ORONO, Maine—Senior wide receiver Jaaron Hayek (Wayne, N.J.) became the third player in school history to catch four or more touchdown passes in a single game and No. 14 Villanova (3-2, 1-1 CAA Football) rolled to a 45-20 victory over Maine (0-4, 0-1 CAA Football) at Alfond Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Hayek scored touchdowns on four of his five receptions on the day and had a career-high 159 yards as the Wildcats got back to their winning ways after losing their past two games.
 
Hayek scored three of his touchdowns in the first half alone as Villanova raced out to a 31-14 lead by halftime. Junior quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) was 11-of-11 for 189 yards in the first half and eventually finished the day 13-of-16 for 255 yards and four touchdowns. He completed each of his first 13 passes of the day and was one of five Wildcats who rushed for 20 or more yards in the victory. Watkins ran five times for 41 yards and had 296 yards of total offense, senior running back TD Ayo-Durojaiye (Damascus, Md.) rushed for a team-high 51 yards and senior Jalen Jackson (Richmond, Va.) ran 10 times for 41 yards and a touchdown.
 
Big plays by the Villanova offense have been a recurrent theme for the Wildcats this season. Watkins has 10 completions of 40 yards or longer in his first five starts under center, including five passes of at least 60 yards. His 83-yard touchdown pass over the defense to Hayek with 4:40 left in the second quarter is tied for the fourth-longest pass play and touchdown in school history. Villanova has accumulated 25 offensive plays of 20 yards or longer this season, including 17 pass plays and eight rushes. The big-play potential of the offense has led to the offense scoring in 17 of the 20 quarters the team has played this season.
 
Watkins led scoring drives on the Wildcats first six possessions of the game, not including a kneel-down to end the first half. Villanova received the opening kickoff and opened the scoring with 10:21 to play in the first quarter when graduate kicker Matthew Mercurio (Salinas, Calif.) made a 39-yard field goal. Mercurio stayed perfect on the season with six extra points and the field goal on the day. He is now 4-of-4 on field goal attempts this year and 24-of-24 on PATs.
 
After the defense held the Black Bears to a quick three-and-out on the home team's first possession of the game, junior Rayjuon Pringle (Woodbridge, Va.) returned the ensuing punt 13 yards and Jackson capped a six-play, 41-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run for a 10-0 lead at the 5:45 mark of the opening period. Maine got on the board when Montigo Moss scored on a nine-yard reception with 34 seconds to play in the quarter.
 
Hayek hauled in touchdown passes for four yards, 83 yards and 18 yards in a span of less than seven minutes in the second period. His four-yard catch with 7:58 to play in the quarter finished off a grinding 12-play drive and extended the Wildcats margin to 17-7. Villanova pushed the lead to 24-7 on the 83-yard pass play from Watkins to Hayek, then scored with 1:02 remaining before the intermission when Hayek caught on a 18-yard pass. He topped off his day with a 42-yard touchdown reception with 9:22 left in the third quarter which made the score 38-14.
 
The final points of the game came with 8:38 to play in the fourth period when junior safety Jalen Goodman (Narberth, Pa.) recorded his first career interception and returned it 23 yards for the Wildcats first defensive touchdown of the season. It was a strong defensive effort for Villanova on the day and sophomore safety Ethan Potter (Chesapeake City, Md.) led the team with a career-high 11 tackles, including one of the Wildcats season-high-tying four tackles for loss.
 
The game was a matchup between two quarterbacks from the same hometown, as Watkins and Black Bears quarterback Joe Fagnano are each from Williamsport, Pa. Fagnano was 24-of-38 for 192 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the contest.
 
Hayek's four touchdown receptions are tied with his former teammate Changa Hodge for the second-most in a game in school history. Hodge caught four touchdown passes against Delaware on November 23, 2019. The school record for receiving touchdowns in a game is five by Mike Siani against Xavier on October 30, 1971. Hayek recorded his ninth career game and fourth this season with at least 100 receiving yards. He topped the 150-yard plateau for the first time and tallied his fifth career game with two or more touchdowns.
 
Villanova is headed into its bye week and will next play on October 15 at Richmond.