Villanova opened the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs on its home turf with a statement win over Harvard, 52-7.
The Wildcats marked their largest-ever margin of victory in a playoff game. Villanova’s eight-game win streak is also its largest since the 2009 FCS championship season.
The unseeded Harvard made its playoff debut, as the Ivy League is participating in the FCS postseason for the first time in 2025.
No. 12-seed Villanova (10-2, 7-1 Coastal Athletic Association) recorded 512 yards of total offense in the blowout win. Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide completed 14-of-22 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Isaiah Ragland led the Wildcats on the ground with a career-high 152 rushing yards, followed by sophomore running back Ja’briel Mace, with 88 on the day.
Villanova shut out Harvard throughout the first half, 31-0, while scoring on each of its possessions.
The Wildcats used a forceful ground attack to advance downfield on their opening drive. Ragland ran the rest of the way, scoring a 45-yard touchdown.
“I think if you start fast, it’s hard to [stop] a team that’s rolling on both sides of the ball,” Ragland said. “We take so much pride on offense. We trust our defense and our defense trusts us.”
Crimson senior quarterback Jaden Craig struggled to connect with receivers early on, completing just 4-of-15 passes in the first half. Harvard did not have much more success on the ground, gaining 49 rushing yards in the first half.
Harvard attempted to respond on its first possession as Craig found a receiver in the end zone. But the ball bounced out of his hands, and sophomore defensive back Nathan Essiem grabbed it for an interception.
Back in possession, the Wildcats found themselves on fourth and 10 at Harvard’s 30-yard line and decided to go for it. Harvard quickly surrounded McQuaide, but he swiftly evaded the sack and launched the ball deep. Graduate wide receiver Lucas Kopecky caught the pass in the end zone to put Villanova up, 14-0, at the end of the first quarter.
Harvard’s struggles continued as it went three-and-out on its next three possessions.
The Wildcats opened the second quarter with a 49-yard field goal by graduate kicker Jack Barnum to make it 17-0.
Villanova found the end zone again on its next drive, as McQuaide made a rare 10-yard touchdown sprint with just under eight minutes left until halftime. He averaged -2.2 rushing yards per game with two rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
Villanova’s running backs continued to torment Harvard. Mace scored on a five-yard run to put the Wildcats up, 31-0, at the end of the first half.
Harvard came into the second half with a touchdown drive. Craig completed a six-yard pass to junior running back Jordan Harris on fourth and goal to get on the scoreboard.
The Wildcats kept the Crimson out of the end zone for the rest of the game. Junior defensive lineman Capri Martin sacked Craig on Harvard’s next possession for a turnover on downs.
“We knew earlier in the year, the secondary may have lacked little experience because they’re a young group,” graduate linebacker Richie Kimmel, who registered seven tackles, said. “They have a true swagger. They’re a tight-knit group. [The] whole defense, we’re a tight-knit group. Everyone’s doing their 1-of-11 to make sure someone else succeeds. We are doing everything in our power defensively. We take things personally. If I’m being honest, if we have a rushing attack coming in, they’re not going to gain yards on us.”
Graduate wide receiver Luke Colella, a Princeton transfer, kept Villanova well ahead in the third quarter against his former Ivy League rivals. He recovered Villanova’s own fumble at Harvard’s 29-yard line. Colella caught a 29-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
On Villanova’s next drive, Colella ran 18 yards on a trick play to Harvard’s six-yard line. Senior tight end Antonio Johnson then grabbed an eight-yard pass to score, making it 45-7.
Senior defensive back Christian Sapp intercepted a late Harvard pass and returned it to the 38-yard line.
“We’re playing much better complementary football,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “You can see how if something happens good on special teams or on defense or on offense, it sparks the other two areas. And early in the season, we kind of didn’t have that. Now, the three phases are playing together, and that’s exciting to see.”
Junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks filled in for McQuaide for the rest of the game. He handed the ball off to senior running back Julian Glantz, who took it 14 yards. Glantz then scored his first career touchdown on a five-yard run.
Harvard missed its final chance to score, fumbling on its last possession. Sophomore linebacker Christian Cabellero recovered the fumble for Villanova at the two-minute warning.
Moving onto the second round of the FCS playoffs, Wildcats will face No. 5-seed Lehigh (12-0, 7-0 Patriot League) next Saturday, Dec. 6 at 12 p.m.
