Villanova gets back to winning ways on the gridiron behind a 21-point road rout of Fordham

Bye weeks for a football program can serve as a reset point, a time to restart the season and focus on what’s left down the stretch.

For Villanova, a convincing 38-17 win over Fordham is what the Wildcats needed as they look to springboard their season back on track.

The Wildcats (3-4, 2-2 Patriot League) got back out on the road Saturday to take on the Rams. Away from Villanova Stadium as of late has been where Villanova’s found success, improving to 3-1 on the road, a far cry from their 0-3 record at home games.

Villanova’s offense was dominant, consistently driving the ball into Fordham territory. Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide threw with confidence drive after drive, opening the day with an eight-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown.

The sixth-year Ohio native finished his day with 235 passing yards going 18-for-24 on the day, with a pair of passing touchdowns and a rushing TD as well.

In all, the Wildcats finished with 481 total yards, and continued building on their positive offensive momentum from their last game against Morgan State, when they totaled 457 yards.

Despite a late bid for a comeback in the fourth by Fordham, Villanova’s defense held strong and forced a turnover on downs with 4 minutes and 29 seconds left in the game to seal a much-needed win.

Perhaps the biggest positive for Villanova in their win Saturday was its pass defense, which has been an issue in their four losses the season. Against the Rams, call it a Wildcats wave, as Fordham could not effectively set up their passing attack.

Fordham quarterback Gunnar Smith was held to just 60 passing yards on 26 attempts (11 completions). Smith was held without a complete pass from the 3:08 mark of the second quarter until the 8:19 mark of the fourth quarter.

Villanova’s secondary was in tandem with its defensive line, as the latter continually got pressure on Smith, sacking him five times and forcing him to throw bad passes, one that included an interception by Villanova’s fifth-year defensive back, Garrett Rogan.

However the Wildcats run defense still struggled, giving up 222 yards on the ground.

The running game continues to be a positive constant for Villanova, led by their dual-headed backfield combination of juniors Ja’briel Mace and Isaiah Ragland. The pair combined for 173 total rushing yards,despite Mace departing the game in the third quarter with a non-contact ankle injury.

Both Mace and Ragland set the turn early for Villanova on offense, with Ragland punching it less than four minutes into action for the Wildcats’ first score and on their next drive, it was Mace finding paydirt.

Between the pair, they have carried the offensive scoring workload with 12 combined rushing touchdowns (seven for Ragland, five for Mace) and have been solid targets out of the backfield for McQuaide, with Mace catching three receiving touchdowns this season.

The Wildcats’ 246 total yards on the ground was the most they’ve totaled all season.

Jumping into the number one wideout role is easier said than done, but Braden Reed has done a solid job at playing the role through Villanova’s first seven games.

Reed and McQuaide have built quite the rapport across their two seasons and has been the graduate quarterback’s favorite target by far in 2026, with 34 receptions (11 more than Villanova’s second leading receiver) and four receiving touchdowns to date.

His fourth in the air arrived Saturday on a 14-yard strike to put the Wildcats up two scores as part of a four-reception, 88-yard day for Reed. His most notable play, however, was coming up clutch in the third quarter with a fourth-and-4 deep catch from McQuaide, setting up another Wildcat score on the following play and ultimately putting a pin on the day for Villanova.

Villanova now heads home and will look to finally earn its first home win of the season against Lehigh (6-1, 4-1 Patriot League) on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). The Mountain Hawks coming off their first loss of the year to Colgate.

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