Dec 20, 2025
3 min read
The last time Villanova appeared in the FCS semifinals was in 2009, when the Wildcats captured their first and only national title.Former players believe the program has the pieces to do it again.
Villanova is similar to the 2009 FCS championship team.Just ask the former players.
The last time Villanova played in the FCS semifinals was in 2009, when the Wildcats won their first and only national title.Former players believe that the program has the features to bring it back together.
There's no time Aaron Ball enjoys more than being in a winning formation on the football field, and 16 years ago Wednesday was especially special.
That Villanova running back, now living near Virginia Beach, Va., still cherishes the program's only FCS victory, a 23-21 win over Montana on Dec. 18, 2009.
"When [it was] the fourth quarter and the clock was ticking and we were in formation to win," Ball told The , "it was just an amazing feeling. Just thinking about the moments we had, like after the game in the locker room and going crazy and the trophy and all that. The whole experience was amazing."
The Wildcats, now led by Mark Ferrante, who served as associate head coach under Andy Talley on the 2009 team, are one game away from returning to the national title game.
» Read more: What to know about Villanova's FCS semifinal opponent, Illinois State
After an FCS quarterfinal comeback win against Tarleton State, Villanova will host Illinois State in the semifinals on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN2), the team's first home game this late in the playoffs since 2009, when the 2009 team narrowly beat William & Mary 14-13.
Like the 2009 team, this year's squad is coming off an early CAA loss and is on a long winning streak.The former St.Joseph's Prep graduate quarterback Chris Whitney, who was the team's leading rusher in 2009, believes there are striking similarities between his team and this year's group.
"I think there's a lot of similarities. The defense is really good, and they've shown that in the last three games in the playoffs, playing against three of the top teams in the country," Whitney said."And then you turn to the offensive side, they've got a great three-head running game. ... Even our running backs, like Angelo Babbaro and Aaron Ball.
"So from a quarterback standpoint, [current starter Pat McQuaid] takes care of the ball."
'We never feel like anyone can beat us'
Former wide receiver Brandyn Harvey knew something special was happening when Villanova went to Lincoln Financial Field and beat Temple by three points to open the 2009 season.
Harvey, the team's leading receiver that year who now lives in Los Angeles, said it was "more fun to beat Temple than to beat Montana" as the two schools squared off that summer leading up to the August game.
"It put us on the right track to finish and be successful through the rest of the season," Harvey said.
Chris Farmer, a former West Catholic student, added: "I know we all thought we could beat Temple, which was probably an [FBS] school at the time.
» READ MORE: Braden Reed is making a name for himself in Villanova's freshman year: 'He's not a freshman anymore'
But Ball had a different take on it knowing Villanova could be a championship team.
After Villanova's Oct. 10 loss to New Hampshire, the former quarterback, who finished third on the team with 794 rushing yards in 2009, thought the team was "ignoring our opponents."
After that game, it was a big turnaround for us," Ball said. "[We] did a little bit too much and had to settle down. And then the next game we came back [beating James Madison 27-0]. And I thought, 'OK, we're actually a pretty good team.'When I compare myself to other teams and where they are and where we are.And I was really able to do that with the team.
For Farmer, who started his career at defensive line and moved up to the juniors, what stood out most was the talent and "great camaraderie" the 2009 team had.Everyone got along, Farmer said, and outside of practice, "the locker room was always packed."
And the one trait that Whitney, Harvey, Ball and Farmer all agreed on at the time?Tenacity.
"We always felt we had to win, especially at that time of the season," said Farmer."So in those finals when we were down, we just depended on the relationship, everyone kept their energy up. [The sidelines] didn't go down or [put] their heads down. I think that relationship probably made us successful, to be honest."
Harvey added: "We might have been out of the game, but we never felt like we were out of the game. We never felt like at the end of the day anyone could beat us, we were so confident. I wouldn't say we were cocky, but we were just so confident in ourselves. The weather."
"Coach Ferrante was the president"
The offensive line and assistant coach of the 2009 team is the same coach who leads Villanova now: Ferrante, now in his 38th year with the program.
This is despite Talley leading the program during Ferrante's first 29 years with the program.But it's the latter that players say is key to playing on the majors. Ferrante is a local recruiter for Whitney and Farmer, both of whom play in the Catholic League.
» Read more: Villanova's ultimate football promotion includes $2 off, basketball season ticket deals, more
They work together with the argument - Farmer on a fixed end, whitney in quarterback - and each of the result is accepted as a team.
“He was, I would say, a father figure to a lot of the players on the team,” Farmer said.“Honestly, it was — if Coach [Talley] was the president or the CEO, Coach Ferrante was the president, making sure everything was right and going the way Coach T wanted it to be.
"He's put a lot of time and sweat into this project, and honestly, man, to see him finally take over ... and see the project succeed so quickly is amazing."
Added Whitney: "I have a special place in my heart for Coach Ferrante, to be honest. ... Talk about a guy who deserves it, putting in his time [29] years as an assistant in the same program and putting in that time to get his chance as a head coach and get a chance to get to the top of the mountain. I couldn't ask for more."
College football has changed a lot in the 16 years since Villanova's last football title, including transfer portals and names, images and likenesses to name a few, although the latter hasn't affected the FCS level.But Harvey said his 2009 team had only a handful of transfers, none of whom started on their team, compared to this year's Villanova team, which had a transfer starting quarterback, wide receiver and several other rotational defensive players transfer.
While the culture of college football is different these days, Harvey points out that the transfer portal is a positive step toward competitiveness at the FCS level.
“I feel like goals really affect the FCS level. I thought about it last week, watched some games and just looked at where some of the players were coming from.I think when I playI don't know if it's our culture or not.But we didn't accept transfers,” recalled Harvey. “Players came from all over, no matter what level… I know people always win [FCS], but it's also a level of competition.”
Whitney added: "Pat [McQuaid, Nicholls State transfer] coming in the spring, and for a lot of these guys to come in the spring and come together as well as they are, it's a credit to them. It's a credit to coach Ferrante. I mean getting these kids to bond so quickly and play together is pretty tough, but obviously it's something new in football.
» READ MORE: Villanova plays its best complementary football at the right time: ‘We have a good nucleus’
The past looks different for each of the former players, but their love for their mother-in-law remains the same.Scattered from coast to coast, they keep in touch with former teammates, watch Villanova football games and share memories of the namesake team with their children.
That will all be seen this weekend. Harvey and Ball plan to go to the championship game if Villanova beats Illinois State.
And speaking of general issues Here's another story: The 2009 team won the FCS championship game their senior year in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and this year's championship game will be played in Nashville, Tennessee, after 16 years in Frisco, Texas.
How about that?
