RICHMOND, Va.—Freshman cornerback Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.) was selected as the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year and was one of three Villanova players to earn All-CAA honors in an announcement made by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon.  Senior running back Aaron Forbes (Newburgh, N.Y.) and senior offensive lineman Ethan Greenidge (Flanders, N.Y.) were each named to the all-conference second team, while Benford was a third team pick. 
 
This is the fourth time in the last five years that the Wildcats have had a CAA major award winner.  Villanova has won 16 major conference awards overall, and Benford is the second to be chosen by the league's head coaches as the top defensive rookie.  Forbes and Greenidge each garnered All-CAA recognition for the second time in their careers.  Greenidge was also a second team pick as a junior last year, while Forbes was previously a third team choice two seasons ago. 
 
Benford finished the regular season tied for the CAA Football lead in interceptions, and he was also among both the conference and national leaders in passes defended and interceptions per game.  Despite missing two contests during the season, Benford tallied five interceptions in the nine games he played in and was also credited with six pass breakups for the year.  His ratio of 0.6 interceptions per game ranks sixth in the FCS, while his 11 passes defended are third in the CAA and rank 19^th nationally. 
 
After earning a start in his first collegiate game when the Wildcats faced Temple to begin the season, Benford quickly established himself as one of the team's top defensive performers.  He finished fourth on the team with 49 total tackles for the season, while his 38 solo stops were the second-most on the squad.  The only previous Villanova player to be the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year was Dillon Lucas in 2011, and Benford is also the Wildcats first true freshman since Lucas to garner all-conference honors.
 
Benford's best game of the season came in a 45-21 win over Richmond on November 3 when he had three interceptions, a pass breakup and three tackles.  He was the first Villanova player since 2011 (Jimmy Pitts) to pick off three passes in a game, and his performance in the game earned him CAA Football Co-Rookie of the Week recognition.  Benford had five or more tackles in each of the first six games of his career, including a season-best 11 total stops against Towson. 
 
Forbes had the most productive season of his career and was the Wildcats top offensive performer during the 2018 season.  He rushed for 828 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 75.4 yards per game.  Forbes also had 20 receptions for 172 yards and two scores.  He finished the year with team-highs of 1,044 all-purpose yards, 11 touchdowns and 66 points.  Forbes ended the regular season ranked third in the CAA in rushing yards and second in both yards per carry and rushing touchdowns. 
 
The cap to Forbes' season came in a remarkable three-game stretch against Richmond, William & Mary and Delaware to close out the year.  He rushed for a career-high 160 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in a win over Richmond, then followed that up with both a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown against William & Mary in his final career home game.  Forbes then ran for 138 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 42-21 win at Delaware.  He finishes his Villanova career ranked sixth in school history with 2,304 career rushing yards. 
 
Greenidge has been a mainstay at left tackle for his entire career.  He started all 43 games he played for the Wildcats, including every game of the 2016 and 2017 seasons.  This year, Greenidge was a first team STATS FCS Preseason All-American and a CAA Football Preseason All-Conference selection.
 
Villanova ranked third in the CAA with 221 first downs during the 2018 season, and the offensive line helped the Wildcats finish the year with averages of 25.0 points per game and 369.5 yards of total offense per contest.  The team surpassed 400 yards of offense six times in 11 games, including each of the first four contests of the season.  That stretch culminated with Villanova tallying 609 yards in a win over Bucknell, with the offense producing over 300 yards both on the ground and through the air.  Greenidge was also part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack over the final two games of the season.