No. 17 Villanova rallies in the second half to hand Elon its first conference loss

With five minutes remaining in regulation Saturday, Villanova’s Ja’briel Mace returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.

The touchdown was his second of the season and it fueled a 29-21 road win over Elon at Rhodes Stadium in Alamance County, N.C..

The Wildcats (4-2, 3-1 Coastal Athletic Association) battled back from a 14-3 halftime deficit with a 27-point second half, scoring on three consecutive drives to convincingly put themselves back on top of the CAA.

Elon (4-3, 2-1) had won their first two conference games by beating both opponents — Towson and Hampton — by two or more scores.

Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats. He completed 23 of 31 attempts (74%). He has thrown for 190 yards or more in each of Villanova’s conference matchups.

Elon took a 21-20 lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter off an eight-play drive that ended in a 2-yard rushing touchdown by TJ Thomas. However, Mace’s return put Villanova back in front just one play later.

The Phoenix had one final shot at the end zone as the clock expired, but Villanova’s Jamie Tyson intercepted the pass to seal it.

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Villanova went down early after Elon scored on its opening four-play drive. The Wildcats took a different, more methodical approach on offense.

After scoring just a field goal in the first half, Villanova looked to get its offense back into the game. It found its groove late in the third quarter and well into the fourth. The Wildcats scored on three consecutive drives for 17 unanswered points.

The Wildcats had possession of the ball for 35 minutes, 6 seconds on 70 snaps compared to Elon’s 24:54.

All but two of Villanova’s eight drives accounted for eight or more plays.

With Elon’s strong run defense, Villanova relied on its passing game to move the ball. In addition to its passing yardage, the Wildcats ran for 138 yards. A majority of the rushing yards came from burning clock at the end of the game.

Villanova is known for its elite rushing attack, propped up by David Avit, Mace, and Isaiah Ragland. However, the Wildcats’ passing game was also a large factor in the win.

McQuaide found graduate receiver Luke Colella for two touchdowns on back-to-back drives late in the third quarter, giving Villanova its first lead of the game.

Colella has grown into McQuaide’s main target this season. He scored his first touchdown as a Wildcat, finishing with 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 10 catches.

This season, Colella has totaled 596 receiving yards on 40 catches.

In the second half, McQuaide also displayed his deep-ball accuracy, hitting two passes of 40-plus yards. He finished the game with a passer rating of 164.6.

Villanova’s young defense is cleaning itself up as the season progresses. It forced three consecutive Elon three-and-outs in the second half, guiding Villanova to take over its first lead.

The Wildcats held the Phoenix to 344 total offensive yards and 124 rushing yards.

Graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell said it was a priority entering the game to clean up “mental errors” to limit pre-snap offsides and neutral zone infractions.

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The defense was led by senior defensive back Christian Sapp with eight total tackles (five solo).

In the last two games, Villanova has only given up 551 yards of total offense and 28 points.

Pre-snap penalties have plagued Villanova, who entered the game ranked 89th in the FCS with 35 total penalties on offense and defense.

Against Elon, the Wildcats had four penalties for 20 yards, a best in conference play this season. Villanova had double-digit penalties in two conference games this season, totaling 215 yards.

Villanova will return home for the first time in two weeks to face CAA foe Hampton (2-5, 0-3) on Oct. 18 (1 p.m., NBCSP). The Wildcats defeated the Pirates last season, 20-14, on the road. Villanova leads the all-time series, 3-0.