American college football season
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 [ edit ] 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 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA W 34–14[3] October 4 No. 22 James Madison No. 4 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA W 49–177,631 [4] October 11 1:00 p.m. UMass No. 3 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA NESN W 49–277,109 October 18 at Richmond No. 3 W 40–296,240 [5] October 25 at No. 14 William & Mary No. 1 W 20–1310,559 November 1 at Rhode Island No. 1 W 37–15 November 8 New Hampshire No. 1 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA W 23–20 November 15 1:00 p.m. Buffalo * No. 1 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA W 42–286,831 November 22 No. 20 Northeastern No. 1 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA W 49–35 November 29 Colgate * No. 1 W 49–288,875 [6] December 6 12:00 p.m. No. 4 Youngstown State * No. 1 Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal) L 34–377,591
1997 Villanova Wildcats football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster
Awards and honors [ edit ] 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 [ edit ] ^ a b c "1997 Villanova Wildcats football results" . College Football Data Warehouse . William Goodyear. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2019 . ^ a b c "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 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
National championships in bold
Champion – Youngstown State Penguins