Connor Watkins’ three touchdowns provide a blowout win for Villanova against North Carolina A&T
Written by David Szczepanski on November 10, 2024
VILLANOVA, PA–On Saturday afternoon, #11/12 Villanova defeated North Carolina A&T, 31-3. It was Villanova Football Alumni Day at Villanova Stadium, and the Wildcats achieved their 14th consecutive win at the corner of Lancaster and Ithan Avenues.
Villanova defeated North Carolina A&T, 31-3, on Saturday at Villanova Stadium.
Villanova accumulated 390 total yards against North Carolina A&T. It was the second-most offensive yards in a game for the Wildcats this season. They conducted 66 plays for an average of 5.9 yards per play. The Wildcats completed 22 first downs on Saturday compared to the Aggies’ nine first downs.
The Wildcats also dominated the time of possession battle, controlling the football for 36 minutes and 42 seconds.
Wildcats’ QB Connor Watkins completed a career-high 18 passes in 27 attempts for 167 yards and a passing touchdown to Jaylan Sanchez in the first quarter. Watkins also rushed for two touchdowns and 31 yards.
Isaiah Ragland returned to his explosive first-half form with eight carries for 82 yards to lead Villanova’s rushing attack. David Avit ran for 67 yards and one touchdown. Villanova totaled 223 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns.
Devin Smith led all receivers with seven receptions for 68 yards. Jaylan Sanchez, who had 103 receiving yards last week against Hampton, finished the game with three catches and 31 yards, including the 18-yard touchdown on the Wildcats’ first drive.
Villanova’s Defensive Success
The Wildcats’ defense shined again on Saturday afternoon. They allowed just three points on a second-quarter 34-yard field goal by Andrew Brown. Villanova limited North Carolina A&T to just 50 passing yards. Aggies’ quarterbacks, Braxton Thomas and Justin Fomby, completed seven of their 19 combined passing attempts.
Thomas, North Carolina A&T’s third-string quarterback, led the Aggies’ ground game with eight scrambles for 49 yards. Daniel Coles, a freshman running back from Stafford, Virginia, finished Saturday’s contest with 19 yards in eight carries. The Aggies rushed for 119 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Villanova’s defense has allowed just 15.8 points per game against CAA opponents this season. Linebacker Shane Hartzell led Villanova in tackles with eight total tackles, including two sacks for a loss of four yards. Brendan Bell recorded six total tackles and two tackles for a loss.
Brendan Bell discussed the bond of this defensive unit and how special the defense has been this season.
“We’re a really tight-knit group,” Bell said. “I think the most important thing is that when the momentum starts shifting not our way, that’s when we get the strongest. We don’t start yelling at each other. We start anchoring down and saying we will get our break.”
Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante was proud of his team’s performance against North Carolina A&T.
“Really happy we came away with the victory,” Ferrante said. “Our guys came in and did what we needed to do. Started out well, then slowed down, 10-3 at halftime. Think it could have been more, but it wasn’t. Real proud of the way our team competed for the whole four quarters.”
Villanova Head Coach Mark Ferrante walking off the field after the Wildcats’ win on Football Alumni Weekend.
The Wildcats struggled to finish some of their offensive drives in the first half. Villanova had long drives that ended in punts. They led by seven points, 10-3, heading into the locker room at halftime. However, Villanova’s second-half adjustments and game plan allowed the Wildcats to execute and get into the endzone in the final thirty minutes. The Wildcats outscored the Aggies, 21-0, in the second half.
Watkins discussed the offensive mentality in the second half at his press conference.
“In the second half, that’s what we talked about at halftime,” Watkins said. “We need to come out, we need to execute. We were able to come out and drive the ball down, took some time off the clock, and punched it in.”
Cleaning up the penalties
There were a lot of positives after Villanova’s blowout win yesterday, but Coach Ferrante made it clear in the post-game press conference that the Wildcats must clean up the penalties. The Wildcats committed seven penalties for 80 yards.
Where the Wildcats Stand
Villanova has just two games remaining in its 2024 regular season schedule. The Wildcats are tied for third place in the conference with an 8-2 overall record and a 5-1 conference record. Richmond now leads the CAA with an undefeated 6-0 conference record. Rhode Island suffered its first conference loss to Delaware yesterday.
WXVU’s Live Coverage of Villanova vs. Monmouth
The Wildcats travel to North Jersey for their next CAA battle against Monmouth on Saturday, November 16th. Kickoff is scheduled for 12pm. WXVU will have live coverage from Monmouth beginning at 11:30am with the pregame show.
