VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Last year at this time, a bunch of football players gathered between the locker room and field at Villanova Stadium and told reporters how intent they were on proving people wrong.
On Tuesday, many of the same Villanova players gathered in the same spot with the opposite message. This time, they talked about proving people right.
That’s how much things have changed for the Wildcats, who enter the 2013 season ranked No. 9 in the FCS Coaches’ Preseason Poll and are the early favorites to win the wildly competitive Colonial Athletic Association.
“We like the high expectations,” senior wide receiver Joe Price said, “because we put the high expectations on ourselves regardless.”
Villanova didn’t have those high expectations heading into the 2012 season after sputtering to an uncharacteristic 2-9 mark in 2011. But the Wildcats quickly showed that the dismal ’11 campaign was nothing more than a blip, as they surprisingly earned the CAA’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs last year, marking the fourth time in five seasons they made the postseason.
Now, the Wildcats are getting the same kind of respect that head coach Andy Talley’s teams got from 2008 to 2010 when ’Nova went to the FCS quarterfinals (2008), won the national championship (2009) and advanced to the FCS semifinals (2010).
“As a team, we’re a lot more focused, a lot hungrier and definitely more together,” junior running back Kevin Monangai said. “I think this year we have to prove to a lot of people that we are the team that everyone thinks we are.”
If the Wildcats do reach -- or even surpass -- the expectations that have been set on them, they will need to count on Monangai and Price on offense, as well as standout lineman Antoine Lewis and Rakim Cox on defense. But of the team’s 16 returning starters, none are more important -- and more representative of the team’s stark improvement -- than sophomore quarterback John Robertson.
During last year’s training camp, Robertson was the second-string QB, tasked with backing up Chris Polony. This year, Robertson is not only the clear-cut starter but also the unquestioned leader of the team, as well as one of the top playmakers in the FCS.
And for the Wildcats to contend for another national championship, they will need to get another big year from their multi-dimensional quarterback.
“It’s definitely a different perspective,” Robertson said. “Last year, no one really thought we were going to be good. Now they’re preparing us to be a very good team. We just have to go out and practice hard every day.”
Robertson redshirted the 2011 season as Talley struggled to find the right quarterback for his team’s offense, rotating three different guys that year. Last season, as a redshirt freshman, the speedy Robertson was supposed to be a change-of-pace guy and run the Wildcat offense, while Polony handled most of the main QB responsibilities.
But after replacing an ineffective Polony in the season opener against Temple and doing a good job moving the chains, Robertson was quickly named the starter. He then proceeded to have a huge season, completing 152 of 253 passes for 1,965 yards and 14 touchdowns, to go with 1,021 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs.
He earned the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in FCS football, in addition to winning both the CAA and ECAC Offensive Rookie of the Year awards.
“He’s probably one of the most dynamic players I’ve ever been beside,” said Monangai, who led the CAA in rushing last season with 1,210 yards on 212 carries and 11 touchdowns. “Having him in the backfield doesn’t allow for defenses to key on me. It opens up holes for both of us. I’m very excited to see what both of us can do on the field this year.”
As good as Robertson was in 2012, his teammates believe he will be even better this year. During the first week of training camp, as players on both sides of the ball have been battling for spots and pushing starters, Robertson has acted as a veteran and a leader, despite being only a sophomore.
And when Villanova’s season opens with a high-profile matchup against former Temple coach Steve Addazio’s Boston College squad on Aug. 31, his teammates expect to see those same qualities shining through.
“It’s finally his team now,” Monangai said. “He’s just taking the reins and running with it.”