Villanova football finds Richmond’s run game too much to handle in 20-10 road loss

The Wildcats fall to 1-2 in conference play just as the race for the CAA Championship heats up. Next up, Albany on Saturday

With six games under its belt, this season, Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante says he's still waiting for a "complete game" from his 3-3 Wildcats.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

by Colin Beazley

Published Oct. 15, 2022, 7:20 p.m. ET

No. 16 Villanova (3-3, 1-2 CAA) was held scoreless in the second half, falling 20-10 to No. 25 Richmond (4-2, 2-1 CAA) at Robins Stadium. The Spiders wore Villanova down on the ground, rushing for 228 yards.

Villanova running back Jalen Jackson was held out of a hometown return with an injury, and fellow back DeeWil Barley was knocked out of the game in the third quarter. A mix of the elements and a physical Richmond defensive front had Wildcats quarterback Connor Watkins struggling. He completed just 11 of his 26 passes for 146 yards.

“If you had told me before the game that we would hold them to 20 points, I would have said we would have a strong chance to win that game,” Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said. “... It’s just the only stat that matters, we came up on the short end.”

What we saw

Villanova went into the game giving up a CAA-worst 242 rushing yards per game, and Richmond targeted that weakness. The Spiders rushed 25 times in the first half, earning 115 yards, highlighted by a 49-yard run from Savon Smith.

The Wildcats entered the game with one of the most explosive passing offenses at the FCS level, but were held in check. Watkins had just one pass — a 40-yard completion to Jaaron Hayek — of more than 30 yards. Watkins did not complete a pass in the second half until the final two minutes of the game.

“We need to find a way to fix it and play better,” Ferrante said. “I am still waiting for us to play a complete four-quarter game and we have yet to do that. We are going to circle the wagons, let this sting overnight and then get back to work and get ready for the next one.”

Breakthrough play

Down four at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Villanova elected to go for it on fourth-and-5 from the 18-yard line instead of kicking a field goal. Watkins tried to find wide receiver Hayek in the end zone, but his pass was overthrown.

Richmond drove down the field and extended the lead to seven on the ensuing drive, taking nearly 8 minutes of game time.

Standout performance

Villanova linebacker Shane Hartzell had a day to remember. The redshirt freshman had 15 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Hartzell’s previous career high was seven tackles at Army earlier this year.

Next opponent

Villanova returns home Saturday to face Albany (3:30 p.m., FloSports). The Great Danes (1-5, 0-3 CAA) have not won on the road since the 2021 spring season.