By By Ed Morrone
When Pride junior linebacker and pre-season I-AA All-American Gian Villante went down with an injury before the 2004 season even began, one thought ran through everyone’s mind: here we go again.
It was a crushing blow for a team that always seems susceptible to injuries, and the loss was especially magnifying considering the caliber of player Villante is. So the question from there was, where could the team turn?
With the Pride holding a 3-0 lead over the University of Maine in last weekend’s homecoming game, it was clear the Blue & Gold was in need of a spark.
Enter D.J. Talvacchio.
Talvacchio crept toward the line and intercepted Maine QB Chris Legree’s pass, returning it 40 yards for a touchdown, putting his team up 10-0. The Pride cruised from there, stomping on the Black Bears, 44-0. The win also kept the Pride (4-2, 2-1 A10) in the thick of the Atlantic 10 playoff race right behind New Hampshire and Massachusetts, both of whom will visit Shuart Stadium in November.
On a day where the defense dominated, it was Talvacchio who stood out above the rest. The junior linebacker was thrust into the starting lineup when Villante went down, and he has not disappointed. He leads the Pride with 34 tackles and on Saturday recorded the first two interceptions, including the touchdown of his career.
“That was an awesome play,” Talvacchio said after the game. “We had prepared all week for a play like that and I saw it coming. I anticipated it, jumped it and was lucky to get my hands on it.”
Talvacchio’s emergence has been invaluable to the Pride, a team that is trying to buck the trend of its recent futility. The Pride compiled a record of 13-22 over the previous three years and has not had a winning season since 2001-it’s last trip to the playoffs (a 27-24 first round loss to Lehigh University). He has made a believer out of a lot of people, including the man who he had to unexpectedly replace.
“D.J.’s done really good in a short amount of time he’s had to work with,” Villante said. “He’s done great on his own, and I like the way he’s playing. He’s just going to get better with each game that he plays.”
Talvacchio’s defensive coach concurred.
“You never want to lose a premier player like Gian, but D.J. has really stepped up,” defensive coordinator Greg Gigantino said. “I always tell our guys that they’re one sprained ankle away from starting, so you have to be ready and D.J. was. He had a great off-season and he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”
With the conference as strong as it’s ever been (five of its 12 teams are ranked in the Top 25 and nine have records of .500 or better), the Pride is going to need every single player to step up come game day if it wants to make the I-AA post-season field of 16.
The offense has performed well, but it appears the team will go as far as its defense will take it.
In the Pride’s four wins, the defense has allowed a combined 13 points and recorded two shutouts. In its two losses to James Madison and Furman, the defense has let up a whopping 86 points.
“Our defense has been super [these past two weeks],” Talvacchio said. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve always said that offense wins games and defense wins championships, so I mean you can’t do much without a solid defense.”
If Talvacchio continues this type of play, perhaps the Pride defense will return to prominence and anchor the team to a conference championship.
