On Saturday, Sept. 30, Villanova football headed up north to take on Albany in its second conference game of the season. After entering halftime down seven, the Wildcats were shut out for the entirety of the second half, falling 31-10 to drop to 3-2 on the season (1-1 CAA play). Graduate quarterback Connor Watkins struggled in the loss, completing 17 of 31 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

For the Great Danes, sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger and freshman running back Griffin Woodell led the way. Poffenbarger completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns, while Woodell rushed 16 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. Woodell also hauled in four receptions for 38 yards and another score.

The Wildcats opened up the scoring with graduate kicker Matthew Mercurio hitting a 44-yard field goal on the Wildcats’ first drive of the game, taking a 3-0 lead. The Great Danes struck back with a 42-yard field goal of their own. After recovering a fumble from graduate running back TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Poffenbarger threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Julian Hicks to take the lead.

The Wildcats immediately struck back, with Watkins slinging a 17-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez, the first of his collegiate career. Albany took the lead in the waning seconds of the first half, with Poffenbarger tossing a 19-yard touchdown to Griffin Woodell with only 19 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Wildcats were never able to bring the game back, being kept off the scoreboard for the entirety of the final two quarters, and turning the ball over four times in the second half. The Great Danes solidified their lead, scoring two more touchdowns for a final score of 31-10.

Looking ahead, Villanova will travel to take on North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Oct 7. The game kicks off at 4:00 p.m.