In general, preseason rankings are taken with not a grain but a block of salt by college football coaches and more seriously by boosters and fans. But at Villanova, even the most optimistic are rolling eyes at the 2011 Wildcats inclusion in various Top 15 lists.
Least impressed of all is a man who knows better68-year-old Nova head coach Andy Talley. As something approaching an FCS version of a BowdenPaterno CEO, Talley sort of cruises between units as an observer during workouts and takes a generally hands-off approach with his coordinators during games.
But a macromanager knows best that starting as many as six freshmenone of them at quarterbackis not conducive to a comfortable existence in a brutal conference such as the SEC of Division I-AA, the Colonial Athletic Association.
This is the youngest team we've ever put out there in an opener, Talley said Tuesday. I wish I could tell you I knew how our young kids were going to react. But your guess is as good as mine. We're gonna throw 'em out there and hope they grow up in a hurry.
Talley guided a once-in-a-generation bunch led by charismatic quarterback Chris Whitney to the I-AA national championship two years ago, then rode Whitney and an ample crop of holdovers to a respectable 9-5 finish (5-3 in the CAA) last season, including a trip to the I-AA semifinals. There, on a red field in a satellite outpost of Spokane, Wash., they were ousted by the hosts and eventual national champion Eastern Washingtonthe same resilient bunch that came from way behind to dump Nova's CAA stablemate Delaware in the I-AA title game.
The last game of what will be a legendary Villanova group was unusually pocked by six giveawaysfour of them fumbles. That might be a fitting entree into a new era. Teenagers make mistakes and the Wildcats will play many this year. They will learn.
Talley's most important pupil is Whitney's replacement, left-handed redshirt freshman quarterback Dustin Thomas, a Ventnor, N.J., product with impressive high school credentials. At St. Augustine Prep, Thomas threw for the second-most passing yards in South Jersey annals. He also is fast and able to bust the pocket and runwhich he will need to do behind an offensive line with two more freshmen and a correspondingly steep learning curve. A critical man is center Dan Shirey, a two-year starter whose direction of his young linemates will be invaluable.
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Thomas had a bout with mononucleosis last year in his true freshman season and barely got on the field. Last time Talley started a freshman at QB the kid took him to a 7-4 finish in 2007, the program's best record at the time in four years.
That was Whitney. But he had more support than Thomas will have. And Thomas must be careful not to try to emulate his predecessor's hellbent style. Whitney played like a strong safety looking for someone to hit. At this point in this season, Thomas needs to just try to stay healthy.
That means making quick reads and flinging from Nova's shotgun to a squadron of very good wideouts, including preseason all-CAA choice Norman White, little Californian speedster Dorian Wells and tiny (5-6) senior flanker Mikey Reynolds.
'Nova runs plenty from the gun, which makes another SoCal native, senior feature back Lawrence Doss (5-7, 185), an important man who must stay durable behind that rebuilt line.
The defense needs to be the team's support pillar early and can be. It's quite fast by FCS standards and big enough.
The D-line is young and should be very good. An important shift is the move of soph defensive end Antoine Lewis to nose guard in the base 3-3-5 set. Linchpin of the back five is veteran corner and captain Jimmy Pitts, who must take his role as a senior team leader very seriously on this group.
I'm gonna go about it vocally when the time is needed, said Pitts on Tuesday as the team prepared for its Mayor's Cup scramble Thursday night (7 p.m.) with Temple at the Linc.
We had a great summer camp so I feel like they're understanding the way we play Villanova footballyou work hard, pay attention and dedicate yourself to the sport.
Youth cannot be rushed and Villanova simply cannot expect more than a 7- or 8-win season this year. That doesn't mean it can't be a relative success.
Coach Talley has talked to the team about it a lot, said Pitts. We all know what the situation is. But we still have a lot of guys who were on that 2009 national championship team. And we all know how to play championship football.
DAVID JONES is columnist for The Harrisburg Patriot-News. Email him at djones8681@verizon.net. Follow him on Twitter @djoneshoop.