Villanova’s Ja’Briel Mace hears from Brian Westbrook after breaking former Eagle’s record

It was third and 3, and Villanova huddled up after Towson burned its final timeout last Saturday. The Wildcats needed just 3 yards to seal their sixth consecutive victory.

The message in the huddle was simple: Get the first down and stay in bounds.

Villanova running back Ja’briel Mace was ready for the designed run out of the timeout. He took the handoff and 22 yards later, he was in the end zone with his fourth touchdown of the day.

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The rushing touchdown was the final piece in what Mace needed to set Villanova’s 24-year-old single-game rushing record with 291 yards. The previous record was 287 yards, set by Brian Westbrook in 2001.

It also sealed a 28-10 win over Towson. Mace rushed for 198 of his 291 yards in the second half .

“[We said] get the first down and stay inbounds,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said. “We didn’t tell him not to score. So [Mace] decided to take all 22 yards instead of just the 3 we needed, and the record came with it.”

After seeing his record fall, Westbrook, a former Eagle, jokingly sent Ferrante a text asking him why he didn’t take Mace out of the game before he broke the record.

Westbrook also sent a video message to Mace congratulating him earlier this week.

Mace, a redshirt sophomore, has been Villanova’s third-string running back for the entire season. Mace, who had two 97-plus-yard kick return touchdowns this season, entered the game against Towson with just 74 rushing yards.

Villanova running backs David Avit and Isaiah Ragland left the game on Saturday in the second quarter with injuries and did not return. Mace was ready once his number was called, and credits his teammates for breaking the record.

“It’s pretty cool to be even mentioned in the same conversation as Brian Westbrook,” Mace said.” But I’m not able to do anything we did on Saturday without the guys in front.”

The “guys in front,” being the veteran offensive line —Stephane Voltaire, Temi Ajirotutu, Quin Whalen, Chris McCullers, and Kyle Fay — have helped Mace, the other running backs, and quarterback Pat McQuaide find success on the field.

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“Those guys are amazing,” Mace said. “I mean, it sucks because me, [Ragland], and David [Avit], we get all the credit. But realistically, those guys [should] get all the credit, because they’re literally the ones getting rolled up on and taking hits to the head every play.”

Ragland took to his social media to share posts of Mace’s touchdowns after the game, praising him for his performance.

“[Unselfishness is] what you need if you want to be a good team,” Ferrante said. “You need to have that mentality. If one of them was running down the sideline with the ball in his hand on the field, the other guys are on the sideline, out of bounds, kind of going step by step with them. You have to be unselfish in this game.”

Mace’s big second half was fueled by a 140-yard fourth quarter.

“It happened all so unassumingly because if you look at the preseason depth chart, he’s third in the running back room,” Ferrante said. “[Westbrook] was the elite, priority guy at the time. He took over later in his freshman year when we made a playoff run in ‘97. He was a true freshman. And then in 1998, 2000, 2001, he’s the man.”

Mace and Villanova return home for their final Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) game at 1 p.m. Saturday (FloSports) before the team moves to the Patriot League next season. Villanova (7-2, 6-1 CAA) will face Stony Brook (5-5, 3-3) and look to extend its home win streak to 21 games.