Villanova’s Jalen Goodman gets a reprieve and looks to have fun against Eastern Kentucky

RADNOR — After having his helmet removed at halftime and swapping his football shorts for sweatpants, Jalen Goodman tried not to think too far ahead last Saturday.

A scoring penalty on the second series is not what Villanova’s sixth-year defensive back envisioned in his 53rd career college football game. Especially since there were no guarantees for a 54th.

All of these football seasons have taught Lower Merion graduates to expect the unexpected, even if it brings a feeling of powerlessness on the sidelines over spectator status.

“I try not to think about it,” Goodman, a 23-year-old student, said Tuesday. “But it’s football. Anything can happen. So I just try not to think about it and just try to support my guys and just hope and trust that they can do it.”

Goodman got his reprieve, Villanova went up by 21 points, erased that lead and held rival Delaware to seven points in the second half in a 38-28 win that secured Villanova its spot in the FCS playoffs. That means Goodman will get one more game at Villanova Stadium on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky and at least one more as a college athlete.

The Delaware game was an exercise in the resilience of the Villanova defense, regardless of the ups and downs in scoring. Goodman’s pointed call after eleven minutes was the beginning. The flag was bad luck for Goodman, whose shoulder ran into Delaware receiver Ja’Carree Kelly on an incompletion in front of the Blue Hens’ bench. Kelly ducked into contact with his helmet and Goodman made contact with him. The penalty was offset by a Delaware violation, but Goodman was disqualified for the remainder of the game.

Villanova would have to play the rest of its rivalry game without a starting safety. Goodman had to endure the rigors of watching without effect.

“It’s definitely devastating,” Goodman said. “It’s one of those moments where you want to come out victorious: six years, Delaware game, the last one ever. So it’s definitely devastating. But we did pretty well, so I just wanted to try to keep my teammates up to speed and be the best teammate I can.”

Goodman had company on the sidelines. Linebackers Shane Hartzell and Richie Kimmel and fellow safeties Isas Waxter and Ethan Potter all left the injury tent at some point to visit. Everyone except Waxter would return. Potter recovered a fumble forced by Hartzell in the fourth quarter.

For a defense that features four seniors, seven fifth-graders and two sixth-graders on its two-deep roster, the attrition has been testing. Goodman did his best to support the unit in intangible ways, and many of the vets reciprocated, helping Goodman get through the day.

“The targeting was tough,” fifth-year linebacker Brendan Bell said. “I’ve been with him for four years, so every single person on defense was like, ‘I’ll play these four quarters for you.’ We didn’t really agree with the request, but it is what it is. So we wanted to play our hearts out for him.”

Goodman paid it back as best he could. When Bell returned an interception 38 yards to the end zone two plays after targeting, Goodman was one of the first players off the bench to join the celebratory swarm. The same goes for Ty Trinh’s interception in the fourth quarter.

“Those are the best moments because I know they would do the same for me,” Goodman said. “So seeing them make those big plays, those key plays that we need, was one of the happiest moments of the day, especially for Ty and Bell since it was their last games.”

The Wildcats will lean on that connectivity on Saturday. Villanova (9-3), the 11th seed in the FCS playoffs, hosts Eastern Kentucky (8-4) of the United Athletic Conference. The first meeting with the Colonels marks the third time in four years the Wildcats have been to the postseason. Last year they won at home in the first round against Youngstown State.

The preparation week was a balance for many veterans. It might be the last week of their careers, but they made it a point to maintain the same attitude as every other week.

For Goodman, that meant putting an end to disappointment. His football career on the Main Line dates back nearly a decade, he’s a Narberth native and a standout player for a Lower Merion program that has produced few. After leading the Aces to one of their best seasons in 2018, he continued to build on his excellence at Villanova despite a season-limiting injury in 2019 and the pandemic-related postponement of the 2020 season to the spring (hence building up an additional year of eligibility). six). years to play four seasons), in more than 50 games, 243 tackles (6.5 for loss), two interceptions and one touchdown.

This week, Goodman focused on making Saturday feel the same as the 53 games before it.

“Every day is a new day,” he said. “Every morning it’s not an easy thing to wake up to, but once I get here, once I get to the facility and once I’m out here on the field, it’s just another day at the office. I love coming here and playing soccer with my teammates and just being with them, whether we have a ride or something, I just love being with my teammates. The opportunity to come onto the field here, play football and be with them is nothing I could ask for more.”