1974 Villanova Wildcats football team

1974 Villanova Wildcats football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–8
Head coach	Jim Weaver (1st season; first 8 games) Lou Ferry (interim, final 3 games)
Captain	Richard Aldrich, Charles Driesbach
Home stadium	Villanova Stadium
Seasons ←  1973 1975  →

1974 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Notre Dame			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 7 Penn State			–					10	–	2	–	0
Temple			–					8	–	2	–	0
Boston College			–					8	–	3	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 19 Houston			–					8	–	3	–	1
Rutgers			–					7	–	3	–	1
Cincinnati			–					7	–	4	–	0
Memphis State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					7	–	4	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					6	–	5	–	0
Hawaii			–					6	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	5	–	0
Tampa			–					6	–	5	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	5	–	1
Tulane			–					5	–	6	–	0
Colgate			–					4	–	6	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
South Carolina			–					4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					4	–	7	–	0
West Virginia			–					4	–	7	–	0
Army			–					3	–	8	–	0
Dayton			–					3	–	8	–	0
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Air Force			–					2	–	9	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					2	–	9	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Florida State			–					1	–	10	–	0
Marshall			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1974 Villanova Wildcats football team represented the Villanova University as an independent during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. Jim Weaver was the team's head coach for the first eight games of the season, before he was fired after the disclosure of his intentions to quit at the end of the season and take an administrative position at Clarion State College. Lou Ferry, who had been Villanova's head coach from 1970 to 1973 and remained as the team's defensive line coach in 1974, assumed the role of interim head coach for the last three games of the season. ^[1] The team played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Villanova was 3–1 and ranked seventh in the Lambert Trophy poll after four games, but lost their final seven contests and finished the season with a record of 3–8. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7		at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	L 13–14	5,000	[3]
September 14	1:30 pm	UMass *	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 17–13	7,807	[4]
September 21		at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	W 7–0
September 28	1:30 pm	Idaho	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 15–7	9,857	[5]
October 12		at Tampa	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 8–47
October 19		at Houston	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX	L 0–35	24,525
October 26	1:30 pm	Boston College	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (Parents Weekend)	L 7–55	11,100	[6]
November 2		at No. 3 (small) Delaware	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	L 7–49	22,091	[7]
November 9		at No. 14 Maryland	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	L 0–41	42,331	[8]
November 16	1:30 pm	Holy Cross	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	L 6–10	5,075	[9]
November 23	1:30 pm	Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Mayor's Cup)	L 7–17	11,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Villanova Coach Out In Conflict". The Evening Sun. Hanover, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. November 6, 1974. p. 8. Retrieved November 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com .
2. "Villanova 2019 Football". Villanova, Pennsylvania: Villanova University. 2019. pp. 125, 134. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
3. "Late Richmond score nips Villanova, 14–13". The News and Observer. September 8, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 24, 2022.
5. "Safety big help; Villanova winner". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. September 29, 1974. p. 64.
6. "Boston College Outhits, Outhustles Villanova, 55–7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 27, 1974. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
7. Simmons, Bill (November 3, 1974). "Delaware QB Says Villanova 'Gave Up', 49-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Maryland crushes Villanova 41–0". Sunday News. November 10, 1974. Retrieved January 25, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. Forbes, Gordon (November 17, 1974). "Holy Cross Holds Off Villanova Rally, 10-6". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 2E – via Newspapers.com.