname. About damn time!

A Look At the Wildcats' Incoming Freshmen - Rant Sports
Warning: Not really a look at all, just some SEO terms.

How Can The New England Patriots Cut A Guy Because He Has Diabetes? - Deadspin.com
Deadspin asks how a football player can be cut because of a diagnosis of diabetes under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Of course, the ADA only requires that employers make a "reasonable accommodation" for disabled employees. A disability that would keep a player off the practice field for a significant period, as the Pats seem to be claiming, would seem to be an exception in a sport where players are cut loose for much less.

In 2011, Villanova chewed through three starters at quarterback before seemingly settling on the freshman Chris Polony late in the season. Polony entered the 2012 season as the favorite to win the job and was handed the start in the final installment of the Mayor's Cup to open the season. It didn't take long for the short leash to be pulled and for head coach Andy Talley to make a switch to redshirt freshman John Robertson. The Wildcats never looked back, as they pushed ahead to what would be a tremendous bounce-back season.

"Obviously, his [John Robertson's] growth through the season was sensational," the head coach said. "You know, he went from just trying to manage the team to actually being able to determine the flow of a team offensively, and at times was able to take the team on his back, which is what you really want your quarterback to be able to do.

"You really wouldn't expect that from a first year player, but in his case, he matured very quickly, he played within himself, he never really tried to do things he couldn't, especially in the passing game."

Robertson will be entering his second year as the starting quarterback for Villanova, and while he made an impression with his legs as a Freshman — winning the Jerry Rice Award for best freshman player in FCS football — he will have to expand his game in the Fall.

Now he's the man, charged with leading the Villanova offensive unit, and according to Talley, he is getting treated that way by teammates. His Freshman success leaves him established as the leader and his coach has repeatedly described him as one of the best in the country at his position.

"The offense as a group was very good on the field in the Spring, and his passing has improved - much sharper, and that's mostly because he knows where he's going with the ball most of the time."

The growth of the offense may be even more notable in 2013 than it was last fall. The offensive line was still a work in progress last season, and the loss of center Dan Shirey to an off-season injury didn't help thing along. Shirey redshirted in 2012, and returns to the team for a fifth season this fall, and because of that, the Wildcats look deeper than they have been in the past.

"What you have in Dan [Shirey] is an all-conference center returning," Talley boasted. "So what we have for the first time in a long time, is six or seven offensive linemen who can play. We've normally played with five guys and a spare, but now we have some true depth in the offensive line.

"And with Dan back, that gives you the chance to move him to guard if you want to, which we've experimented with, and let Ross Hall stay at center. We've also moved Ross to guard and played Dan at center. I think right now, we're deeper at the offensive line than we've been in a long, long time."

It isn't just depth, either, thanks to the offseason program, Talley expects his starters and rotation guys on the line to all check in around 290-to-300 pounds. Shirey has apparently gained some weight in his redshirt season, while fellow 5th-year senior Josh Bucci has been listed at 330-pounds by the team. The two fifth year players can anchor the unit for the 'Cats.

One thing that the offense won't have this season, however, is Norman White. Going into the 2012 season, Villanova intended to design its scheme around the talented fifth-year wide receiver. They will spread the offensive touches around without him in the fall. The 'Cats aren't without talent, but there is nobody so head-and-shoulders above the rest that they would take precedence in the coaches' minds.

"Now, when you look at our team there really not one go-to guy, there's really an assortment of really quality weapons," Talley stated. "First of all, you've got a 1000-yard rusher in Kevin Monangai, you have a thousand-yard rusher in John Robertson, a real good receiver in Joe Price, and as you look through the offense, you have guys who are very comparable. You know, Poppy Livers, Aaron Wells, Earnest Pettway at tight end is going to be a factor."

While the loss of White will take away one big-play option in the passing game, the Wildcats' other receivers have proven to be effective, and Jamal Abdur-Rahman returns from a season-long suspension.

"Jamal was sensational his freshman year," Talley recalled, adding that the slot receiver had a good Spring, though slowed by a knee injury. "He's an explosive player, if you remember two years ago as a freshman, he lit up Delaware and had a great game against UMass, back-to-back. Once he got the offense under his belt."

