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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Villanova

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11/26/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2021 ALL-CAA FOOTBALL THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Daniel Smith, Villanova, QB, Gr.,...Smith is a third team All-CAA selection for the second time in his career after earning the same honor in 2019. He has directed a high-powered Villanova offense which has topped 20 points eight times this season and is averaging 31.7 points per contest. Smith is 159-of-284 through the air for 2,163 yards and has thrown 22 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 203 yards and a team-high seven rushing touchdowns on the year. Smith has two games with at least two passing touchdowns and at least two rushing touchdowns.

He ranks second in the CAA in passing efficiency (139.2), passing touchdowns and points responsible for (176). Smith is third in the league in yards per pass attempt (7.62), fourth in rushing touchdowns and fifth in total offense (215.1 yards per game). During the season he has risen to seventh place in school history in both career passing yards (6,125) and career total offense (6,956 yards). - Villanova Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/26/21 - Malik Fisher, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2021 ALL-CAA FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM (COACHES): Malik Fisher, Villanova, DL, Gr.,...One of the top performers on the Villanova defense from the very beginning of his collegiate career, Fisher is a first team all-conference selection for the second straight season and garners his third career All-CAA honor overall. He was a preseason Stats Perform All-America selection and has lived up to that billing with a strong regular season. Fisher has started all 11 games and leads the Wildcats with four sacks and seven quarterback hurries. His efforts are one of the reasons Villanova leads the nation in team passing efficiency defense and has not given up a touchdown in any of the last seven games played. Fisher has 46 total tackles on the year, including 16 solo stops and 30 assisted tackles. He has tied a career high with eight tackles on two occasions and his season stats also include 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception and two forced fumbles. - Villanova Football

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DE Malik Fisher, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/26/21 - Cole Bunce, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2021 ALL-CAA FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM (COACHES): Cole Bunce, Villanova, PK, Gr.,...In his first full season with the Wildcats this year Bunce has tied the school's single-season record with 14 made field goals. He is 14-of-16 on field goal attempts and tied the record originally set by Joe Marcoux in 2008. Bunce tied the mark when he made a 39-yard attempt against William & Mary on October 30 in in his seventh game played of the season. He has tallied three games on the year (Lehigh, James Madison and Rhode Island) in which he made a career-high three field goals. Bunce has made five field goals from 40+ yards and his 49-yarder in the season opener at Lehigh was the longest made attempt by a Villanova kicker in 23 years. Bunce is also 31-of-33 on PATs this season and has a team-high 73 points. He is averaging 7.3 points per contest in 10 games played. - Villanova Football

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K Cole Bunce, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/23/21 - Forrest Rhyne, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2021 CAA FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Forrest Rhyne, Villanova,...Rhyne led Villanova and ranked second in the CAA with 110 total tackles, which included double-digit stops in six games. He also contributed 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Rhyne spearheaded a Wildcats' defense that ranks in the top 10 of the FCS in fewest yards (254.9 ypg) and points allowed (15.1 ppg). A finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation's top defensive player, Rhyne is just the second Villanova player in the past 28 years to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year. - CAA Football

