Sept 29, 2001

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Brett Gordon threw for 376 yards and four touchdowns as Villanova capped a 16-point rally in the fourth quarter Saturday to beat Richmond 31-30.

A 30-yard field goal by Casey Hannon with one second left in the game brought the lead and the win for 14th-ranked Villanova (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic 10), after 8- and 35-yard passes from Gordon to Shaz Brown and Cameron Cross in the last eight minutes.

Richmond (0-3, 0-1 Atlantic 10) had led 30-15 with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter, on runs from David Edwards, Boyd Ouden and Sean Gustus. The Spiders rushed for 335 yards, but failed on a fourth-and-two attempt at Villanova's 25-yard line, their first failure in seven fourth-down attempts.

The Wildcats' Shaz Brown caught nine passes for 123 yards, for two touchdowns, to beat the 17th-ranked Spiders, who have had two narrow losses against I-A schools Virginia and Vanderbilt.

"It really looked bleak for us, especially with the Richmond offense, and the way they drain the clock," Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "Somehow we found a way to get it done."