The No. 4 Villanova football team won its battle with No. 1 Richmond, 21-20, in the headlining bout Saturday.
Senior Brandyn Harvey made a one-handed grab for a game-winning 29-yard touchdown with less than a minute to go to defeat the defending national champions.
The Wildcats (8-1, 5-1 Colonial Athletic Association) snapped the Spiders’ (8-1, 6-1 CAA) 17-game winning streak in front of 11,667 at UR Stadium.
Villanova marched down the field for the victory after Richmond took their first lead of the game, 20-14, with two minutes, 22 seconds remaining. The Spiders threatened to hold, as they forced Villanova into a climatic 4th-and-11 from their own 29-yard line. Then, junior quarterback Chris Whitney found Harvey for the game-winning strike.
The win was Villanova’s second over a top-ranked opponent with the other also being a victory over Richmond. The Wildcats defeated the Spiders, 26-20, last year at Villanova Stadium.
Whitney went 21-34 for 277 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Harvey snared six balls for 79 yards as well as the game-winning touchdown.
Wildcats survive in high-scoring affair
No. 8 New Hampshire (8-1, 5-1 CAA) was the last one standing in its shootout with Rhode Island (1-8, 0-6 CAA), as it defeated the Rams, 55-42, at Cowell Stadium.
New Hampshire used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Rhode Island with 262 rushing yards and 234 passing yards. The Rams compiled 535 total yards, with 424 coming through the air, in a losing effort.
Running back Chad Kackert piled up 267 all-purpose yards, including 166 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback R.J. Toman threw for 234 yards and two scores on the day as well. Tight End Scott Sicko caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown as he moved into the UNH Top 10 for career receptions.
Rhode Island quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne racked up 424 yards and four touchdowns through the air in the loss, with receiver Shawn Leonard catching 10 passes for 275 yards. Running back Ayo Isijola ran for 66 yards on 13 carries to lead the Rams on the ground.
Blue Hens top Hofstra with a game-winning drive
No, 23 Delaware held on to beat Hofstra, 28-24, in Delaware Stadium on Saturday. The Blue Hens (6-3, 4-3 CAA) had a crucial fourth down stop in their own territory, as linebacker Bernard Makumbi made a tackle to preserve the victory over the Pride (4-5, 2-4 CAA).
Delaware clinched a .500 or better record for the 19th time in the last 23 seasons with the win, but had to overcome three turnovers to do it. They also caught a break early in the fourth quarter, as an interception return for a touchdown by safety Ray McDonough was nullified by an offside penalty on the Pride. The Blue Hens retained possession and drove 93 yards in nine plays for the game-winning touchdown.
Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin completed 14 of 22 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Jerry Butler carried the ball 18 times for 89 yards and two scores to pace the Blue Hens to victory.
Ben Lambert can be reached at [email protected].
