RICHMOND, Va.—Sophomore cornerback Nowoola Awopetu (Staten Island, N.Y.) became the first player in school history to have two pick-sixes in a single game, freshman Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.) had three interceptions and Villanova (4-5, 1-5 CAA Football) forced seven turnovers in all in a 45-21 win over Richmond (3-6, 1-5) at Robins Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  Senior running back Aaron Forbes (Newburgh, N.Y.) also became the 11^th player in school history to rush for over 2,000 career yards in the feel-good Wildcats victory. 
 
The scoring burst made a winner of true freshman quarterback Qadir Ismail (Bel Air, Md.) in his first career start.  Ismail threw for 132 yards and a touchdown on a day when Villanova put up big statistical totals in all facets of the game.  Senior safety Chucky Smith (Newbury Park, Calif.) had two fumble recoveries and junior kicker Drew Kresge (Douglassville, Pa.) made a career-high three field goals.  Forbes rushed for a career-high 160 yards and the Wildcats scored their most points against a conference opponent in nearly four years. 
 
"We were able to come away with our first conference victory of the season and I told the guys in the locker room that was a good feeling," Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said.  "I was proud of how they kept practicing all week and I am proud of how they played today.  I told them that we put a lot of points on the board and I didn't care how we got them after the last few games we had.  It was just good to get in the end zone and obviously a couple of defensive touchdowns helped with that."
 
Villanova led 20-7 at halftime behind touchdowns from Forbes and senior wide receiver Jarrett McClenton (Bensalem, Pa.) to go along with two Kresge field goals.  After the Spiders pulled to within 20-14 on a touchdown three minutes into the third quarter, Awopetu and Benford took over.  Awopetu tallied his first interception and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown with 7:21 left in the third quarter, and Ismail rushed for a two-point conversion which extended the Wildcats lead to 28-14.  Benford intercepted the first pass of the ensuing Richmond drive for another turnover.  
 
Later in the period, the Spiders fumbled a Villanova punt and Smith recovered to give the Wildcats good field position at the Richmond 15-yard line.  That possession ended with Kresge making a 28-yard field goal with 2:31 left in the period.  It was déjà vu on the next Spiders possession, which began with a false start and was followed by Awopetu returning his second interception of the day 18 yards for another score. 
 
Freshman running back Jalen Jackson (Richmond, Va.), playing in his hometown for the first time as a collegiate player, scored his first career touchdown with 6:31 to play as the Villanova lead swelled to as many as 31 points.  Jackson rushed for 31 yards on seven carries.    
 
The big victory came after the Wildcats had been shut out in their previous two contests.  Villanova kept its offense rolling by converting 9-of-17 third downs and having possession of the ball for more than 38 minutes.  Forbes averaged 8.0 yards per carry on 20 touches and sophomore Justin Covington (Bronx, N.Y.) ran for 56 yards.  McClenton led the Wildcats receiving corps with three receptions for 67 yards, including his team-high sixth touchdown of the season. 
 
Smith led the Villanova defense with a career-high 10 total tackles.  Benford became the Wildcats first player since 2011 to have three interceptions in a game, while Smith became the first since 2014 to recover two fumbles in a game.  The seven turnovers forced by the Villanova defense were the team's most since forcing eight miscues against Penn during the 2007 season.  The interception returns by Awopetu marked the Wildcats first defensive touchdowns of the season. 
 
Villanova returns to action next week when it takes on William & Mary in its home season finale.  Kickoff next Saturday at Villanova Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.