1997 Villanova Wildcats football team

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.

1997 Villanova Wildcats football
A-10 champion
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 1
Record12–1 (8–0 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Clawson (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorBob Shoop (1st season)
Captains
  • Josh Dolbin
  • Derek Forgione
Home stadiumVillanova Stadium
1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
New England Division
New Hampshire x  5 –3   5 –6  
Connecticut  4 –4   7 –4  
Maine  4 –4   5 –6  
Rhode Island  2 –6   2 –9  
Boston University  1 –7   1 –10  
UMass  1 –7   2 –9  
Mid-Atlantic Division
No. 1 Villanova x$^  8 –0   12 –1  
No. 3 Delaware ^  7 –1   12 –2  
No. 20 Northeastern  5 –3   8 –3  
Richmond  4 –4   6 –5  
William & Mary  4 –4   7 –4  
James Madison  3 –5   5 –6  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

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
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 28No. 18 (D-II) West Chester*
W 64–0
September 13at No. 6 DelawareNo. 19
W 35–25
September 20MaineNo. 10
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
W 34–14[3]
October 4No. 22 James MadisonNo. 4
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
W 49–177,631[4]
October 111:00 p.m.UMassNo. 3
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
NESNW 49–277,109
October 18at RichmondNo. 3
W 40–296,240[5]
October 25at No. 14 William & MaryNo. 1
W 20–1310,559
November 1at Rhode IslandNo. 1
W 37–15
November 8New HampshireNo. 1
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
W 23–20
November 151:00 p.m.Buffalo*No. 1
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
W 42–286,831
November 22No. 20 NortheasternNo. 1
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA
W 49–35
November 29Colgate*No. 1
W 49–288,875[6]
December 6No. 4 Youngstown State*No. 1
  • Villanova Stadium
  • Villanova, PA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
L 34–37

Roster
1997 Villanova Wildcats football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 29 Brad Finneran Sr
WR 25 Brian Finneran Sr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

Awards and honors
  • 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
  1. "1997 Villanova Wildcats football results". College Football Data Warehouse. William Goodyear. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  2. "2018 Villanova Wildcats Football Media Guide". villanova.edu. Villanova University. 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  3. "Villanova lights up UMaine". The Bangor Daily News. September 22, 1997. p. 19. Retrieved April 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Finneran rewrites record book as 'Nova rolls to win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "'Nova stops Richmond, 40–29, on a banner day for Boden". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 19, 1997. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Juliano, Joe (November 30, 1997). "Villanova's Strong Finish Eliminates Colgate, 49-28". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
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