VILLANOVA, Pa.—In a perfect storm of scenarios in the final game of the regular season, No. 10 Villanova (9-3, 5-3 CAA Football) blew past Delaware (5-7, 3-5) for a triumphant 55-33 victory at Villanova Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  The win allowed the Wildcats to retain the Battle of the Blue Trophy for an eighth straight year and the 13^th time in 14 seasons since the annual rivalry game added the "Battle of the Blue" billing.  Villanova made its annual Senior Day a happy one and improved its standing for an FCS playoff berth for the first time in three years. 
 
Junior wide receiver Changa Hodge (East Stroudsburg, Pa.) had one of the best days in school history by a Wildcats receiver with eight catches for 236 yards and four touchdowns.  He is the first Villanova player with a 200-yard receiving game since Brian Finneran against Rhode Island in 1996, as well as the first to catch at least four touchdown passes in a game since Mike Siani had five versus Xavier in 1971.  Hodge's total of 236 yards through the air in Saturday's affair is the fifth-highest total by any FCS player this season. 
 
The flurry of touchdown passes came from junior quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.), who threw for 378 yards and five scores overall while rushing for 44 yards and another touchdown.  Smith departed the game after the third quarter with the Wildcats comfortably in front, but his 422 yards of total offense for the day are the seventh-most in school history.  He is the first Villanova quarterback since 2004 to throw five touchdown passes in a game.  Smith has had a hand in 43 of the 57 offensive touchdowns the Wildcats have scored this season (31 passing, 11 rushing, one receiving). 
 
"I'm really proud of the way our staff prepared our guys and obviously the way our guys played," Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said.  "I am happy to be on the positive side of this game and real proud of our staff, team, administration and everybody that has been behind of us.  Our guys had a heck of a game."  
 
The two teams combined for 1,114 yards of total offense and 88 points, the latter figure perhaps a silent homage to the #88strong motto that has been the Wildcats rallying cry throughout the year.  Villanova put points on the board at a fast and furious pace from the outset as the offense rolled to the tune of 12 first downs, 211 total yards and three touchdowns by the end of the first quarter alone.
 
Smith scored on a three-yard run on the opening drive of the game and later threw his first touchdown of the day to senior wide receiver Zac Kerxton (Haymarket, Va.) for a 14-0 lead with 3:21 to play in the first quarter.  After the Blue Hens answered with a 68-yard rushing touchdown 44 seconds later, the Wildcats countered themselves in the final minute of the period when Hodge caught a 16-yard pass to extend the margin to 20-7.  He was far from done. 
 
Villanova executed its longest pass play of the year with 9:30 to play in the second period when Smith and Hodge connected for an 82-yard score.  The score was 34-17 at halftime and stayed that way for over 11 minutes into the third period.  Hodge caught a 43-yard touchdown pass with 3:38 to play in the third quarter and hauled in a 37-yard score with 34 seconds remaining in the period as the Wildcats put the game all but out of reach with a 48-17 lead.  Freshman running back DeeWil Barlee (Malvern, Pa.) and sophomore Jalen Jackson (Richmond, Va.) each rushed for a touchdown in the game.
 
"This was about it being Delaware and us wanting to come out and beat Delaware," Smith said when asked about the postseason implications of the lopsided victory.  "The last seven years before this we have had the trophy in our house, our locker room, so we just wanted to bring it back and we did whatever we could do to bring [the trophy] back." 
 
Villanova had a season-high 589 yards of total offense, with the number also marking the fourth-most in a game in school history.  Hodge and Kerxton accounted for the lion's share of receiving numbers, with Hodge's 236 yards the Wildcats second-highest single-game total ever.  Kerxton made five catches for 61 yards and added 25 yards on punt returns.  Barlee rushed for 73 yards, Jackson went for 65 yards in his second game back after an injury and freshman TD Ayo-Durojaiye (Damascus, Md.) ran for 35 yards. 
 
"It feels good when you've got a guy that can thrown the ball right into your pocket and you don't have to make a tough catch all the time," Hodge said of Smith's passing accuracy.  "It's something that us receivers want most of the time.  He can obviously get the ball out but he's got wheels too.  My receivers coach preaches winning 1-on-1 matchups all the time, so I get excited in those situations because I know my abilities.  I'm always thinking 'just win' [in 1-on-1 coverage]." 
 
Junior cornerback Jaquan Amos (Philadelphia, Pa.) recorded his team-high fourth interception of the season to set up the Villanova possession which led to Hodge's final touchdown of the day.  Freshman safety Isas Waxter (Orange, N.J.) and sophomore linebacker Qwahsin Townsel (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J.) led the team with eight tackles apiece.  Late in the game, senior Tyler Von Nessen (Manalapan, N.J.) forced a fumble which sophomore Anthony Siragusa (Florham Park, N.J.) recovered to put a stamp on the big win. 
 
Villanova has reached nine wins in a season for the 10^th time since becoming an FCS member in 1985.  With the regular season complete, the Wildcats tied for a third place finish in the CAA Football regular season standings and are in line to return to the Division I Football Championship for the first time since 2016 and the 13^th time in their history.  The field of 24 teams for the playoffs will be announced at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.  The top eight teams are seeded and earn a first-round bye, while the other teams will open postseason play next Saturday. 
 
"I'm not sure where it came from but sometimes it just happens," Ferrante said of the special season Villanova is in the midst of.  "The #88strong thing came from the players.  That was an 'in this room' team thing, but it kind of spread and has gone out through the fans, the parents and everybody.  It comes from the guys.  I am real proud of our staff who is doing a great job and I am proud of the team because this is a really tight group and they have been the ones sticking it together." 
 
Villanova has played, and beaten, Delaware more times than any other opponent in its history.  The all-time series dates back to the 19^th century and the first-ever meeting in 1895.  With their eighth straight win in the series on Saturday, the longest streak by either team in the rivalry, the Wildcats are now 31-21-1 in head-to-head matchups with the Blue Hens.  The 55 points scored in the latest victory are the most scored by Villanova in any game in the series.