GAME INFORMATION:
Date:Â Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 | 7:00 p.m.
Location:Â Villanova Stadium (Villanova, Pa.)
Live Stats:Â www.Villanova.com
Live Video:Â Flo Football
LIU Radio:Â WCWP.org/88.1 FM
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THE OPENING KICK:
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- It's a classic Friday Night Lights matchup between the Sharks and Wildcats, the first weekday game for LIU this season and the second night contest.
- Saturday's game will be the first matchup against Villanova in program history, and the first game agaisnt a current Colonial Athletic Association team since defeating Stony Brook University, 44-20 on Oct. 23, 1999.
- The Wildcats are the third ranked opponent for LIU this season, entering the contest ranked No. 16 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the STATS FCS Top 25. The Sharks previously faced off against No. 3/3 South Dakota State University and No. 23/24 Central Connecticut State University.
- After starting the year with a 6-0 record, Villanova suffered three-consecutive losses to No. 2 James Madison University, Stony Brook, and New Hampshire University before earning a 35-28 victory against Richmond last week.
- The Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 5 in the STATS FCS Top 25 this season after starting the year unranked.
- Friday's matchup is the first of a two-game series scheduled between LIU and Villanova, as the Wildcats are slated to come to Brookville during the 2022 season.
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VILLANOVA NOTES:
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- Villanova will be playing on Friday night for the first time since the 2014 season opener at Syracuse, and will be hosting a Friday night game for the first time since the 2009 FCS semifinals against William & Mary.
- Senior linebacker Drew Wiley was named this week's CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week and junior safety Nowoola Awopetu earned Special Team Player of the Week honors in an announcement by the league office on Monday morning. Wiley led the Wildcats defense with 3.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, one forced fumble and an interception in the win over Richmond last week. Awopetu returned the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to notch his third career score and first on special teams. Villanova has earned five weekly awards from the CAA this season.
- Nowoola Awopetu became the first Villanova player in nine years to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he brought the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a score in last week's win over Richmond. The last kickoff return touchdown by the Wildcats was also to start a game and it came on December 17, 2010 when Angelo Babbaro returned the opening kickoff 86 yards at Eastern Washington in a semifinal playoff game. n Awopetu has scored three career touchdowns and all three have come against Richmond. In addition to his big kickoff return last week, Awopetu had two interception returns for scores against the Spiders last season. He is the only player in school history with two pick-sixes in a single game. n Since the Wildcats became an FCS program in 1985, Awopetu is only the second Villanova player to have career touchdowns on both defense and special teams. The other is Ademole Turner, who returned a blocked punt 33 yards for a touchdown and also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a score during the 1996 season
- Prior to last week's game against Richmond, the Wildcats had been just 1-19 over the last five seasons when trailing at the end of the third quarter. The lone win in those 20 contests was in the 2018 season opener at Temple when Villanova overcame a 17-13 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to post a 19-17 victory. After not trailing through three quarters of play in any of their first eight games of the season, the Wildcats began the fourth quarter with a deficit in each of their last two contests against New Hampshire and Richmond.
- Villanova's offensive line has given up just 11 quarterback sacks for a total loss of 82 yards in the first 10 games of the season. The 11 sacks allowed are the fewest by any CAA Football team and rank the Wildcats 10th in the latest FCS national stats. Villanova went three straight games against Towson, Maine and William & Mary earlier this season in which it did not give up a single sack. It was the first time that had happened since at least 2001 based on quickly available data following the three-game stretch. All five starting lineman have eligibility remaining beyond this season.
- Villanova ranks fourth in CAA Football with an average of 195.8 rushing yards per game and surpassed the 200-yard mark for the sixth time in 10 contests against Richmond last week. In the 35-28 victory, the Wildcats ran 42 times for 242 yards and all four of their offensive touchdowns in the game. Villanova has rushed for 1,958 yards and 20 scores on the year.
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SHARK BITES:
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- The LIU defense currently ranks second in the FCS in fourth-down defense, allowing a first down on just 25-percent of opponents' fourth-down attempts. Opponents are currently just 2-for-8 on fourth down against the Sharks.
- As a whole, LIU ranks eighth in the country in first downs allowed, with opponents garnering just 148 first downs through eight games.
- The Shark defense has been a force all season, ranking 20th in the FCS with 7.6 tackles for loss per game. Senior Ramshar Clarke and grad student Abel Joseph rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in the NEC in tackles for loss per game.
- Junior Tavon Joseph ranks seventh in the nation in forced fumbles per game, causing two fumbles in six games played.
- Junior Jerome Brooks III ranks third in the NEC with 8.4 tackles per game, while also ranking 19th in the FCS with 5.3 solo tackles per contest.
- Freshman Jacob Cheshire made his collegiate debut last week at Robert Morris, completing 10 of 19 attempts for 81 yards. He also rushed nine times for 31 yards and one touchdown.
- Fellow freshman Malcolm Denbow scored his first career touchdown last week against the Colonials, becoming the first Shark to record 20 or more rushing attempts in a game, rushing 23 times for 35 yards and one touchdown.Â
- LIU was selected eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll in its first season of Division I competition. Duquesne was picked as the preseason favorites just ahead of Sacred Heart.
- A win on Saturday would be the 161st of head coach Bryan Collins career and first at the Division I level. Collins has compiled a 160-77 (.675) record, including 17 winning seasons and six NCAA postseason appearances.
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