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VILLANOVA, Pa.--Junior quarterback John Robertson (Paramus, N.J.) threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another score as No. 7 Villanova (8-2, 5-1 CAA Football) eased past Towson (4-6, 2-4) for a 42-14 victory at Villanova Stadium on Saturday night. Robertson had 289 yards of total offense and the Wildcats scored their second defensive touchdown of the season in a strong bounce-back effort after seeing a seven-game winning streak come to an end in their previous outing.

Villanova stretched out a 21-14 lead with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Robertson scored on a one-yard run on the first play of the quarter and just 90 seconds later senior safety Joe Sarnese (Ventnor, N.J.) returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown to seal the outcome. Six different players scored a touchdown apiece for the Wildcats, who surpassed 40 points for the seventh time this season.

Robertson finished the night 16-of-21 for 182 yards and three touchdowns through the air while also running 20 times for 107 yards and a score. He registered his 12th career game with at least 100 rushing yards and his second this season. This was also the seventh time this year that Robertson threw at least three touchdown passes in a game.

Junior wide receiver Anthony DeCamillo (Bentleyville, Ohio) caught his first career touchdown pass to give Villanova the lead for good in the second quarter, while junior wide receiver Kevin Gulyas (Allentown, Pa.) and senior running back Kevin Monangai (Roseland, N.J.) had touchdown receptions later in the game. Senior wide receiver Poppy Livers (Seaside, Calif.) had a game-high seven receptions for 78 yards and also surpassed 1,500 career receiving yards during the game.

The scoring for the evening opened just three minutes into the contest when Darius Victor scored on a two-yard touchdown run to give the visiting Tigers a 7-0 lead. That would be the only lead of the evening for Towson, whose only other points came on a long scoring drive to begin the second half.

Senior running back Austin Medley (Franklinville, N.J.), who finished the night with a season-high 78 yards on 12 carries, scored on a two-yard run with 4:12 in the first quarter to tie the score at 7-7. DeCamillo caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Robertson with 9:49 remaining in the second period to put the Wildcats on top. Villanova protected its lead by stopping the Tigers on their next possession, and then extended the margin to 21-7 when Gulyas hauled in a 17-yard pass for a touchdown with just 1:33 left before halftime.

Towson received the ball to start the second half and grinded out a 16-play drive which consumed nearly the first nine minutes of the third quarter. The 83-yard scoring drive culminated with Connor Frazier throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Vallely with 6:24 left in the period. Neither team scored again until the Wildcats pulled away with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Robertson's touchdown run five seconds into the final period was followed by the Sarnese interception return for a score and later by a 14-yard touchdown reception by Monangai with 3:40 left in the game.

Villanova forced two turnovers in the game, both on interceptions. Sarnese registered the first interception return touchdown of his career and sophomore cornerback Jason Ceneus (New Rochelle, N.Y.) tallied his team-high fifth interception of the season. It is the fourth pick in the last three games for Ceneus, who leads CAA Football in the category. Sarnese also added a game-high 11 tackles and a pass breakup for the evening, while junior linebacker Don Cherry (Trumbull, Conn.) had 10 tackles to reach double figures for the fifth time this season.

Victor led the Tigers offense with 165 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Frazier was 13-of-27 for 111 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

The game was the first of two straight at home for the Wildcats, who will take on Albany next Saturday at 7 p.m. That game, like the one against Towson, will be televised by the American Sports Network.