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ILB Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
News Source: CAA Football
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11/20/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith and Jaaron Hayek teamed up for two big plays in the fourth quarter and Villanova rallied for a 21-13 victory over Delaware on Saturday. Two Ryan Coe field goals sandwiched around a 16-yard TD run by Dejoun Lee had Delaware leading 13-7 with 12:19 left in the game. But the Wildcats (9-2, 7-1 Colonial Athletic Association), who are ranked ninth in the latest FCS coaches poll, took the lead two plays later — Smith's 64-yard completion to Hayek and a 1-yard TD run by Jalen Jackson. Smith connected with Hayek for a 24-yard TD with 8:57 left to play to cap the scoring. Smith finished with 208 yards passing and he was the Wildcats' top rusher with 47 yards on seven carries. Hayek caught five passes for 117 yards. Zach Gwynn completed 14 of 27 passes for 143 yards with one interception for the Blue Hens (5-6, 3-5). - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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11/13/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith threw three scores and eighth-ranked FCS Villanova beat Stony Brook 33-14 on Saturday to stay atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings. Villanova (8-2, 6-1) handed No. 2 James Madison (6-1) its lone loss of the season with a 28-27 win against the host Dukes earlier this year. James Madison kept pace with Villanova beating No. 25 William & Mary 32-22 on Saturday. Smith threw for a scant 71 yards and his scoring passes accounted for 32 yards. His 12-yard pass to Jaaron Hayek completed a five-play, 99-yard scoring drive that made it 20-7 with 8:32 left in the third quarter. He followed that up with an 18-yard scoring pass - also to Hayek - to complete a 10-play, 72-yard drive for a 26-7 lead with 14:51 to go. His 2-yard toss to Tyler Will made it 33-7 with 7:46 left. Justin Covington ran 13 times for 142 yards and Jalen Jackson had 11 carries for 103 yards and two scores. Ty Son Lawton ran for 71 yards on 19 carries for the Seawolves (4-6, 3-4). - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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11/06/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith accounted for five touchdowns as Villanova routed Elon 35-0 on Saturday. Smith was 16-of-23 passing for 238 yards with a touchdown pass to three separate receivers. He added 45 yards on the ground that included two scores from short yardage. The FCS's 13th-ranked Wildcats (7-2, 5-1 Colonial Athletic Association) entered a half-game back of James Madison atop the CAA standings, and rebounded from a 31-18 home loss to William & Mary that ended a three-game win streak. Smith threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Jackson and a 48-yarder to Jaaron Hayek, and closed the first half with a 2-yard TD run as the Wildcats built a 21-0 halftime lead. Smith ran into the end zone from the 1 late in the third quarter, and then capped the scoring with 1:55 remaining with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Todd Summers. Davis Cheek was 13-of-28 passing for 146 yards for Elon (4-5, 3-3). - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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10/24/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith threw for two touchdowns and Jalen Jackson ran for two scores and FCS fifth-ranked Villanova beat Rhode Island 44-0 on Saturday. It was Villanova's (6-1, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association) first shutout since a 31-0 win over Maine on Oct. 7, 2017. Jackson ran for 104 yards on 12 carries and DeeWil Barlee, a junior, ran 19 times for 99 yards to surpass 1,000-career rushing yards. Justice Antrum ran for 60 yards on nine carries for No. 18 Rhode Island (5-2, 3-2), which now has dropped back-to-back contests following a five-game win streak to start the season. Antrum ran for more yards than quarterbacks Brandon Robinson and Kasim Hill combined to throw for (58). Prior to Saturday, the Rams were last shutout on Oct. 8, 2016, also at Villanova, 35-0. - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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10/15/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

OCT 11 STATS FCS NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK: Villanova (28-27 win at James Madison),...The Wildcats ended then-No. 3 JMU's 15-game winning streak against CAA opponents, in addition to a five-game slide against the Dukes. Quarterback Daniel Smith and wide receiver Rayjoun Pringle connected for a go-ahead, 57-yard touchdown pass with 2:54 left in the third quarter, then the defense held on to the 28-27 lead. Linebacker Forrest Rhyne posted a career-high 20 tackles. Honorable Mention: Dartmouth (24-17 win over Yale); Texas Southern (35-31 win over Southern); UT Martin (48-24 win over Murray State); Youngstown State (41-33 win over Missouri State). - STATS FCS Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: STATS FCS Football
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10/10/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith and Rayjoun Pringle combined on a 57-yard touchdown for the winning points late in the third quarter, and the Villanova defense shut out James Madison in the second half for a 28-27 upset in a Top 25 FCS showdown on Saturday. James Madison, ranked second in the FCS coaches poll, put together two long drives in the fourth quarter but Ethan Ratke missed 27- and 36-yard field goals. In the first half he hit from 41 and 21 yards, giving him 81 made field goals in his career. Justin Covington scored an a 56-yard burst up the middle for ninth-ranked Villanova (3-1, 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association) and Smith had a 15-yard TD on a keeper.

