Villanova football’s sizzling hot start to the season continued this past Saturday, Oct. 5 against Stony Brook. 

Freshman running back David Avit scored four touchdowns as the Wildcats showed out in an offensive masterpiece, winning 42–24 against the Seawolves. It was only the second conference game of the season for No. 5 Villanova, which now ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with a 5-1 overall record and a 2-0 conference record.

Stony Brook got the scoring started with a nine-yard touchdown run early in the first after recovering a punt. 

Villanova followed it up with a scoring drive of its own that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass from graduate student Connor Watkins to fellow graduate student wide receiver Lucas Kopecky. This play wrapped up the first quarter.

The Wildcats went down 17-14 before the half. The second Villanova touchdown came from Avit on a one-yard run to keep the score close.

The Seawolves started the second half with a touchdown as well, putting them up 24-14 early in the third. Villanova completely took over from there, scoring 28 unanswered points to close out the win. 

Avit led the charge, as he scored the next three touchdowns to put the game away, including two monster runs of 59 and 72 yards for scores. He finished the day with 183 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Avit set a program record for the most rushing yards recorded by a freshman in a single game, which has been held since 1977 by Pat O’Brien for 173 yards.

Redshirt freshman Ja’briel Mace tacked on the final score on a 21-yard touchdown run of his own. The Wildcats finished with 280 total rushing yards.

Watkins finished with 152 passing yards and a lone touchdown pass. He also added 40 rushing yards on five carries, proving he is still a dangerous dual-threat quarterback. 

Junior wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez led the team in receiving with 38 yards on three receptions. Five Villanova receivers made a catch in this game to total 152 yards as a team.

The Wildcat defense struggled early, but turned it on in the second half. It held Stonybrook to 147 passing yards and 163 rushing yards. They also recorded two sacks.

 The lone turnover came off an interception by redshirt freshman defensive back Zahmir Dawud. Villanova also forced two fumbles that were not recovered.

It was an overall strong team win for the Wildcats, who were firing on all cylinders. Most importantly, it was David Avit’s breakout game: coming into Stony Brook, he only had 275 rushing yards and one touchdown in five games. 

Villanova’s outstanding run game has allowed it to wear down opponents and win games. The Wildcats now have multiple running backs who pose a threat to opponents along with their starting quarterback, who is known for being a dangerous running option. Redshirt freshman running back Isaiah Ragland is the season leader with 330 rushing yards.

The Wildcats will also need to continue the strong defensive play they’ve had all season. Graduate linebacker Brendan Bell led the defense against Stony Brook with 15 tackles for a career high.

Stony Brook recorded the second-most points allowed by Villanova this season, with the only other game with more coming against the University of Maryland, an FBS Big 10 opponent. With more tough conference games coming up, the Wildcats defense will look to limit scoring in the future.

Villanova’s next game comes against another CAA opponent in Maine who has a 1-1 record in the conference. They will match up on Saturday, Oct. 19, with the Wildcats going on the road to search for their sixth win of the season.