Receiver Jarmal Bevels and quarterback Joe Mancuso exchanged congratulations after a touchdown vs. Delaware this season.
JOE MAHONEY/TIMES-DISPATCH
The University of Richmond welcomes Villanova for homecoming Saturday and there's mystery at QB for both teams. As the week began, the Spiders and Wildcats were unsure, at least publicly, about who would take their first snaps.
At UR, coach Russ Huesman said he would use practices leading into the game to determine whether sophomore Joe Mancuso, who started the last three games, or Kevin Johnson, who started the first five games and has been unavailable since suffering a concussion on Sept. 29, would open for the Spiders.
Johnson returned to practice last week, heading into UR's open Saturday.
“We’ve probably got a good idea what we’re going to do,” Huesman said at his Wednesday meeting with the media. “But not going to tell you guys. Sorry.”
There will be no time-sharing at the position, according to Huesman,
Villanova senior QB Zach Bednarczyk, a captain with 32 career starts, has been in and out of the lineup with a shoulder injury. According to second-year VU coach Mark Ferrante, Bedmarczyk is “questionable” for the Wildcats’ visit to Robins Stadium.
The Spiders (3-5, 1-4 CAA) and Wildcats (3-5, 0-5 CAA) were projected as middle-of-the-pack finishers in the CAA preseason poll. Both teams have been held back by injuries and other issues. Richmond’s deep and talented wide-receiver group recently thinned. Huesman said senior Tyler Wilkins and junior Cortrelle Simpson, UR’s top two receivers, are “banged up” and may not play Saturday.
Additionally, Richmond’s staff has decided to shut down freshman Aaron Dykes, who brought speed and quickness to the backfield. Dykes played four games, the max permitted by an NCAA rule new this season for players redshirting.
Bednarczyk, a 6-foot-1 200-pounder, has been one of the CAA’s top dual-threat QBs for years. When he left Villanova’s most recent game with a re-injured shoulder, VU brought in 6-7 freshman Qadir Ismail, who completed 3 of 12.
“Regardless of who’s at quarterback, know their tendencies, know where they like to scramble, what they like to do, and be prepared for all of them,” said defensive tackle Andrew Clyde, who is second among Spiders with four-and-a-half sacks. “It’s just kind of a wait-and-see game.”
Villanova lost its last two games, at home, 37-0 to James Madison and 34-0 to New Hampshire.
"We didn't feel like the guys were quitting, or anything like that. ... We didn't give up,” said Ferrante. “We just didn't perform at the level that I'm hoping we're capable of performing."
NOTE: At halftime, the Spiders will honor their 2018 Hall of Fame class, comprised of Greg Lilly (football), Kevin Anderson (basketball), Tom Bondurant (baseball) Becca Wann Taylor (basketball and soccer), Ken Hart (equipment manager) and the 1999 men’s golf team.
