Villanova’s playoff hopes in jeopardy after its overtime loss to Holy Cross
Saturday’s 30-27 loss to Holy Cross made it nearly impossible for Villanova to win the Patriot League title, but the Wildcats still have a chance to earn an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs.
Villanova visited Holy Cross on Saturday knowing it was a must-win matchup.
And despite a comeback that forced overtime, the Wildcats fell, 30-27, to the Crusaders, which moved Holy Cross to second place in the Patriot League and put Villanova’s hopes of winning a conference title at stake.
The 6-5 Wildcats were unable to score with the ball first in extra time and settled for a field goal. Holy Cross running back Jake Croce then punched it in for the game-winning touchdown.
» READ MORE: Pat McQuaide has Villanova in the Patriot League title hunt after a rough start. Holy Cross is up next.
Villanova struggled with consistency on offense, especially on the ground. The Wildcats rushed for 48 yards, their lowest of the season.
Pat McQuaide threw for 71 yards in the first half before unleashing 335 passing yards in the second and overtime. The sixth-year quarterback completed 33 of 58 attempts. He threw two touchdowns and had three interceptions, his highest since the season opener against William & Mary.
While the offense was finding its footing late in the game, the Wildcats went 2-for-15 on third down conversions, getting their first early in the fourth quarter.
Villanova’s defense also had a tale of two halves. The unit allowed 196 yards and three touchdowns in the first. After halftime, the defense flipped a switch and shut down the Crusaders’ offense to 72 yards before allowing the game-winning score in overtime.
Playoff picture
Saturday’s loss put the Wildcats’ playoff hopes in jeopardy, as Holy Cross moved Villanova to third place in the standings.
Holy Cross now holds a tiebreaker over Villanova, but Lehigh sits in first place. The 8-2 Mountain Hawks defeated the 6-5 Crusaders in the season opener but also lost to Villanova.
Regardless, Saturday’s loss has made it nearly impossible for Villanova to win the automatic qualifier.
The Wildcats still have a chance to earn an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, but next Saturday’s clash with Georgetown is an absolute must-win.
Turnovers doom Wildcats
Villanova hasn’t lost a turnover battle since its September loss to Colgate. The early season problem showed up against the Crusaders.
Isaiah Ragland fumbled with under a minute left in the second quarter, leaving the Wildcats to trail by 14 points entering the half.
In the second half, McQuaide threw three interceptions. His second was costly, as it went right into the hands of Crusader cornerback Anthony Redfern, who returned it back 65 yards to set up a Holy Cross field goal, which was their last score in regulation.
» READ MORE: Nick Gaynor first ‘hit it off’ with the future pope in 2023. The Villanovans recently reunited in Rome.
Up next
Villanova will head home for their regular season finale against Georgetown (3-6, 3-4 Patriot League) next Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+). The Hoyas are coming off consecutive losses against Holy Cross and Fordham.
It has been 76 years since the last time these two programs played, with the Wildcats winning 20-14 over the Hoyas on Oct. 28, 1950. Villanova is 7-3 all-time against Georgetown.
