A cross-state battle between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Villanova Wildcats is taking place this weekend in Week 3 of the college football slate. These teams hold very different aspirations for the season, but each enters with an undefeated record to this point. This is a battle of one of the best teams in the FCS against one of the best teams in college football.
This will be the 11th meeting between the two programs, with Penn State winning six of the matchups as well as a tie, which occurred back in 1910. They last met in 2021, which resulted in a 38-17 Penn State victory.
Looking at the odds for this matchup, Penn State is favored by 47.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook with the game total set at 56.5.
This article will take a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 3 matchup.
Penn State vs. Villanova prediction, preview
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions enter with a 2-0 record and have won the pair of matchups by a combined score of 80-11. They took down Nevada 46-11 in the season opener and defeated FIU 34-0 in their previous matchup. Drew Allar has looked sharp in his third season as the starter, completing 41 of his 59 pass attempts for 417 yards and three touchdowns on the year and zero interceptions. Kaytron Allen headlines the rushing attack with 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the year, while Nicholas Singleton has three rushing scores. Kyron Ware-Hudson and Trebor Pena each have over 100 receiving yards on the season already.
Defensively is where Penn State really stands out and will be felt in full force in this game. They limited Nevada to just 203 yards of total offense in the opener and kept FIU scoreless last week. The defensive line has already generated six sacks and 22 tackles for a loss, and the team has forced five turnovers. It is worth noting that Penn State is dealing with some injuries. Four defensive linemen are out, and their wide receiver group is banged up. But they have done well recruiting at these positions with plenty of depth on the roster. Penn State has handled business to this point and will look to carry the same attitude into this game. This matchup likely still will not answer the biggest questions surrounding James Franklin’s group, but it will be a step closer toward the high level of competition they want to be prepared for.
Villanova Preview
Head coach Mark Farrante deserves a ton of credit for building up the Villanova football program the way that he has. The Wildcats have won 10 games in back-to-back seasons and three of their last four and will leap the Patriot League next fall. They defeated Colgate in their season opener, 24-17. Villanova produced 416 total yards of offense and held Colgate scoreless in the fourth quarter to hang onto the lead. Pat McQuaide impressed in his debut as the starting quarterback. The Nicholls State transfer completed 18 of his 28 pass attempts for 299 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 41 rushing yards and a touchdown with his legs. David Avit is coming off a 943 rushing season last year and provides a strong one-two punch with Isaiah Ragland in the running game. Luke Colella tallied five receptions for 115 yards in the opener, while Lucas Kopecky tallied 98 yards and a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Villanova is fairly strong in the trenches. But the 17 points allowed to Colgate is a concern, given the increase in talent this matchup will bring on. They allowed 239 passing yards through the air as well as 111 total rushing yards. The Wildcats’ secondary is a fairly established unit, but allowed a bit too much separation in the season opener.
Penn State vs. Villanova pick, best bet
Villanova is a respectable squad with a strong season ahead, but the talent gap will be on full display here. The questions about Penn State winning on the biggest stage still remain, but the Nittany Lions do an excellent job winning the games they are supposed to, and do so in a convincing fashion. It feels the overall tone surrounding Penn State is more negative than it should be. They have not played to their peak just yet, but they looked excellent against Nevada. The FIU victory was less convincing, but they also held a team scoreless.
Expect the Penn State pass rush to be the difference in this game. Pat McQuaide was excellent in his debut, but he had all day to throw the football and was not sacked throughout. This will not be the case against future NFL talents. The injuries to the defensive line are not ideal, but the third-stringers at Penn State would be starters in plenty of other locations. The Nittany Lions have allowed just 11 points on the season, and it is not easy to spot a weakness in their defensive unit.
Penn State has won its last 20 games in September and is averaging 40 points across its first two games this year. Villanova has lost each of their last five matchups against FBS teams. Villanova has FCS playoff potential, but they will be facing a team with legitimate National Championship aspirations. Expect the Jimmys and the Joes to mean more than the X’s and O’s in this one. Villanova will have some real trouble generating any sort of offense against this Penn State defense, and the Wildcats’ secondary will get picked apart if they play like last week. 47.5 is a massive spread, but I am backing this one to get ugly quick in Happy Valley.
