It was a monumental night for Villanova’s running back corps, as the Wildcats put their backfield talent on full display in a 31-24 victory over William & Mary on Saturday.
The resounding highlight of the game was a 100-yard kickoff return to start the second half by sophomore running back Ja’briel Mace. Villanova’s other three touchdowns of the night belonged to sophomore running back David Avit, who led the team with 133 rushing yards.
“When you’re able to run the ball like that, that usually helps,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “[The running backs] be the first one to tell you, it starts up front, and the guys were opening the holes, and then the opening kickoff, returned in the second half, was the spark we needed.”
Recording its first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) win of the season, Villanova (2-2, 1-1 CAA) stretched its home win streak to 18 in front of an enthusiastic Family Weekend crowd.
Villanova graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 194 yards, completing 15-of-28 passes on the night. Graduate wide receiver Luke Colella led the way in the air with 88 receiving yards and six catches.
“[Colella] practices the way you see him play,” Ferrante said. “So he goes a million miles an hour all the time. And I’m sure he’ll say he wishes he had a couple back. But he’s been a nice addition to our program, and he’s a guy that, I think, Pat [McQuaide] is really gaining confidence with.”
On the defensive end, graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell totaled 10 tackles and two sacks of William & Mary quarterback Tyler Hughes. Junior linebacker Turner Inge registered another seven tackles for a career high.
Penalties repeatedly got in the way for Villanova, which lost 95 yards on 11 whistles across the game. By contrast, William & Mary totaled three flags for a loss of 20 yards.
“We needed to play cleaner, and we didn’t,” Ferrante said. “And with the penalties and things of that nature, in the first half, we seemed to make some good adjustments in the second half.”
Avit fueled Villanova’s opening drive, which ended in his one-yard rush to the end zone. The Wildcats moved 92 yards downfield in 10 plays, with Avit adding a total of 42 yards on five attempts on the ground.
“I feel like for offense, you gotta be able to have a dominant run game, and that starts with the [offensive line] up front,” Avit said. “It’s so easy because you know they’re going to do their job. Even when Nolan Clayton’s pulling, it’s like you can just drive, trust in him, that he’s going to go do his job. And then I just gotta do my part.”
William & Mary stole the momentum with back-to-back scoring drives to take a 14-7 lead.
Villanova found an offensive spark midway through the second quarter. McQuaide found Colella and graduate wide receiver Lucas Kopecky in the air to advance down the field. He then handed it off to Avit, who finished the job with a 15-yard sprint into open territory for the touchdown.
But on the next drive, the Tribe inched ahead with a 37-yard field goal to go up, 17-14.
With one minute and 41 seconds left in the half to respond, McQuaide looked again to Colella and Kopecky to bring the Wildcats downfield into scoring position. With three seconds left on the clock, Colella got his hands on a 23-yard pass on the goal line.
But a pass interference charge against Colella took away Villanova’s hopes to score. Graduate kicker Jack Barnum’s 56-yard field goal attempt went askew.
Mace wasted no time in getting Villanova the lead to start the second half, returning the kickoff for 100 yards to put Villanova up, 21-17.
The Wildcats rode the energy from Mace’s sudden score, forcing the Tribe to go three-and-out on their next possession. Barnum then completed a 43-yard field goal to give Villanova a 24-17 advantage.
To start the fourth quarter, Villanova found itself on fourth-and-two on William & Mary’s 20-yard line. Villanova’s decision to go for it worked out in its favor. Colella grabbed a 10-yard pass, and Avit punched in his third touchdown of the night, a three-yard rush.
Hughes scored again for the Tribe at the end of a 14-play drive that spanned 75 yards.
The Wildcats were ahead by just a score as they took possession with four minutes and 38 seconds on the clock. It resulted in an untimely turnover as Barnum’s 36-yard field goal attempt missed.
But Villanova’s defense sealed the win, with Hartzell registering a sack on the final play.
“Regardless of the score, regardless of the outcome, there’s always gonna be some positive plays we can build upon,” Ferrante said. “So, we’ll fix the correctables, cause they’re sure there’s gonna be plenty there as well. We’ll take this momentum, and basically, we’ll put this in the rear view after 24 hours. Whether you win or lose, it’s forgotten by Sunday evening, and we get ready to go for the next one on Monday.”
The Wildcats will head to Durham, NH, next Saturday, Sep. 27, for their next conference matchup against New Hampshire (3-2, 1-0 CAA). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