Robertson will be a key player for the offense this fall, but Kevin Monangai and Austin Medley are expected to help considerably in the ground game. Joe Price will be a key target, and the veteran receiver has the hands, size and physicality to be an asset to Robertson in the passing game. Abdur-Rahman will be the other key receiver, and may get some opportunities to run the ball or return kicks and punts as well this fall.

After that, expect Poppy Livers, Earnest Pettway and a number of complementary players to fill a role. There is plenty of depth at the skill positions, with more than enough players to rotate at receiver and a deep bench at running back as well. After Monangai an Medley, Rahman could see some carries, and rising sophomores Javon White and Gary Underwood also impressed with an increased workload this Spring.

Ransford Quarrie is entering his final season on the Main Line, and made significant strides in practice as well, and the coaching staff may look to increase his role in the fall. He's a big, fullback type runner who may not be a fit on every-down, but perhaps he can offer help in short-yardage and goal line situations.

Rising sophomore Mike Burke had a strong Spring as well and should see time in the wide receiver rotation, while 6-6 receiver Clay Horne made a push for serious playing time, winning the "Most Improved" award on offense.

Conclusions

Coach Talley believes his offense will be the stronger unit on his team this fall.

"I would have to say, we're probably going to be a bit better on offense than we are on defense. I think offensively, there's just enough guys . . . I mean, first of all, you've got a veteran offensive line, which is just huge, second of all, you've got a veteran quarterback, who is among some of the very best out there, and then if you take a look at the two running backs, those two are as good as anyone's running backs in the country.

"Our receiver corps is good, not great, but good. I think the tight ends are going to be real good, and we have depth in the O-line. The only guy you really lose is Norm White, and you have Jamal coming back — a potential big-time explosion guy."

In the end, the Villanova offense should be as good enough to gain yardage and put up points against anyone in the FCS ranks. The combination of an explosive running game with a quarterback who will be throwing to a veteran receiving corps bodes well for the unit.

The veteran offensive line gives the 'Cats a chance to create a lot of opportunities for skill-position players to make things happen on the field as well. It should be a fun team to watch.

Happy Wednesday, 'Nova Nation. Here's your mid-week soccer update: unfortunately Le Arse was victorious yesterday at home to Wigan, meaning that Tottenham's Champions League hopes are still out of their hands. They'll need to defeat Sunderland this weekend and hope that the other French team (Newcastle) can at least steal a point from Arsenal if they're to make Europe's elite competition next season.

Now, your links for the morning.

Baseball - Early Runs Not Enough as Wildcats Fall to Penn State, 7-4 - Villanova University Official Athletic Site
In its final non-conference game of the season Villanova (11-40) scored three runs with one out in the top of the first inning but was held off the scoreboard from that point until there were two outs in the top of the ninth in a 7-4 loss to Penn State (13-34) at Medlar Field on Tuesday afternoon. Two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning gave the Nittany Lions the lead for the first time, 4-3, and Penn State scored three runs in its final two at-bats to provide ample insurance.

St. John’s To Open Season Against Wisconsin in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Play for the Garden
So they're trading a road game in the best college town in the country for a game in South Dakota? What's the over/under on St. John's fans that make the trip?

The Legend of Malacrianza: Costa Rica’s badass, killer toro - SBNation.com
The latest longform from the mothership. In Costa Rican bullfighting, many toros have come and gone, but none have achieved the legendary status of Malacrianza, whose name means simply "Badass" in English.

What Andrew Wiggins means to Kansas, and college basketball - SBNation.com
The most-ballyhooed college basketball prospect ever shocked the world by committing to Kansas. Here's what Andrew Wiggins will mean to the Jayhawks -- and college basketball as a whole.

Seems like a sport: Unlawful endurance eating, or, barbecuing inside of a grocery store - SBNation.com
In the inaugural installment of "Seems like a sport" we examine the adventures of a Kentucky man who hid in a grocery store, ate approximately 10,000 calories after it closed, and camped out in the attic. I forget the Villanova guy who shut down the all you can eat surf 'n turf in Rhode Island - but I have a feeling he would have been a fan of this.