Villanova upsets Lehigh to advance to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs
The Wildcats handed Lehigh a 14-7 loss and extended their winning streak to 10 games. Now, Villanova will make a quarterfinal appearance for the first time since 2023.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — On Saturday, the 12th-seeded Villanova scored 14 unanswered points to seal a 14-7 upset win over fifth-seeded Lehigh at Goodman Stadium.
The Wildcats (11-2) entered halftime in a scoreless tie for the first time since September 2004. After Lehigh (12-1) scored on the opening possession of the second half, Villanova recovered a Mountain Hawk fumble and converted it into a touchdown. Villanova is now 7-0 against Lehigh with Mark Ferrante as the Wildcats’ head coach. .
Villanova has also won 10 consecutive games for the first time since the 1997 season, when the team started, 12-0.
Pat McQuaide led the Wildcats in the air after Lehigh held the usually dominant Villanova rushing attack to just 27 yards. Villanova’s graduate quarterback completed 18 of 28 pass attempts for 208 yards and a touchdown. It was his eighth game of the season with 200 or more passing yards.
“Pat’s just a great ball player,” Ferrante said. “He’s like having a coach out there. He is the son of a Hall of Fame coach in the state of Ohio ... so Pat’s been around this his whole life. He’s obviously played a lot of football at various places, and I’m just glad he’s playing for us right now, because he does a good job taking care of the football.”
» READ MORE: Mark Ferrante made Villanova into a regular playoff contender
McQuaide found Braden Reed for a 28-yard touchdown pass that turned out to be the eventual game-winner. Reed, a true freshman, totaled just three catches and 70 yards, but all were crucial to Villanova’s two scoring drives. On Villanova’s first scoring drive, Reed caught back-to-back passes for 19 and 23 yards to get into the red zone for a Ja’briel Mace touchdown.
Lehigh nearly tied the game in the fourth quarter, after driving to the Wildcats’ 14-yard line. But defensive lineman Obinna Nwobodo forced quarterback Hayden Johnson to fumble the ball with 1:49 left.
Luke Colella led all Villanova receivers with 71 yards and eight receptions. Villanova finished with 235 yards of total offense.
Winning the turnover battle
Villanova’s five turnovers this season currently lead the FCS in the least amount of turnovers lost. Still, Ferrante has stressed the importance of winning the turnover battle over the course of his time at the helm.
Against Lehigh, Villanova recovered two fumbles. The first one was recovered by defensive back Josh Oluremi, and Villanova capitalized on it with its first touchdown of the game in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, Nwobodo forced another against Johnson, and it was picked up by linebacker Shane Hartzell to seal the win.
“They’re the only three [stats] that matter: how many points we’re scoring, how many were given up, and the turnovers,” Ferrante said. “A lot of times [turnovers] will determine the result of the other two, and today it did.”
Hartzell added: “A turnover is something that can really swing momentum. When Richie [Kimmel] punched that ball out [on the first turnover], and we recovered, the momentum was now in our favor.”
Battle of the defenses
Villanova held Lehigh to 339 yards of total offense, the lowest since its first game of the season against Richmond.
Lehigh drove down the field on its opening drive and was stuck in a fourth-and-goal situation on the three-yard line. Villanova’s Anthony Hawkins was able to force a turnover on downs to shut Lehigh out of the end zone.
“I think it’s just the culmination of all of our togetherness,” Hartzell said. “We all want to see each other succeed, and we’re just a very close, tight-knit group. And we’re just resilient. Our linebacker coach says, ‘Give us a blade of grass, and we’ll defend it.’ That’s what we did down in the red zone.”
Lehigh scored points in just one of its four red zone trips and limited Villanova to 74 total offensive yards in the first half, when the Wildcats only crossed midfield once.
Up next
Villanova will now travel to Stephenville, Texas, to face No. 4-seed Tarleton State in the quarterfinals.
It is the first time Villanova has reached the quarterfinals since 2023, and the last time Villanova won a quarterfinal game was in 2010 against Appalachian State.