Villanova leans on young talent to earn victory over Long Island University

Villanova’s productive first inning no. 6 led to a 24–10 victory over Long Island University on Saturday night in its final non-conference game of the regular season.

The Wildcats (4–1, 1–0 CAA) used the momentum from last week’s high-profile contest against FBS foe Maryland (3–2, 0–2 Big Ten) – falling 38–20 – to attack on the winless Sharks. (0–5, 0–1 Coast).

Graduate quarterback Connor Watkins finished with 128 yards passing and another 30 on the ground.

“(Watkins) does a good job of managing the game,” coach Mark Ferrante said.

On the defensive end, Villanova held a shutout through the first three quarters. However, the Wildcats loosened their grip on the Sharks late in the game, allowing a 25-yard touchdown and a 42-yard field goal in the fourth.

Next, Villanova will hit the road to face Stony Brook (4–1, 1–0 CAA) on Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m.

Cruise through the first half

Big plays fueled the Wildcats, who finished the first thirty minutes with a dominant 17-0 lead.

On the opening drive, a 45-yard completion to junior wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez put Villanova in the red zone. The Wildcats settled for a 24-yard field goal from senior kicker Ethan Gettman.

Villanova more than doubled LIU’s time of possession in the first quarter with 33:17 minutes of offense to the visiting team’s 10:47.

The Wildcats also capitalized on Sharks mistakes. Graduate linebacker Timmy Furgeson recovered the ball after LIU fumbled at the end of Villanova’s second drive.

It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to find the end zone. Three plays later, redshirt freshman Isaiah Ragland rushed for 12 yards to score the first of two touchdowns.

In the second quarter, Watkins led the way for Villanova’s second touchdown. Watkins rushed for 16 yards to give Villanova a first down. After an incomplete pass, he sprinted another 17 yards up the middle to LIU’s one-yard line. Ragland then closed in on distance to the end zone.

The Sharks were limited to just 176 yards of total offense, compared to Villanova’s 392 yards.

Rookie RB Brilliance

Although Villanova’s leadership comes from its sixth-year quarterback, the freshman running backs stepped up, scoring all three touchdowns.

With the skill positions filled primarily by sophomores and transfer players, Villanova’s offense is still in its infancy.

“(Defense) is where most of our maturity is,” Ferrante said. “We have a lot of older guys and returning players on defense, so they’re playing a little more consistently now than the other side of the ball. … Our defense is keeping us where we need to be and hopefully the offense will catch up over the next two weeks.”

Freshman running back David Avit earned his moment in the spotlight late in the game.

With 12 seconds left in the third quarter, junior linebacker Shane Hartzell recovered another Sharks fumble.

The fumble recovery put Villanova at LIU’s 19-yard line. Avit rushed five yards up the middle for his first career touchdown.

Avit rushed for 160 meters. Ragland also accounted for 47 yards.

“Today was (Avit’s) turn to do what he was able to do on the field,” Ferrante said. “I’m very proud of what (the running backs) do. We thought, watching them in training and pre-season, that they had a chance to be pretty good and I’m delighted that our thoughts were in the right direction.”