HARRISONBURG, Va.—HARRISONBURG, Va.—Graduate student running back Justin Covington (Bronx, N.Y.) gained two yards on fourth-and-one from the Wildcats own 29-yard line with less than two minutes to play to seal the outcome as No. 11 Villanova (4-1, 2-0 CAA Football) knocked off No. 3 James Madison (4-1, 2-1 CAA Football) in a 28-27 thriller in front of 25,035 at Bridgeforth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Graduate student quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.) threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Rayjoun Pringle (Dumfries, Va.) with 2:54 left in the third quarter after graduate student kicker Cole Bunce (San Jose, Calif.) made two field goals earlier in the period to rally the Wildcats from an 11-point halftime deficit. Villanova played shutout defense in the second half and outgained the host Dukes by a final tally of 388-339 in yards of total offense.
 
A pair of missed field goals by James Madison in the closing minutes of the game kept a tenuous 28-27 lead intact and then the Wildcats took matters into their own hands with a gutsy play call to win the game on fourth down. Smith gained four yards on a quarterback keeper on third-and-five from Villanova's own 25-yard line and the Dukes called their final timeout of the contest with 1:56 to play. The offense stayed on the field after the timeout and Covington picked up two yards for the first down which decided the game.
 
The win is the first in Harrisonburg since 2009 for the Wildcats and extends Villanova's all-time record to 18-13 (.581) against top-five ranked teams since becoming an FCS program in 1985. On the flip side, the loss for James Madison snapped several active streaks that the Dukes carried into the game.
 
James Madison entered the game having won 15 straight games against CAA teams (including the playoffs) and had won 14 consecutive regular season conference games. The Dukes had also won their last 19 straight home contests, including the last 12 by 14 or more points. From a statistical standpoint, James Madison had outgained 21 straight opponents in yards of total offense before giving up the 388 yards to the Wildcats on Saturday.
 
Smith was 16-of-26 for 258 yards and a touchdown to go along with 35 rushing yards and another score. His 15-yard scoring run with 11:36 to play in the first quarter opened the scoring and Covington broke away for a 56-yard touchdown run later in the opening period which gave Villanova a 13-7 lead at the 5:22 mark of the quarter. Bunce's 39-yard field goal to open the second quarter made the score 16-10 but the Dukes scored 17 unanswered points and took a 27-16 lead into halftime.
 
Graduate student linebacker Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.) had a monster game with a career-high 20 tackles. The last Wildcats player to even approach 20 total stops in a contest was Brian Hulea who had 19 tackles in a game during both the 2003 and 2005 seasons. Immediately available research following the game was unclear whether 20 tackles might be a school record. Two other players also reached double figures in total stops for Villanova as junior linebacker Qwahsin Townsel (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J.) and graduate student linebacker Mike Ruane (Middletown, N.J.) each had 11 tackles.
 
A one-yard scamper for a touchdown by James Madison quarterback Cole Johnson and the ensuing extra point gave the Dukes the lead at 17-16 in the second quarter while Percy Agyei-Obese's second rushing touchdown of the game less than 90 seconds later made the score 24-16 with 7:03 left in the period. James Madison kicker Ethan Ratke added a 21-yard field goal as time wound down before halftime to extend the Dukes lead to double digits going into the locker rooms.
 
Covington rushed for 86 yards, including the long touchdown run, and Pringle finished the day with eight catches for 132 yards and the game-winning score. Pringle tallied his third career 100-yard receiving game and second in as many outings. Bunce made a 43-yard field goal three minutes into the second half and a 42-yard attempt with 5:38 left in the momentous third quarter to pull the Wildcats to within 27-22.
 
James Madison went three-and-out on its next possession and punted the ball back to Villanova with 4:08 remaining in the third period. A penalty for a face mask against the Dukes on the Wildcats first play advanced Villanova to its own 44-yard line. Covington lost a yard on first down but Smith looked right on 2^nd-and-11 from the 43 and found a wide open Pringle for a 57-yard touchdown strike. It is the same length touchdown that Smith and Pringle connected on in the Wildcats game against Big Ten member Penn State two weeks ago.
 
Villanova's last win over a team ranked as high as the Dukes came on October 12, 2013 when the Wildcats posted a 45-35 road win over No. 3 Towson at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Saturday's contest versus James Madison was the 99^th time in Villanova's era as an FCS program (since 1985) that the Wildcats played in a game featuring two ranked teams. Villanova is now 49-48 in Top 25 matchups.
 
A third straight road game awaits the Wildcats next weekend when they travel to Albany for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff next Saturday.