Wildcats get back in the win column | Villanova vs. North Carolina A&T Recap

On Saturday afternoon, Villanova bounced back from their loss against Albany with a blowout win against North Carolina A&T. Wildcats’ QB, Connor Watkins, had one of his best passing games of the season as he completed 16 of his 23 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. Watkins now has 1,226 passing yards and eight touchdowns in the 2023 season.

Game Stats 

After rushing for just 71 yards last week, the Wildcats’ running game was excellent in Greensboro. Villanova combined for 248 rushing yards and one touchdown with three running backs (DeeWil Barlee, Jalen Jackson, and TD Ayo-Durojaiye) rushing for at least 60 yards. Barlee led the Wildcats in carries with 16 and yards with 94. He also registered the rushing touchdown for Villanova. Jaylan Sanchez led Villanova with 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Rayjuon Pringle had another solid game with six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Jaaron Hayek was kept quiet by the Aggies’ defense with just two receptions for seven yards.

Although Villanova confidently defeated North Carolina A&T, the Wildcats struggled again with fumbles. They fumbled the football three times and lost possession on one of those plays.

Villanova’s defense also bounced back from a tough game against Albany last week. They held Aggies’ QB, Kevin White, to just 64 passing yards. They also limited North Carolina’s running game by holding lead running back, Kenji Christian, to just 11 carries for 64 yards. Nicholas Dobson had four catches for North Carolina A&T for a total of 52 yards, but he was the only Aggies receiver with more than seven yards.

Overall Game Summary 

Villanova outscored North Carolina A&T in the first half, 30-14. The Wildcats scored points on their first two drives of the game, including a beautiful 58-yard pass from Watkins to Sanchez for a touchdown. In the third quarter, the Wildcats extended their lead to 37—14 after another 59-yard touchdown pass from Watkins to Sanchez. Sanchez now leads the Wildcats in receiving yards with 425 this season and he also has three touchdowns. Both teams would not score the rest of the contest, and the Wildcats would improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in CAA play.

CAA Standings + Villanova vs. Elon on WXVU

Villanova is now tied for 4^th place in the CAA. There are four teams in the CAA with a 2-1 record, so the middle of the standings is extremely tight. Elon, Delaware, and Albany have yet to lose a CAA conference game. The Wildcats will take on CAA leader, Elon, next Saturday at Villanova Stadium. WXVU will be broadcasting live from Villanova Stadium next Saturday beginning at 12:30pm for pregame coverage and 1pm for kickoff.