Percy Agyei-Obese ran for two touchdowns for the second-ranked Dukes (4-1, 2-1) to help build a 27-16 lead at the half. James Madison had the ball for nine more minutes, but after picking up 223 yards in the first half had only 116 in the second. The Dukes had 99 yards on the two 14-play drives that ended in missed field goals. Forrest Rhyne had a career-high 20 tackles with Qwahsin Townsel and Mike Ruane adding 11 each for the Wildcats. Cole Bunce kicked 43-and 42-yard field goals for Villanova in the third quarter. Villanova had 194 yards in both halves. Smith threw for 258 yards, with Pringle making eight catches for 132 yards. - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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09/22/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

SEPT 20 CAA CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dan Smith, Gr., QB, Villanova (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora),...Smith compiled 369 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as Villanova rallied for a 34-27 CAA victory over Richmond. The grad student led the Wildcats to 21 points over the final 5:01, scoring on a 2-yard run before firing a game-tying 44-yard TD pass with 2:02 remaining and a game-winning 47-yard TD strike with 38 seconds left. He finished 26-of-40 through the air for 350 yards as VU moved to 3-0. - Colonial Athletic Association Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Colonial Athletic Association Football
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09/18/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith led a three-touchdown blitz in the final five minutes and Villanova stunned Richmond 34-27 on Saturday in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both of the FCS-ranked teams. The Wildcats had a 13-0 first-half lead obliterated by a 24-point deluge by the Spiders in the third quarter. Jake Larson added a fourth-quarter field goal with nine minutes left in the game. Then Smith and the Wildcats went to work with the quarterback finishing a 10-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, then throwing a 44-yard TD pass to Jaaron Hayek followed by a 47-yard score to Rayjoun Pringle to take the lead with 38 seconds left.

Richmond drove into Villanova territory, but Joe Mancuso was intercepted by Darius Pickett to save the Wildcats' victory. Aaron Dykes returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to begin Richmond's big third quarter. Following Dykes' return, Xavier Marshall recovered a fumble by Villanova (3-0, 1-0). That led to Mancuso's 28-yard TD toss to Isaac Brown. On Richmond's next possession, Mancuso threw 33 yards to Connor Deveney for a touchdown. Aamir Hall's interception in the end zone led to Larson's 43-yard field goal and it was 24-13 after three quarters. In the first half, it was the Wildcats who used two Richmond (2-1, 0-1) turnovers to score 10 points, including Smith's 6-yard run right after a Spiders fumble. Cole Bunce kicked two field goals for Villanova. - Villanova/AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova/AP College Football
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09/11/21 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith passed for three touchdowns, ran for another and Villanova defeated Bucknell 55-3 on Saturday night, holding the Bison to less than 100 yards of offense. Villanova out-gained the Bison 378-89. Smith opened the scoring with a 1-yard keeper, then fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jaaron Hayek, a 10-yarder to Jaquan Allen and a 9-yarder to Rayjoun Pringle as the Wildcats (2-0) built a 28-0 lead just five seconds into the second quarter.

Villanova, ranked No. 11 in the FCS coaches poll, had six receivers combine for 145 yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats gained 233 yards on the ground led by Jalen Jackson's 70 on 11 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Nick Semptimphelter threw for 32 yards for the Bison (0-2), was intercepted twice and sacked twice for a loss of 18 yards. Bucknell's ground game gained 21 yards on 25 carries. Villanova out gained Bucknell 129 to minus-3 in the opening quarter. Darius Pickett, Ethan Potter and Jake Green each had four of Villanova's 51 tackles. The Wildcats made 12 tackles for loss. Bucknell, shut out in its season opener, got on the board with Ryan Schatzel's 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. - AP College Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: AP College Football
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09/07/21 - Cole Bunce, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

SEPT 6 CAA FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cole Bunce, Gr., PK, Villanova (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Prep),...Bunce went 3-for-3 on field goals and accounted for 14 points in Villanova's 47-3 win at Lehigh on Saturday. The graduate student hit field goals from 35 and a career-best 49 yards to give the Wildcats an early 6-0 advantage and added a 30-yarder in the third quarter. He was also 5-for-5 on extra points. - Colonial Athletic Association Football

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K Cole Bunce, Villanova
News Source: Colonial Athletic Association Football
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03/15/21 - Cole Bunce, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

MARCH 15 CAA FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cole Bunce, Sr., PK, Villanova (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep),...Bunce accounted for 13 points in Villanova's 40-37 setback to Rhode Island, converting 3-of-3 field goals and 4-of-4 extra points. Bunce made kicks of 21 and 25 yards before booting a 45-yard field goal in overtime. The 45-yard field goal was tied for the longest in the CAA this season. - Colonial Athletic Association Football

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