HAMMOND, La.—A back-and-forth game came down to each team's final score in the fourth quarter and No. 8 Villanova (9-4) saw its season come to an end in a 45-44 loss to Southeastern Louisiana (8-4) in front of 4,172 at Strawberry Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  After the Wildcats took the lead with 4:36 remaining, the host Lions answered with the eventual game-winning touchdown with 2:56 to play. 
 
Both teams scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to decide a game that had more than 1,100 yards of total offense.  Villanova led 31-14 at halftime and received the opening kickoff of the second half, but saw the lead evaporate as Southeastern Louisiana scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game at 31-31 by the end of the third period. 
 
Junior quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.) had 373 yards of total offense and moved into the Wildcats top-10 career passing leaders in just his first season in a Villanova uniform.  Smith was 19-of-30 for 283 yards through the air and recorded his fourth game of the season with at least four touchdown passes.  He also rushed for 90 yards and a score to play a hand all five of the Wildcats offensive touchdowns in the game. 
 
Smith threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Changa Hodge (East Stroudsburg, Pa.) with 4:36 to play which gave Villanova a 44-38 lead, the second time in the period the Wildcats had gained an advantage.  The ensuing extra point try was no good however, leaving the door open for the Lions on their next drive. 
 
Southeastern Louisiana, which became the first team since 2004 to have over 600 total yards against Villanova, went 75 yards on seven plays and converted on fourth-and-seven from the Wildcats eight-yard line with 2:56 to play.  The point-after by the Lions was good to give the hosts their first lead since the closing minutes of the first quarter. 
 
Villanova still had a chance to overtake Southeastern Louisiana and began its march down the field from its own 29-yard line with 2:51 to play.  Smith completed a 12-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Jaaron Hayek (Wayne, N.J.) and a six-yard pass to Hodge before looking to Hayek again for 13 more yards.  The three straight completions put the Wildcats at the Lions 40-yard line with just over 90 seconds to play. 
 
Smith then dropped back and heaved another pass towards Hayek, who made a reaching one-handed catch in the end zone.  An offensive pass interference call negated the potential go-ahead score however, and Villanova eventually saw its final drive stall on fourth-and-nine from the Southeastern Louisiana 39-yard line. 
 
Hayek finished the day with six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown while Hodge had six catches for 98 yards.  Smith finished the season third in school history for a single season with 3,274 passing yards.  Hodge was his favorite target on the year and concluded a season in which he ranked fifth in school history with 1,118 receiving yards.    
 
Earlier in the game, the Wildcats led 10-7 midway through the second period when freshman safety Elijah Glover (Pleasantville, N.J.) returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown which gave Villanova a surge of momentum.  Smith rushed 53 yards for a score with 3:28 to play before the intermission and Hayek hauled in a 57-yard catch for a touchdown with just 28 seconds to play in the half. 
 
The pick-six by Glover was the Wildcats fourth defensive touchdown of the season, matching the most in a single year for Villanova in its FCS era (since 1985).  The defense also scored four touchdowns in the 2000, 2016 and 2017 seasons.  This year's four defensive scores included two interceptions returned for touchdowns by junior cornerback Jaquan Amos (Philadelphia, Pa.), a pick-six by sophomore corner Elijah Trent (Rockville, Md.) and Glover's first career touchdown in Saturday's contest. 
 
Junior linebacker Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.) had 11 tackles, including seven solo stops, and recorded his seventh game of the season with double digits in total tackles.  Freshman safety Jalen Goodman (Narberth, Pa.) added a season-high eight stops. 
 
Villanova returned to the playoffs this season for the first time in 2016 and shot into the top-10 of the national rankings on multiple occasions after being picked to finish ninth in the CAA Football preseason poll of league head coaches and media members.  Instead, the Wildcats won at least nine games for the eighth time since 1985 and tied for third in the league standings.