Football 9/22/2019 10:47:00 PM

Villanova/Towson Post-Game Notes

Villanova 52, Towson 45

Villanova improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2009 when it won its first five games.

This is the third straight year that the visiting team has gotten the win in the Villanova-Towson series. The Wildcats are 10-6 all-time against the Tigers, including 5-3 at both Johnny Unitas Stadium and Villanova Stadium.

Villanova played its first overtime game since a 19-10 loss at Albany in 2017. The overtime win is the first for the Wildcats since a 28-21 triumph over Delaware in the final game of the 2010 regular season. Villanova is 11-6 in overtime games as an FCS member (since 1985).

Villanova defeated a top-5 ranked opponent for the first time since 2013 when it defeated then-No. 3 Towson by a final score of 45-35, also at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Since becoming an FCS member in 1985, the Wildcats are an impressive 17-12 (.586) all-time against top-5 teams in the STATS FCS rankings. Villanova also improved to 47-46 all-time in games where both the Wildcats and their opponent are nationally ranked.

Villanova trailed 28-21 at halftime before going on to the overtime win. The last time the Wildcats won a game when trailing at the half was in the second game of the 2016 season when Villanova overcame a 14-6 halftime deficit in a 26-21 win over Lehigh. The last time the Wildcats won a road game when trailing at halftime was in 2014 against William & Mary when Villanova turned a 21-14 halftime deficit into a 35-31 win.

Villanova tied the score at 45-45 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation on a 45-yard field goal by Drew Kresge (more on Kresge below). The last time the Wildcats tied the score when trailing in the final minute of regulation was on September 23, 2017 against Albany when Villanova scored a touchdown as time expired to tie the score at 10-10 (the Great Danes went on to win 19-10 in overtime).

The combined 97 points scored made this the highest scoring Villanova game since the final game of the 2000 season when the Wildcats lost to Delaware, 59-42, in a game that featured a combined 101 points. The 45 points Villanova gave up to Towson is the most the Wildcats have allowed in a win since a 51-45 overtime victory over Delaware in the final game of the 1999 campaign.

Villanova and Towson combined for 1,044 yards of total offense, with the Wildcats running 87 plays for 574 yards and the Tigers running 72 plays for 470 yards. The last game in which Villanova and the opposing team combined for over 1,000 yards of offense was in 2014 when the Wildcats and James Madison combined for 1,131 yards in a 49-31 Villanova win. The 87 plays run by the Wildcats matches their most in a game since also running 87 plays in the 2014 opener at Syracuse.

Villanova converted 12-of-19 (63.2%) third down opportunities in the Towson game. It was the first time since the 2014 opener at Syracuse (12-of-20) that the Wildcats had at least 12 third down conversions in a game. Villanova was also 2-of-2 on fourth down versus the Tigers after not having a fourth down conversion (0-of-3) in its first three games of the year.

Through the first four games of the season, the Wildcats have made 14 trips into the red zone and scored points on all 14 of those possessions (12 touchdowns, 2 field goals). Villanova is one of 15 FCS teams, including two from CAA Football (Albany) that have scored on 100 percent of their red zone possessions this season.

Junior running back Justin Covington has more than doubled his career rushing totals in the first four games of the season. Covington was a backup running back on the Wildcats depth chart in 2017 and 2018, when he combined to rush for 551 yards on 118 carries (4.7 yards per rush) with one touchdown. In four games this season, Covington has run for 556 yards on 61 attempts (9.1 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. Covington leads the FCS in rushing yards for the season and is second in the nation in yards per carry.

Justin Covington not only had a career best performance in the Towson game, he also became the 34^th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards. In 26 career games, Covington has run for 1,107 yards and three touchdowns on 179 carries (6.2 yards per rush). He established new career highs against Towson with 27 carries and 194 yards on the ground. That total represents the most rushing yards in a game by a Villanova player since John Robertson had 214 yards against Maine on October 26, 2013.

Justin Covington has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first four games of the season. These are the first four games of his career with over 100 rushing yards. He is the Wildcats first player since John Robertson in 2014 to have four straight 100-yard contests. Covington had a 64-yard run in the first quarter against Towson, ironically marking his third straight game with a rush of exactly 64 yards.

Junior quarterback Daniel Smith threw a season-high four touchdown passes in the 52-45 win over the Tigers. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns in the first four games of 2019, with the Towson game preceded by three consecutive games with exactly three passing touchdowns. John Robertson in 2014 was the last Villanova quarterback with three or more touchdown passes in at least four consecutive outings.

Freshman wide receiver Jaaron Hayek had a huge night against Towson with six receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He is the Wildcats first true freshman to score two touchdowns of any kind in a game since Jamal Abdur-Rahman had two rushing touchdowns against Delaware in 2011. Based on immediately available data after Saturday night's contest, there are no known games in the past 16 seasons in which a Villanova true freshman had a 100-yard receiving game.

Junior defensive lineman Malik Fisher had five tackles, including 1.5 sacks, against Towson. Dating back to last season, Fisher has had at least one sack in five straight games and six of his last seven outings. Fisher leads the CAA and is ranked 11^th nationally with his 4.5 sacks on the year.

Junior kicker Drew Kresge made a 45-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 45-45. He is 3-of-4 on field goal attempts this season, with his only miss coming on a 49-yard attempt earlier in the Towson game. Kresge's longest career made field goal is 46 yards, which he did twice during the 2017 season. The last time Villanova tied or took the lead on a field goal in the final minute of regulation came when Mark Hamilton beat Delaware (35-34) on a 24-yard field goal with one second to play at Talen Energy Stadium on November 23, 2013.