Villanova defeats Penn, 30-21, for first win

The Schuylkill Showdown went into the final minutes once again Saturday night at Franklin Field.

That was where Penn and Villanova staged another installment of the rivalry they have forged over the years, and a 30-21 victory for the Wildcats was sealed when defensive back Ronnie Atkins went 26 yards for a touchdown with 12 seconds left to play.

Earlier in the quarter, 'Nova kicker Mark Hamilton nailed a 31-yard field goal to give his team the lead at 16-14, and Wildcats defensive back James Pitts intercepted a pass and took it 26 yards to the end zone to put Penn in a 23-14 hole. It was the second straight year that Pitts picked off a pass late in the fourth quarter against Penn and returned it for a score.

The Quakers pulled to within two points at 23-21 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Billy Ragone to wide receiver Ryan Calvert.

The Wildcats won for the first time this season and are now 1-3. Penn is 0-2.

Though the game was played on the Quakers' turf, Villanova was technically the home team due to a contractual agreement between the schools. It was the Wildcats who had more fans show up.

Penn was ahead at halftime, 14-13, after each team came up with a big play during the second quarter.

'Nova held a 10-7 edge when quarterback Christian Culicerto hit wide receiver Dorian Wells for a 54-yard touchdown pass. But with Quakers running back Brandon Colavita breaking off a 44-yard run to the Wildcats 17, Penn regained the lead when running back Jeff Jack scored on an 8-yard run to give his team a 14-10 lead.

Penn hadn't defeated Villanova since the teams resumed playing each other again in 1980 after a 69-year hiatus. The teams' first meeting was in 1905, and the Quakers came out victorious in the first five outings. The Wildcats had won the last 10.

Villanova needed a couple of late scores to put Penn away last season at home, and it took an extra period before the Wildcats could claim victory over the host Quakers in their Football Championship Subdivision title season of 2009.

In this latest meeting between the teams, Penn took a 7-0 lead with 6 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 1-yard run by Colavita. The Quakers had been handed a first down at the 'Nova 14-yard line after safety Jason Schmucker intercepted Culicerto and returned the pick 20 yards.

'Nova got its first-period points on a 32-yard field goal by Hamilton with 3:08 left. It was Hamilton's seventh made field goal in a row dating back to last season, and the distance was the longest of his career. In the second quarter, Hamilton added an eighth in a row with 2:03 showing on the clock to complete the first-half-scoring.

His ninth gave 'Nova the go-ahead points.