The No. 24 Holy Cross football team heads to fifth-seeded Villanova for a second-round matchup in the NCAA D-I football championship subdivision (FCS) playoffs on Friday, Dec. 3. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Villanova Stadium.
The contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with Dan Barbar and Leger Douzable on the call.
The Crusaders (10-2, 6-0 Patriot League) advanced to the second round after defeating Sacred Heart, 13-10, in a first-round matchup – marking Holy Cross' first playoff victory in program history. Holy Cross did not lead the entire contest until the final minute, when sophomore quarterback
Matthew Sluka completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver
Jalen Coker with 14 seconds remaining. In Holy Cross' first home playoff game in 38 seasons, Sluka totaled 171 passing yards and 90 rushing yards on the day, while Coker finished with 103 yards — his second 100-yard game of the season. Junior linebacker
Jacob Dobbs matched a career high with 18 tackles, including 12 solo tackles, along with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Holy Cross clinched the Patriot League's autobid to the 2021 FCS playoffs for the third straight season after winning its third consecutive Patriot League title. The Crusaders finished a full Patriot League schedule undefeated for the first time since the 1991 season, and the six Patriot League wins were the most in program history. In nonconference play, the Crusaders secured wins over an FBS foe in the University of Connecticut, while also defeating Yale and Monmouth.
The Crusaders have won seven straight contests, their longest winning streak since winning 20 straight between 1990-91. The seven-game win streak is tied for the fourth-longest active win streak among FCS teams. Holy Cross is undefeated in six games on the road this season – one of two teams in FCS, joining Eastern Washington, that is undefeated on the road this year.
Twenty Crusaders earned All-Patriot League honors this year — the most All-Patriot League selections in Holy Cross history. Dobbs was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, while head coach
Bob Chesney was selected as the league's Dick Biddle Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
Dobbs and Chesney were also named finalists for a pair of national awards; Dobbs is a finalist for the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the defensive player of the year in FCS, while Chesney is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the national Coach of the Year at the FCS level.
Senior running back
Peter Oliver, an All-Patriot League first team selection for the 2021 season, was also named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Nov. 24. Dobbs and senior linebacker
Liam Anderson joined Oliver as Academic All-Patriot League honorees.
During the regular season, Holy Cross led the Patriot League in scoring with an average of 35.5 points per game, while holding opponents to a league-best 19.0 points per contest. In conference contests, the Crusaders averaged 42.4 points a game, while allowing just 12.7 points per contest.
On a national level, Holy Cross leads the FCS in total defense, conceding just 252.2 yards per game. Holy Cross ranks sixth among all FCS teams in rushing defense, allowing an average of just 83.4 rushing yards per contest. The Crusader defense has gained 24 turnovers this season, ranked ninth in FCS, totaling 18 interceptions on the year — the second-most in FCS.
The Crusaders have allowed negative rushing yards twice this season, and under 100 rushing yards seven times this year. No Holy Cross opponent has tallied more than 200 rushing yards this year, and Holy Cross' Patriot League foes averaged just 34.2 rushing yards per game.
Holy Cross are playing in the postseason for the sixth time in school history and the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time. The first postseason appearance for the Crusaders came in the 1946 Orange Bowl, when they lost 13-6 to Miami (Fla.). The previous NCAA appearances for Holy Cross came in 1983, 2009 (38-28 loss at Villanova in the first round), 2019 (44-27 loss at Monmouth in the first round) and Spring 2021 (31-3 loss at South Dakota State in the first round).
Villanova (9-2, 7-1) earned a first-round bye for the 2021 playoffs after winning the CAA regular-season title. The Wildcats join the Crusaders as one of the strongest defenses in FCS, ranking third in the nation in total defense by allowing just 254.9 yards per contest.
Holy Cross and Villanova meet for the first time since the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs on Nov. 28, 2009, when the Crusaders were defeated by eventual national champions, 38-28, at Villanova Stadium.
