The DIvision I-AA college football playoffs zero in on four teams this weekend, with the national semifinal games kicking off Friday and Saturday for a shot at the title game on January 7.
FCS Semifinals: Villanova Vs. Eastern Washington
Meet your combatants: Tonight's road team is the Villanova Wildcats, best known in 2010 for knocking off Top 25 hopeful Temple by a touchdown on the road, for holding a transitive win over the Orange Bowl-bound Virginia Tech Hokies by virtue of a win over James Madison, and for being the subject of continuous speculation regarding future expansion members of the Big East. They'll be hosted by the Eastern Washington Eagles, whom we suspect could handily beat at least one I-A in-state rival right about now. You may have seen the Eagles serving as Nevada's Week 1 patsy, but you'll recognize their red horrorshow field immediately. (Pray for snow, which tends to turn the turf a fetching pink.)
By the numbers: The Wildcats boast the league's 19th-ranked rushing offense, 28th-ranked defense, and lead the Colonial Conference in rushing, scoring, run defense, and passing efficiency. Quarterback Chris Whitney is the league's 8th most efficient passer, with an average rating of 149.09. The Eagles lead the Big Sky conference in Kickoff returns and turnover margin, but have a tough row to hoe with their 93rd-ranked defense against that Wildcat scoring machine. Their pass defense, ranked 110th in the league, will be under particular scrutiny. Their best hope for return points lay in Taiwan Jones, the league's second-ranked rusher, who will now miss the game after undergoing foot surgery this week.
Fan perspective: Connect with Villanova fans and read more coverage of tonight's game at SB Nation's Nova Blog.
Villanova vs. Eastern Washington kicks off at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
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