Perfect Saturday For Villanova's Zach Bednarczyk
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A lot of things came together for the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday in their 37-0 win over Albany.
The defense forced five turnovers, pitching its first shutout since blanking Rhode Island, 45-0, back on November 9th, 2013. The Wildcats ran for 269 yards and also got quite the performance from redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Bednarczyk. He completed all twelve of his passes against the Great Danes, for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
"I actually realized (he hadn't thrown an incompletion) when one of my teammates, I can't remember who it was, they came up to me and said, 'I don't think you've thrown an incompletion yet,'" Bednarczyk tells KYW Newsradio. "And when I thought about it, I was like, I guess I didn't. But I mean I wasn't thinking about that at all, to be honest. Most of the pass routes were pretty short stuff. I was just happy that we got a win."
Listen to the entire interview with Villanova's Zach Bednarczyk:
As you would expect, Bednarczyk's performance set a school record for completion percentage in a game. It was also his first win as the starting quarterback at Villanova. He took over the reins of the offense after senior quarterback John Robertson, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, suffered a knee injury earlier this season against Delaware.
"Even though John's not playing, he's still there," Bednarczyk says. "So whatever he has to say is always helpful. He'll just give me tips that he has, things that he's picked up on. He's there at practice, he's there on the sideline. If I have a question about any of the plays, I just go to him. Even though he's not playing and I have huge shoes to fill, he's still there to help me mentally, and that's been a huge help for me."
Bednarczyk has completed 58.7% of his passes this season for 558 yards and four touchdowns and he also has three interceptions. He's also rushed for 98 yards and a score.
The win over Albany improved the Wildcats to 3-3 overall this season and they are 2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Villanova has had to deal with more than its fair share of adversity during what, so far, has been an up and down season. But Bednarczyk says there is still plenty of time to really get on a roll.
"Last year we were 7-1 in the CAA," Bednarczyk says. "So if we come out and we play, we could be in the same situation as we were last year. That's what we've been saying this whole time."
Villanova returns to action on Saturday night as they visit Towson.
