Photos: Kathy Leister
By: Marc Narducci
VILLANOVA, PA – Even when a season with so many highlights suddenly ends, it feels like a massive thud. That was the immediate reaction from Villanova’s football team, which was one win away from playing for the FCS championship.
There are 24 FCS playoff teams and 23 of them are guaranteed not to be happy at the season-ending game. Yet Villanova coach Mark Ferrante was able to put things in perspective after unseeded Illinois State beat No. 12 seeded Villanova, 30-14 in an FCS semifinal.
Never mind that Villanova put together a 12-3 season, had won 11 in a row until Illinois State spoiled the party at Villanova Stadium before 4,133 chilly fans. Still, with the sour taste of defeat so fresh, Ferrante was able to put things well in perspective.
Villanova vs. Illinois State - 2025 FCS Semifinal - PSD Photos by Kathy Leister
“I am super proud of this team and the season they were able to put together this year,” he said in his postgame press conference. “When you get to playoff situation, unless you are able to go all the way, it is bittersweet because you are going to end with an L.”
Illinois State (12-4) faced No. 2 seed Montana State in the FCS championship game on Jan. 5 in Nashville. The Redbirds were one point away from an underdog triumph, ultimately falling to the Bobcats in overtime, 35-34.
Villanova simply ran into a team that is on a surprising roll. The unseeded Redbirds have won four playoff games, all on the road, including a second round 29-28 stunner over top-seed and defending FCS champion North Dakota State. As Villanova and three other teams discovered, Illinois State hasn’t played like an unseeded squad during this postseason.
Ferrante, who was an assistant at Villanova when the Wildcats won the national championship in 2009, was able to look at the entire picture when evaluating his team.
“I am really proud of how we started to where we ended,” he said. “These guys, as I have said it all year, gave maximum effort all the time and showed a lot of resilience and we just came up short today.”
Villanova takes the field in FCS semifinal vs. Illinois State - PSD Video by Kathy Leister
He lauded Illinois State for its ability to go an entire month winning on the road.
Quite frankly, the score wasn’t indicative of how Illinois State controlled play. The Redbirds nearly doubled Villanova in time of possession – 39:43 to 20:17.
Villanova received first half field goals of 23 and 35 yards from Jack Barnum and ended the scoring with a tight end Antonio Johnson’s spectacular one-handed grab of a 16-yard scoring pass from Pat McQuaide with just 3:18 left in the game.
Another bright spot was the play of graduate linebacker Richie Kimmel, an Archbishop Carroll graduate who had a team-high nine tackles. He finished the season with 53 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss.
More bright spots
Leading up to the semifinal, Villanova was similarly on fire. The Wildcats, who were seeded No. 12, opened with a 52-7 playoff win over Harvard. Then came a 14-7 victory at previously unbeaten and No. 5 seed Lehigh.
Villanova trailed 7-0 in the third quarter before tying the score on Ja’briel Mace’s 1-yard touchdown run and got the game-winner in the fourth quarter on Braden Reed’s 28-yard scoring pass from McQuaide.
Reed, a Pottstown native who played for Pope John Paul II, was among the team’s most pleasant surprises.
A true freshman, Reed finished with 34 receptions for 518 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 14.9 yards per punt return and was a third-team all-conference selection as a punt returner.
“To say that we expected to see what Braden is doing is not a true statement,” Ferrante said leading up to the semifinal. “We’re excited that he’s doing what he’s doing.”
The most impressive win came when Villanova stunned host and No. 4 seed Tarleton State, 26-21 in an FCS quarterfinal. In that game, before Villanova could blink, the Wildcats were down 14-0.
Villanova still trailed, 21-12 early in the third quarter before coming back on Mace’s 47-yard third quarter scoring run and Reed’s 11-yard touchdown reception from McQuaide early in the fourth quarter.
That was a Tarleton State team that was a heavy favorite and one that beat a talented Army squad early in the season.
The Wildcats just couldn’t carry the momentum into their next game, but Illinois State had plenty to do with that.
End of a great career
So many of Villanova’s players who have now exhausted their eligibility, enjoyed great careers. Near the top of the list was linebacker Shane Hartzell, a graduate of Pennridge High.
Graduate linebacker Richie Kimmel #44 finished the season with 53 tackles - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
Ja’briel Mace #4, CAA Special Teams Player of the Year - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
Wildcat freshman Braden Reed #83 finished with 34 receptions for 518 yards and three touchdowns this year - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
This season the fifth-year senior recorded 101 tackles, including 19.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. That earned his first team all Coastal Athletic Association honors. It’s the second straight year he has been a first-team choice.
For his career, Hartzell had 390 tackles, including 44 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks.
“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet as far as the season and my career being over, but I’m super proud of the guys,” Hartzell said in the post-game press conference. “You know, where we were Week Three, if anybody told us we would be here now, I think they would be crazy, but super proud of how we responded week after week.”
Shane Hartzell #31 Hartzell had 390 tackles and 22.5 sacks during his Wildcat tenure - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
Post Game press conference with Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante and Illinois State head coach Brock Spack - PSD Video by Marc Narducci:
Hartzell is absolutely correct.
After Week Three the Wildcats were 1-2. Villanova opened the season with a 24-17 win over Colgate. Then came a 52-7 beating at Penn State.
Remember, that was when Penn State was ranked among the top teams in college football before later collapsing and seeing coach James Franklin fired.
It’s what happened the next week that was a little bit of a shocker. Villanova lost at nationally ranked Monmouth. The loss wasn’t totally surprising, but the score certainly was.
Monmouth 51, Villanova 33.
After that game, the defense tightened and the offense found its groove.
McQuaide, a transfer from Nicholls State, kept improving each week. He completed 59.1% of his passes for 3,123 yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Wildcats even survived a key injury to standout sophomore running back David Avit, who was hurt in a 28-10 win on Nov. 8 against Towson and didn’t return until the semifinal against Illinois State, making a brief appearance with two carries for four yards.
Mace, the CAA special teams player of the year, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and Isaiah Ragland picked up the slack in the running game.
A sophomore from South Jersey’s Mainland High, Mace rushed for 946 yards (7.4 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. Ragland, a sophomore from Alexandria, Virginia, rushed for 755 yards (4.5 avg.) and two scores.
“It’s three players that can possibly at any other school be the best player at the school,” Ragland said about the talented Wildcats running back trio. “Knowing (we) are here at Villanova sharing carries and being selfless, it shows the culture here and it doesn’t matter about your personal attributes, but just knowing you are willing to do what you have to help your team win is all that matters.”
That was the attitude of this year’s team, and it carried the Wildcats one game away from the national championship appearance. As Ferrante said, it’s tough being one of the 23 that won’t raise the banner.
He also understands that being among the final four is a huge accomplishment for a Villanova team that has made three straight FCS playoff appearances and five in the last seven years.
It also shows that with the culture and talent, Villanova could very make another deep postseason run in 2026.