WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—A pair of gritty fourth-and-one conversions on the decisive drive late in the fourth quarter made the difference in a hard-fought game and No. 5 Villanova (6-0, 3-0 CAA Football) edged William & Mary (2-4, 0-2 CAA) by a final score of 35-28 at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  Freshman running back DeeWil Barlee (Upper Darby, Pa.) caught a one-yard touchdown pass with 1:59 remaining to give the Wildcats the lead and the defense made a final stand to secure the team's sixth consecutive road victory dating back to last season. 
 
Barlee rushed for 52 yards and a score in addition to catching the game-winning touchdown pass in the closing minutes.  He was the ball carrier on fourth-and-one at the 10-yard line with 3:52 remaining in what was then a tie game, and moments later got open in the right corner of the end zone for the game-winning score.  Junior quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.) was 21-of-34 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, freshman wide receiver Jaaron Hayek (Wayne, N.J.) caught two touchdown passes for the second time in the last three weeks and nine different players had at least one reception in the win. 
 
Villanova improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2003 by winning its fourth road game of the season.  It is also the first 3-0 start in conference play since 2016 for the Wildcats, who have won each of their last two road games on their final possession of the game. 
 
The score was tied 28-28 after three quarters and both teams scored within the first five-plus minutes of the fourth quarter to set up the dramatic finish.  Hayek caught a 37-yard touchdown pass with exactly 14 minutes remaining to give Villanova a 35-28 lead, but the Tribe answered on Kane Everson's 20-yard touchdown reception which tied the score for the third time with 9:56 to go. 
 
With the game likely to come down to either team's final possession, the Wildcats ate up nearly eight minutes of clock on their ensuing drive.  Smith converted on third down four plays into the drive with a nine-yard pass to Hayek while the ball was still in Villanova territory and sophomore running back Jalen Jackson (Richmond, Va.) twice rushed for first downs on the eight plays of what wound up being a 16-play, 75-yard drive.  The possession progressed to second-and-six from the William & Mary 15-yard line followed by a third-and-three play from the 12-yard line.  Smith ran the ball on each of those plays but was stopped a yard short on third down. 
 
After a Wildcats timeout, Barlee took the ball and made just enough forward progress to get a first down which was confirmed upon being measured on the field.  It was a big day for first-year Villanova players, as true freshmen Barlee and Hayek each scored two touchdowns while Smith had at least three passing touchdowns for the fifth time in six games on the year.  Smith has been a revelation in his first season on the Main Line after transferring to the Wildcats from Campbell, where he graduated in three years and was a two-year starting quarterback. 
 
Junior linebacker Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.) and senior safety Chucky Smith (Newbury Park, Calif.) each posted double-digit tackle games for the second time in their careers.  Rhyne had a career-high 15 tackles – the most stops by a Villanova player since 2017 – and Smith added a career-high 12 tackles.  Rhyne also had a career-high 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble, while junior safety Nowoola Awopetu (Staten Island, N.Y.) recovered a fumble in the second quarter which set up the Wildcats first scoring drive of the game. 
 
The host Tribe received the opening kickoff and scored on the first drive of the game to take what wound up being their only lead of the game.  Villanova was stopped on its first possession of the day and wound up punting for what also turned out to be the only time in the game. 
 
William & Mary began the next drive at its own 20-yard line, but on the first play of the possession senior linebacker Drew Wiley (Pennington, N.J.) forced a fumble which Awopetu scooped up and returned eight yards to put the Wildcats in excellent scoring position at the 17-yard line.  Smith threw a 14-yard pass to junior tight end Todd Summers (Murrysville, Pa.) on the first play of that drive and junior running back Justin Covington (Bronx, N.Y.) rushed for a three-yard touchdown to tie the game. 
 
Hayek caught a 16-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to give Villanova the lead and Barlee rushed for a 15-yard score with 10:12 left in the second quarter to extend the margin to 21-7.  William & Mary eventually tied the game at 21-21 with 1:51 to play in the third period. 
 
Villanova makes a second straight trip to the state of Virginia next week when it travels to James Madison for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.