No. 12 Villanova falls to No. 18 Monmouth in a marquee FCS matchup
The Wildcats were upset, 51-33, in their CAA opener as the Hawks’ Derek Robertson passed for 397 yards and four touchdowns.
In a highly anticipated Top 25 FCS matchup, No. 12 Villanova fell to No. 18 Monmouth, 51-33, Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J.
The Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 Colonial Athletic Association) opened conference play against Monmouth (3-1, 1-0) in an offensive battle after both teams took on FBS opponents last weekend.
The Wildcats deferred on the opening kickoff, and the Hawks made them pay for that decision. On Monmouth’s second play from scrimmage, Josh Derry went 75 yards for a touchdown on a pass from Derek Robertson.
It only got worse for the Wildcats, who spotted the Hawks a 31-6 lead before Villanova scored the last touchdown of the first half and the first of the second half.
Villanova graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 333 passing yards and two touchdowns. He completed 25 of 42 attempts.
Couldn’t answer back
Villanova’s defense was tasked with containing one of the best offenses in the FCS. The Hawks currently average 44.3 points per game, which is tied for fourth in the FCS, and the Wildcats had limited answers.
The Hawks scored on all but three drives and collected 637 yards of total offense. Robertson leads the FCS with 1,662 passing yards. Robertson threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns against the Wildcats.
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Derry finished with a team-high 177 receiving yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.
Monmouth had no issues scoring on the ground, either. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Nelson led the team with 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 33 attempts.
His 512 rushing yards this season ranks second in the FCS.
Cats’ Avit has big day
Sophomore running back David Avit has continued to shine among a talented Villanova backfield.
Last week, against Penn State, Avit eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards. On Saturday, he scored three touchdowns and ran for 135 yards.
With Villanova trailing, 31-7, when the first half came to a close, Avit found theend zone and scored on a 2-yard run, trucking a Monmouth defender on his way. He finished the first half with 85 yards on 11 carries.
Avit scored again in the second half, a 19-yard rush, to cut Villanova’s deficit from 24 points to 10. He crossed the goal line one final time late in the third quarter.
Avit is averaging 79 rushing yards per game. He has rushed for a total of 237 yards and three touchdowns.
Up next
Villanova will host CAA opponent William & Mary (1-2 going into Saturday evening’s game against Charleston Southern) next Saturday. The Wildcats are still defending a 17-game home winning streak and are 1-3 against the Tribe in the Coach Mark Ferrante era. The game will be streamed on FloSports with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.