The Villanova football team suffered a heartbreaking loss earlier tonight, losing on a last-gasp field goal to the Temple Owls. Villanova seemed to have total control of the game from the 2nd quarter on, but a stagnant 2nd half offense, a timely big play from Temple, and some question clock management allowed Temple to seize the game.

In case you missed the game, check out the ESPN Recap and Box Score.

All in all, it was great to watch Villanova football again, and there was a lot of things to like about the performance today. And losing to an FBS program is nothing to be upset about. But now it's time to regroup and reload and get ready for the grind that the CAA conference is going to present.

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To get ready for The Mayor's Cup on Friday Night, Dave Gerson from The Owl's Nest and I decided to get together for a quick Q&A session. Below are my questions for Dave on what we can expect from this year's Temple Owls, and what The Mayor's Cup means to the Temple program/fanbase.

Make sure to head on over to The Owl's Nest to see my answers to Dave's questions, and leave him some friendly (or not-so-friendly, I'm fine with that too!) banter about this Friday's curtain-raiser to the 2010 season!

Enjoy!

Last year was the most success I've seen in my lifetime. The last four years we (Temple fans) have waited for this breakout season, and now we're seeing the results of an established football program. The experience of a nine-game winning streak, winning record itself, and a bowl game was something relatively new, but was fun to be a part of.

2010 is a whole new season. For the first time I think there are expectations for this team to win, and I'm hoping that we start this year off much better than in '09.

We expect this team no longer to just compete, but to win games. There are serious talks about a shot at a 10-win season, a Mid-American Conference Championship, and more. It's one game at a time though, so we expect to beat you guys.

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Get to know the latest Wildcat, Darrun Hilliard, in this fantastic highlight reel! Hilliard committed to Jay Wright and the 'Cats back on August 4th, becoming the 4th member of the Class of 2011.

Enjoy!

More photos » Matt Rourke - AP

16 days ago: Villanova wide receiver Matt Szczur is seen during football practice in Villanova, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Villanova freshman SG/SF James Bell will be sidelined indefinitely with stress fractures in both tibia's of his legs. Bell is under the care of Team Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Rob Good, and will be evaluated in October.

Jay Wright on Bell:

"We're disappointed for James," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He has acclimated himself very well academically and socially at Villanova in his short time with us. I am sure he will take that same kind of mature approach with his rehab. We don't know how long he will be out, but we will monitor his rehab closely."

...And now we are down to 9 scholarship players...yay...I don't think this should keep Bell out all year, but I think it certainly makes the redshirt a more viable option than it may have been before...speedy recovery to you James...

More photos » Tom Strickland - AP

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Villanova will be playing host to ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday February 12th for their home game with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

GameDay will air live on ESPN at 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET from the Villanova Campus, meaning this game will be played at The Pavilion.

This is the first time I remember in a long time that we've had a Saturday game against a marquee opponent at The Pavilion. My freshman year when we had a Top-5 matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners is the last one that I can recall. Tickets will be impossible for this, unfortunately.

Jay Wright on the announcement:

"We’re thrilled that ESPN has decided to bring `College GameDay’ to the Villanova campus for the first time. The entire country will get to see the great support we receive from the Nova Nation and our amazing student section. All of us at Villanova are excited about this opportunity."

And I'm clearing my schedule for that weekend...I will find tickets somehow!

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

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Not to win the national championship, but to win the 16-team field Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off.  If you don't know the details, here is a breakdown of the dates and teams for the tourney.  On paper, Villanova probably should be the pick to win this tournament but if recent history is any indication, escaping with 4 wins will be no easy task.  Remember last year in an early season tournament when Isaiah Armwood bailed the Cats out from a major upset when he nailed a 3 with seconds remaining to beat a gritty George Mason squad.  Nonetheless, numerous Rivals contributors are picking the Wildcats to come out on top in this tourney. 

More after the jump...

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Chris Park - AP

(AP Photo/Chris Park)

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Former Villanova Football and Philadelphia Eagles standout Brian Westbrook has signed a 1-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. According to sources, the deal is worth $1.25 million in guaranteed money and $1.25 million in incentives.

Westbrook was out of a contract and out of a starting job in Philly, and his desire to land with a winning organization led him to accept a backup job.

"My No. 1 concern throughout the process was going to a winning team, a football team that was coached by a man I respect and a team that had a winning tradition and players that would be able to achieve that," Westbrook said when formally introduced Monday night. "I think I found all of those things here in San Francisco. It was a long process but in the end I think it turned out well for me."

Frank Gore will remain the starting running back in San Francisco. The 49ers recently were put into a scramble by the sudden retirement of backup RB Glen Coffee after his rookie season.

...As a New York Giants fan, I couldn't be happier to see Westbrook out of my division...but it's tough to see him go to a backup role anywhere after such a stellar NFL career...best of luck Brian and now I can root for you 100%!...

As we know, Villanova will be participating in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off this fall as they open up their 2010-2011 campaign. We knew what teams were in their pod (Marist Red Foxes, George Washington Colonials, and Boston U. Terriers)

ESPN has confirmed that Marist will travel to Villanova for one of the opening games, and the game will be a part ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The game will be played at The Pavilion on Tuesday, November 16th at 5:30 p.m.

For the record, Marist was 1-29 last year. Let's just say I'm not devastated that I'll be working and will miss the 1st half of this game.

Sorry to mis-lead you with this title. Sean Donovan did it to me, so I had to continue the trend. No, this isn't the much-anticipated footage of Corey Fisher and his legendary night at the playground. Instead, Donovan comes with an excellent response to all the clamoring for the video.

Here's Corey Fisher scoring 105 points in a Villanova uniform over the course of his career.