In a tug of war battle, Villanova falls to Monmouth 49-42

In front of a sold-out Villanova Stadium for Family Weekend, Villanova and Monmouth engaged in a tug of war, with the Hawks narrowly defeating the Wildcats, 49-42.

Monmouth sealed the victory after running back Jaden Shirden ran for a 16-yard touchdown, his second TD of the game, with 48 seconds left in regulation.

Villanova tried to come back with 22 seconds left in the game. However, a pass to the end zone slipped off Villanova receiver Jaaron Hayek’s hands on second down; and on the final play, Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins attempted a Hail Mary pass that was intercepted.

“Just trying to give our guys a chance,” Watkins said of the final play. “I would do it again … Stuff happens. [Hayek’s] a great player. I thought he caught it at first, I was on my back [and] I finally saw it when I got up, but it is what it is.”

The loss dropped Villanova to 2-2 (0-1 Colonial Athletic Association), while Monmouth picked up the first CAA win in program history after joining from the Big South Conference.

In the first half, Villanova’s run-defense woes continued. The Hawks ran for 119 yards, not including a 43-yard forward pitch on the opening play of the game.

Monmouth running back Owen Wright, the NCAA leader in total touchdowns, scored his ninth of the season on a 2-yard carry early in the second quarter. Villanova’s defense then allowed an eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive with under two minutes left in the half, trailing 21-14.

Both offenses came out firing in the second half. Neither team punted, as both sides opened with three consecutive touchdown drives. Shirden had a 56-yard touchdown run, while the ensuing Villanova drive was sparked by a 44-yard reception by Hayek.

Tied at 35 in the fourth quarter, Villanova had a rare opportunity for a turnover on downs on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. However, Wright punched it in to take a 42-35 lead in the fourth quarter.

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“What I just told the team in the locker room is that we did not play well enough to win this game,” said Villanova coach Mark Ferrante. “At times, we were playing fine, but you gotta play more consistently across the board. They scored more points than we did. We gotta play better football if you wanna come out on top in the CAA.”

When the two teams were tied in the fourth quarter, Villanova defensive back Jalen Goodman forced a fumble on third down, which offered an opportunity for the Wildcats to take their first lead of the game.

However, Watkins threw an interception on the next drive, which Monmouth returned to the 10-yard line.

Villanova running back Jalen Jackson had a career-best day in just the first half . Jackson ran for 113 yards and a touchdown in the opening 30 minutes, surpassing his career high of 104. He ended the day with 187 yards and three touchdowns.

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Hayek was the other Wildcats star on offense. He totaled six catches for 136 yards.

Villanova will travel to Maine on Saturday, taking on the Black Bears, who are 0-3, (1 p.m., FloSports).