Staff Writer
The Villanova Wildcats and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks were coming into the first week of college and FCS football play on Friday night. The Wildcats were coming in ranked number five in all of FCS football after winning the CAA and advancing to the second round of the FCS football playoffs before losing to South Dakota State.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks have been steadily improving over the last three years, winning three out of the final four games they played last season. Both teams were looking to make their mark in tonight’s game, and it was certainly one that was interesting to watch. Ultimately, Villanova was able to win by a final score of 45-17.
Villanova struggled to score on their first two possessions, the first ending with a turnover on downs and the next one with a field goal. But after that, they were able to figure out Lehigh’s defense, and put on an offensive show for everyone at Villanova Stadium to watch.
The Wildcats only scored three points in the first quarter but had a 28-point second quarter with some strong offensive play. The first touchdown of the night for them was on a 66-yard pass from Connor Watkins to Dez Boykin. Then later in the quarter with 3:06 left to go in the first half, Villanova had another big pass play, a 68-yard touchdown pass from Watkins to Jaaron Harek. Senior quarterback Connor Watkins had 298 yards passing on just 15 attempts with three touchdowns passing and one touchdown running.
Senior running back Jalen Jackson had nine carries for 67 yards and one touchdown. The offensive was potent all night long. Lastly, they were efficient in which the Wildcats did not have any turnovers after the first drive of the game. Defensively, the Wildcats were stout the entire game. They were able to force a turnover on downs early on and had an interception by Daniel Abraham in the second quarter. They also held Lehigh to only a field goal in the second half, which came on the opening drive.
The Villanova Wildcats definitely showed why they are the number five ranked team in FCS and should be very confident after their home opener.
