Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - There are not many teams that would venture into UR Stadium this season and have an air of confidence.

But when the top-ranked Spiders take the field on Saturday with their 17-game winning streak, they will face a No. 4 Villanova squad that beat them last season and may have the blueprint for other teams to follow if they want to dethrone the defending FCS national champs.

On the surface, Villanova's 26-20 victory over Richmond last season might look like a tight win. But in reality, the Wildcats controlled the Spiders in ways that no other FCS club managed to do last season.

"They did a great job of holding on to the ball," Richmond coach Mike London said of Villanova.

Villanova held Richmond, who was ranked No. 1 in the country at that time, to 83 yards rushing on 33 carries and limited running back Josh Vaughan to 44 yards on 15 attempts.

The Wildcats made a statement early in the game when they suffered an interception and blocked punt, but kept Richmond to just three points. A pair of touchdown runs by Aaron Ball (18 carries, 123 yards), including a 63-yard burst early in the second quarter, gave Villanova control of the game and the Wildcats never looked back.

"The key for me was early in the game when we had the interception and punt block and we only gave up three points," Talley said after that game. "That's when I knew we could beat them."

Villanova used its defensive line to neutralize Richmond's strength up front, allowing its speedy linebackers and safeties to fill gaps and shut down running lanes. The Wildcats then limited their vulnerabilities to the deep threat by constantly pressuring Richmond quarterback Eric Ward, sacking him six times.

Once the Wildcats built a 17-10 halftime lead, they put the ball in quarterback Chris Whitney's hands to manage them to a victory. Whitney was 14- of-22 passing for 176 yards and didn't commit another turnover after that early interception.

Joe Marcoux was also clutch with four field goals, including a 48-yarder.

"We sort of burst their bubble last year," Talley said. "There is no doubt they remember us from that game."

But this game isn't about revenge. The winner of Saturday afternoon's contest will be in prime position to make a run at a national championship, earn a top-four seed in the playoffs and possibly win the Colonial Athletic Association auto bid.

Richmond (8-0 overall, 6-0 in league) would clinch a share of the CAA title with a win, while Villanova (7-1, 4-1) - working with an extra week of preparation - can stay alive for the title if it is victorious.

"Both Richmond and Villanova have the chance to control their own destinies in this game," said Talley. "How many chances do you have to control your own destiny?"

London, however, is trying to get his team to focus solely on what it has to do to win.

"We're in a bunker mentality," London explained. "In the bunker mentality, this is just another game."

Both teams feature tough defenses and offenses that put an emphasis on ball control and game management.

"Villanova has a quarterback (Whitney) who can do everything for them," London said. "They've done a phenomenal job with third-down conversions. They've got a great defense."

The respect runs both ways.

"Richmond is obviously great on defense," said Talley. "On offense, they have great balance between the run and the pass. They do a great job on special teams. They have everything going for them that you would want in a college football team."

Playing in the rigorous CAA, both teams know that the margin of victory is likely to be slim.

"Hopefully, we can do what we can to stay in the game and keep it close," London said. "We need to do the things we need to do to come out on top."

Like London, Talley is looking forward to Saturday.

"It's obviously a big game," Talley said. "I'd pay to watch this one."

DECIDING THE MVFC

While Richmond and Villanova will be playing one of the biggest games of the Football Championship Subdivision out east, another showdown is set between No. 3 Southern Illinois and No. 9 South Dakota State for the Missouri Valley Conference title.

And like the Richmond-Villanova matchup, this contest in Brookings, SD will loom large when the NCAA Division I football committee determines the top four seeds for the playoffs.

Southern Illinois (7-1, 6-0) can almost certainly clinch a seed by beating South Dakota State and closing out the season with wins at home against Missouri State and in a non-conference contest at Southeast Missouri State.

Things are a little more tricky for South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0), which must travel to Minnesota next week before closing out the regular season at Western Illinois.

Southern Illinois became an annual fixture in The Sports Network top-25 under former coach Jerry Kill. But the Salukis seem to have taken their program to another level in two years with new coach Dale Lennon.

SIU has put more emphasis on defense, while maintaining its solid ground- oriented offensive personality.

Running back Deji Karim has followed in the fine tradition of running backs like Tom Koutsos, Muhammad Abdulqaadir, Brandon Jacobs, Terry Jackson, Arkee Whitlock and Larry Warner.

Karim, who is among the 20 candidates on the Walter Payton Award watch list, is ranked second nationally in rushing (139 yards per game) and all-purpose yardage (195 yards per game).

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Brandin Jordan has shown his big-play ability as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate and All-American cornerback Korey Lindsey has sparked a secondary that isn't as susceptible to big plays as it once was.

The Salukis rank just 44th nationally in total defense, but have been stingy in terms of point allowed, rating eighth in scoring defense (14.1 points per game).

If Southern Illinois has a concern right now, it is at quarterback. Two-year starter Chris Dieker (1,355 yards of total offense, 13 combined TDs) went out with a broken clavicle against Youngstown State.

But redshirt freshman Paul McIntosh came through to finish out the 27-8 win over the Penguins with 12 carries for 81 yards and 10-of-14 passing for 133 yards and one TD. McIntosh then went 15-of-22 for 159 yards and added 57 yards on eight attempts and two TDs to spark a 33-0 win against Indiana State.

The test against South Dakota State in what is becoming one of the MVFC's tougher road venues will be more challenging for this youngster.

South Dakota State has built one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the country to fuel the no nonsense coaching approach of John Stiegelmeier.

Buchanan Award candidate Danny Batten leads a defense that is just 15th in total yardage, but is first nationally in points allowed (11.4 per game). Derek Domino, with a name of a rock star, but the speed and aggressiveness of a future All-American, has helped guide an opportunistic group that is 10th in turnover margin.

The Jackrabbits have quarterback questions of their own, with starter Ryan Crawford (965 yards of total offense, six TDs, two interceptions) returning to the lineup last week after missing most of four games with a knee injury.

Redshirt freshman Thomas O'Brien (744 yards passing, five TDs, two interceptions) was tough as nails in leading SDSU to wins over Missouri State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa in Crawford's absence.

Crawford was 19-of-28 for 178 yards passing and ran four times for 22 yards as the Jackrabbit offense struggled somewhat against Youngstown State before grinding out a 17-3 win.

SDSU will likely need a bigger performance out of Crawford on Saturday, to balance the Kyle Minett-led rushing attack. There should be a little concern for Minett, who has piled up 886 yards and 12 TDs as a junior.

Like most MVFC championship battles, this one is likely to come down to the wire, with quarterback play probably deciding this crucial game.

Richmond found out early just how much of a struggle it would face against a tenacious Villanova defense on its first two drives of the game. The Spiders managed just three points after intercepting a pass and returning it deep into Wildcat territory, then blocking a punt.

Villanova limited Richmond running back Josh Vaughan to 44 carries on 16 carries. The Spiders logged eight total yards in the first quarter on nine plays, and had 14 carries for 13 yards rushing in the first half.

Richmond quarterback Eric Ward got his arm working in the second half to complete 23-of-32 passes for 236 yards and an eight-yard touchdown throw to Joe Stewart, but he was bottled up as a runner, being limited to 39 yards rushing on 17 attempts. Ward was also sacked six times.

"We kind of went in thinking we needed to win all three phases of the game," Talley said. "We went in knowing we were not going to let them run the ball. We took some of the play away from them. Their strength is running the ball and we took that away from them. We made them pass the ball."

The result was a 26-20 victory that marked Villanova's first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked opponent. Richmond hasn't beaten Villanova on the road since 2000, and is 9-19 all-time against the Wildcats.