William & Mary at Villanova: Can ‘Cats rebound minus Robertson?

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Two weeks after a stunning loss to Penn and a few days after receiving the bad news that star quarterback John Robertson would be lost for the season, Villanova will try to regroup with a home conference game. Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

William & Mary (2-2, 1-1 CAA) at Villanova (2-2, 1-0 CAA)
Villanova Stadium, Villanova, Pa.
Saturday, noon, Comcast SportsNet

Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats are still nationally ranked (14th in the FCS) but there are suddenly a lot of questions around the team, which will have to make due without Robertson, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner whose season — and collegiate career — is over because of a PCL injury in his right knee. Zach Bednarczyk took the reins well when Robertson first went down, guiding the Wildcats to a 28-21 win over Delaware on Sept. 19. But the new QB couldn’t get anything going in the first half in Villanova’s 24-13 loss to Penn on Sept. 24, while Villanova’s highly regarded defense struggled to get off the field. The Wildcats had plenty of time to think about that loss — their first to Penn in 104 years — since they had a bye last week.

Scouting William & Mary
After winning two of its first three games, including routs in both of their FCS matchups, the Tribe lost a heartbreaker in their Colonial Athletic Association opener, dropping a 24-23 decision to Delaware on a last-second field goal. William & Mary allowed 353 rushing yards in the loss and QB Steve Clulely completed only 8 of 20 passes. But the Tribe still are among the league leaders in passing offense and also rank first in scoring defense.

History
The two teams are neck and neck with William & Mary leading the overall series, 16-15-1. Villanova won the last two meetings — both by four points — but the Tribe edged the Wildcats in the two before that.

Storyline to watch
Bednarczyk trying to fill Robertson’s enormous shoes will be the big storyline all season but will be especially magnified this week. Can he bounce back from a tough night vs. Penn? Can he solve a Tribe secondary that’s only allowed 170 passing yards per game (third in the CAA) with two weeks of preparation? Will Villanova rally around the young QB with its season at a crossroads?

What’s at stake?
For as tough as things may seem for the Wildcats right now, the truth is they still haven’t lost a conference game. But if they want to maintain any hopes of winning the CAA and making the playoffs, they’ll need to show it this weekend.

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