Villanova vs. Lehigh Game Recap | Jalen Jackson leads the way for the Wildcats
Written by David Szczepanski on September 4, 2023
Quick Summary and Stats
Villanova defeated Lehigh, 38-10, for their 11th straight victory against the Mountain Hawks. The Wildcats battled the Mountain Hawks in their season opener for the third consecutive season. Connor Watkins completed 13 of 23 passes for a total of 119 yards. Watkins threw two touchdowns to Rayjuon Pringle, who averaged over 13 yards per catch Saturday afternoon. Running Back Jalen Jackson was the star of the day for Villanova. Jackson, a senior from Virginia, had eight carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard run. DeeWil Barlee also rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown, which added to Villanova’s total of 284 rushing yards against Lehigh.
Game Recap
Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively in the first six minutes of the game. However, Villanova put together a six-minute drive for 75 yards on their second drive that ended with a Jalen Jackson rushing touchdown. Once Villanova scored, the Wildcats never looked back and dominated the Mountain Hawks.
The Wildcats continued to gain momentum after Richie Kimmel recovered a fumble from Lehigh’s Gaige Garcia with 2:39 left in the first quarter. Watkins would find Rayjuon Pringle for a 28-yard touchdown to close out the first. After a pair of field goals, one from each team, Mountain Hawks’ quarterback, Brayten Silbor, was intercepted with 4:29 left to play in the second quarter. Villanova would score their third touchdown of the day on another Watkins pass to Pringle to extend their lead to 24-3. After two interceptions from the Nova defense (one from Ty Trinh and one from Tyrell Mims), the Wildcats would continue to add on against the Mountain Hawks and defeat Lehigh, 38-10, on Saturday afternoon.
Home Opener Details
Villanova will travel back home, where the Wildcats will take on Colgate in the home opener on this Saturday, September 9th. Colgate lost their first game of the season, 65-0, against Syracuse. WXVU will have complete coverage of this week’s home opener with kickoff set for 6pm at Villanova Stadium.
