Michael Rezin/The Ram Nebrich was impressive in his second collegiate start, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Entering Saturday night’s game, Fordham had not beaten Villanova since 1920, and the Rams had never won against a team ranked in the top 10. But Fordham’s strong offense and opportune defense hoisted the Rams over eighth-ranked Villanova, 27-24.

Everyone was well aware of the magnitude of the game.

“We talked about this being a defining moment for our program, and that we were going to define the moment and not let the moment define us,” Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead said of his pregame address to the team. “We challenged them to beat a top 10 school for the first time in our history and legitimize ourselves as a playoff contender and someone who can compete for a national championship.”

Fordham quarterback Michael Nebrich called it “one of the biggest games I’ve ever played in,” and the redshirt sophomore rose to the occasion, passing for 190 yards and running for 102 more, with two touchdowns. His 4-yard touchdown run with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score. Nebrich also scored the first points of the game, on a 19-yard scramble early in the first quarter. He was impressive with his legs all night long, running fast and hard while forming an excellent one-two punch with senior running back Carlton Koonce. Koonce had a good game (83 yards on 22 carries), even if he was not as dominant as he was last year when he finished fourth in the FCS in yards per game.

Nebrich’s passing numbers were not gaudy, but he was still efficient. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 190 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.  He cannot really be held accountable for the interception, though. It came when his receiver bobbled a pass and had the ball taken out of his hands by a defender.

“Their quarterback was outstanding,” Villanova head coach Andy Talley said, referring to Nebrich. “He was the star of the game.”

The story of the game for Villanova was the Wildcats’ inability to hang onto the ball. On each of their final three possessions, the Wildcats coughed up the ball. They had five fumbles total. Junior linebacker Victor DiFusco forced two of those fumbles and recovered another, earning him Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors.

“You can’t win a game against anybody when you’re turning it over five times,” Talley said. “We gave a good team too many opportunities.”

Fordham’s defense was much improved, compared to last week against Rhode Island. URI gashed Fordham for 433 yards of total offense, including a whopping 277 on the ground. The Fordham D was much improved against Villanova, though. The Wildcats gained 332 yards of total offense. Villanova gained 168 yards on the ground, though 57 of those yards came on a single run by Kevin Monangai in the third quarter.

“I think Coach [David] Blackwell and his staff put an excellent game plan together,” Moorhead said. “The kids played lights out. They tackled much better; they got off the field on third down; they created turnovers and did a great job for four quarters, particularly in the second half.”

Fordham was also aided by a strong home crowd. The announced attendance was 5,178.

“That was a tremendous boost,” Moorhead said. “For two games now, the fans have given us a decided home field advantage.”

Villanova entered the game ranked eighth in the FCS media poll and 11th in the coaches’ poll. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 19th and 20th, respectively, this week. After not receiving votes in either poll earlier this season, Fordham now sits just outside the top 25 in both polls.

Fordham’s next game is an even greater challenge. The Rams travel to Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls this Saturday. Temple, an FBS program, benefits from being allowed 85 scholarships to Fordham’s 63. Last year, Fordham faced Cincinnati, another FBS team that competes in the same conference as Temple, and lost 49-17. Moorhead is aware of the challenge but will not be intimidated.

“Our preparation won’t change,” he said. “It’s something we enforced [before the Villanova game]: Who you play doesn’t change the way you prepare. The margin of error against them will be smaller because of the 85 scholarships. As an FBS team, they’re very good players, very well coached.”

Still, 11 FCS schools have knocked off FBS opponents this season, so a Fordham win, however unlikely, is not impossible.

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