This Saturday, the Villanova Wildcat football team beat the rival Delaware Blue Hens, 42-21. This marks the seventh year in a row that the Wildcats brought home the Battle of the Blue trophy. 

The Delaware Blue Hens entered the game with a 7-3 record and were fighting to secure a spot in the FCS playoffs. A win would have solidified their spot not only at the top of the conference but also in the playoffs. However, with the blowout loss to the Wildcats, it is looking likely that the Blue Hens will miss out on the playoffs for a program-record 8th season in a row. 

 The game began with a Delaware touchdown right out of the gate, as they scored on a 38 yard run by DeJoun Lee only 2:42 into the game. However, after that early Delaware score, the Wildcats would respond with 21 unanswered points in the 1st half. Zach Bednarczyk, Aaron Forbes, and Matt Gudzak all punched in short runs for the Wildcats to take a 21-7 lead by halftime.

To start the second half, the Blue Hens would once again score quickly, undergoing a six play, 59-yard drive in 2:40, and topping it off with a 6-yard touchdown by DeJoun Lee. The third quarter would remain exciting, as the Wildcats would respond to this drive with a quick 70-yard, 7 play drive which culminated in another Forbes touchdown. Yet another quick score followed this, with Delaware’s Joe Walker taking a 43-yard reception to the house to make the score 28-21 for the Wildcats. 

The Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter and the Blue Hens could never get back into it. Villanova would score two more times in the fourth, with a 8-yard pass to Ryan Bell and Aaron Forbes’ 3rd touchdown of the day, which settled the final score at 42-21. 

Aaron Forbes showed up against Delaware for the second year in a row, with 138 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense’s outstanding 459-yard day. 

 With the victory, the Wildcats end on a high note, despite the frustrating season. Their final record was once again 5-6, for the second year in a row. However, the 2-6 conference record settled the Wildcats in the cellar of the CAA.