Jaylan Sanchez and Villanova’s Defense have big days to lead the Wildcats to victory in Virginia
Written by David Szczepanski on November 3, 2024
HAMPTON, VA—Despite some traffic issues that delayed the game by 15 minutes, Villanova’s defense kept the Wildcats in the driver’s seat on the way to their seventh win.
#13 Villanova survived a close CAA battle against Hampton to defeat the Pirates, 20-14. The Wildcats’ defense, led by Shane Hartzell, limited the Pirates to just two touchdowns and 84 passing yards.
Villanova’s Passing Attack + Jaylan Sanchez’s Great Performance
Villanova’s QB, Connor Watkins, completed just 9 of his 22 passing attempts on Saturday. He continued to struggle to complete a high number of his passes. Watkins has completed 49% of his passes in 2024. He has eight passing touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Watkins was sacked four times against Hampton. His biggest completion of the day was for 72 yards to wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez.
Jaylan Sanchez had his best game of the season in Hampton, Virginia. He finished the game with a season-high 103 receiving yards over five receptions. Lucas Kopecky also continued his impressive stretch, where his number of targets has increased. Kopecky had two catches for 33 yards against the Pirates.
Avit leads the rushing attack
David Avit led Villanova’s rushing attack with 26 carries for 76 yards. He also had a one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Wildcats the lead in the second quarter. He averaged 2.9 yards per carry on Saturday. Avit chewed out the clock at the end of the game to secure Villanova’s victory. Isaiah Ragland did not play much on Saturday, with just five carries for nine yards.
Brendan Bell’s First Touchdown Run of his Career: Chaos!
One of the craziest plays of the game was a four-yard touchdown run by Villanova linebacker Brendan Bell. That was Bell’s first rushing play and touchdown of the season. The four-yard run was also Bell’s only rush in his collegiate career.
Ethan Gettman rebounded after missing a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter. He converted two field goals later in the game: a 29-yard FG and a 40-yard FG. He is now 6-for-12 on field goals in 2024.
Shane Hartzell and Villanova’s Defense
Villanova’s defense kept Hampton’s explosive offense in check on Saturday. The Pirates entered Saturday’s game, averaging around 35 points per contest. They scored at least 41 points in their last three contests. The Wildcats held Hampton to 239 yards of offense, which allowed Villanova to stay in the game and score some points.
Shane Hartzell finished the game with a team-high nine tackles. Brendan Bell had seven tackles and a sack against the Pirates.
The Pirates used both of their main quarterbacks against Villanova as they have done throughout their entire 2024 campaign. Chris Zellous finished the game with five completions in 11 attempts for 79 yards and one touchdown. He also threw his fourth interception of the season, which was caught by Villanova’s Tyrell Mims. Malcolm Mays was 2-for-8 with five passing yards.
Hampton’s excellent rushing attack ran for 155 yards against Villanova. Ja’Quan Snipes, who entered the game with six rushing touchdowns, exploded for 14 carries and 85 yards. Chris Zellous scored Hampton’s only rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard run to the endzone. The Pirates’ rushing attack had 23 touchdowns in their first eight games, but Villanova allowed just one rushing touchdown on a scramble run from their quarterback.
Kymari Gray, a junior wide receiver from Hampton, Virginia, scored his second touchdown of the season on a six-yard pass from Zellous. That first-quarter score would be Hampton’s only passing touchdown of the day. Gray had two catches for 13 yards on Saturday. Dorrian Moultrie led Hampton with two receptions for 56 yards.
Hampton scored on their first drive to grab a 7-0 lead, but a highly questionable decision to go for it on 4th & 1 from their own 26-yard line provided the Wildcats some momentum. The Wildcats stopped Hampton and responded to score 20 consecutive points.
Villanova has now allowed just 18.4 points in CAA games this season. They limited CAA opponents to 14.25 points per game without the blowout Maine loss, where Villanova allowed 35 points. Villanova’s defense is one of the best defenses in the FCS and probably the best in the CAA.
CAA Standings
The Wildcats are now 7-2 in their 2024 season. They improved to 4-1 in CAA play with their six-point win over Hampton. Rhode Island and Richmond won their games on Saturday, so Villanova does not gain any ground in the standings. Delaware had its bye week this weekend.
Villanova heads back to Villanova Stadium this Saturday for an afternoon battle against North Carolina A&T.
WXVU’s Live Coverage + The Road Ahead
Villanova travels back up I-95 to Villanova Stadium, where they will prepare for a Saturday afternoon matchup against North Carolina A&T on November 9th at 1 p.m. NC A&T is 1-8 this season and 0-5 in conference games. WXVU’s live coverage of Villanova vs. North Carolina A&T begins at 12:30 pm with the pregame show.
