The date was Oct. 19, 2002.
The weather was cold, dank and dreary in the Pioneer Valley, and the home stands at McGuirk Alumni Stadium were filled to capacity.
On one side, the UMass Minutemen were 4-2, and fresh off a 20-10 upset win over then-No.2 Maine on homecoming weekend that vaulted them to 20th nationally.
On the other side, the Villanova Wildcats were atop the Atlantic 10 and ranked No. 4 in the nation. They had arguably the nation’s best quarterback in Brett Gordon, and one of the league’s premier offensive players in Brian White.
It was a battle of conference powers that, when all was said and done, proved to be one of the best college football games ever played on this campus, as Anton McKenzie’s blocked field goal as time expired preserved a 17-16 win for the Maroon and White.
It was a game that set the tone for both teams seasons, as the Minutemen went on to make a serious run at a conference title before adversity struck them down, and Villanova advanced deep into the I-AA playoffs before coming up just short of a national title.
So now, with the stakes much higher, the two squads will again converge on the gridiron for what will surely be another grueling, gut-wrenching battle with serious implications. Both are ranked in the Top 5, both are undefeated in A-10 play and hold a share of first place in the conference and both are vying, again, for a national title.
The Maroon and White have not won in Philadelphia since 1962, and the road team has not been victorious in the series since the Wildcats won in Amherst in 1978. In their last six meetings, each team is 3-3 while ‘Nova holds the all-time series lead with 11 wins to UMass’ nine.
So when the ‘Cats and the Minutemen hit the Villanova Stadium field Saturday at 3:30 pm in front of a homecoming crowd and a national television audience, the stakes will be higher than ever. Two teams, as dead even as can be, prepped to play the game of their lives in a contest where losing could spell doom and winning provides a reason to fight on.
There need be no more hype, hoopla nor promotion.
This is the game of the year.
