Villanova rebounds with a 35-0 rout of Elon as QB Daniel Smith accounts for five touchdowns
Conming off a loss to William and Mary, the Wildcats regroup with a dominant performance.
ELON, N.C. — Daniel Smith accounted for five touchdowns as Villanova routed Elon, 35-0, on Saturday.
Smith was 16-of-23 passing for 238 yards with a touchdown pass to three separate receivers. He added 45 yards on the ground that included two scores from short yardage.
The FCS’s 13th-ranked Wildcats (7-2, 5-1 Colonial Athletic Association) entered a half-game back of James Madison atop the CAA standings, and rebounded from a 31-18 home loss to William and Mary that ended a three-game winning streak.
Smith threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Jackson and a 48-yarder to Jaaron Hayek, and closed the first half with a 2-yard TD run as the Wildcats built a 21-0 halftime lead.
Smith ran into the end zone from the 1 late in the third quarter, and then capped the scoring with 1:55 remaining with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Todd Summers.
Davis Cheek was 13-of-28 passing for 146 yards for Elon (4-5, 3-3).