BROOKVILLE, N.Y.—Senior running backs DeeWil Barlee (Upper Darby, Pa.) and TD Ayo-Durojaiye (Damascus, Md.) combined to rush for 286 yards as No. 6 Villanova (2-0) outlasted LIU (0-2) for a 38-21 victory at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday afternoon. In their first road game of the season the Wildcats led 17-7 at halftime and stretched their lead to as many as 24 points twice during the second half. Barlee (177 yards) and Ayo-Durojaiye (109 yards) each recorded career-high rushing totals and senior wide receiver Jaaron Hayek (Wayne, N.J.) tallied his second straight game with 100+ receiving yards with 120 yards on just four catches.
 
Big plays have been a recurrent theme for Villanova in the first two weeks of the season against Lehigh and LIU. Junior quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) has thrown eight completions of 38 yards or longer in his first two career starts, including three of those long plays in Saturday's victory. He threw passes of 48 yards to Hayek in the first quarter and 68 yards in the second period along with a 60-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Dez Boykin (Whitehall, Pa.) which pushed the Wildcats margin to 17-0 late in the second quarter.
 
Watkins was 7-of-12 overall for 196 yards with two touchdown passes and four interceptions. Through two games played this season Watkins is 18-of-27 through the air for 494 yards and five touchdowns. He has racked up more than half of his passing yards (262) on four passes of 60 yards or longer – two each to Hayek and Boykin.
 
Villanova found just as much success in its run game against the Sharks and finished the day with 365 rushing yards, its highest total in exactly six years since running for 396 yards against Lehigh on September 10, 2016. Barlee notched the third 100-yard game of his career and Ayo-Durojaiye topped 100 yards for the first time. Watkins ran for 39 yards and a touchdown to finish the day with 235 yards of total offense and first-year running back Eli Smith (Houston, Texas) ran for 44 yards on six carries.
 
For the second straight week the first points scored in the game were on a field goal by graduate transfer Matthew Mercurio (Salinas, Calif.). He made a 34-yarder with 1:06 to play in the first quarter and Watkins ran in for an 11-yard score with 5:45 to play before halftime for a 10-0 lead. In the third quarter, a five-yard run by Barlee just over a minute into the period made the score 24-7 and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Watkins to senior wide receiver Rayjuon Pringle (Woodbridge, Va.) four minutes later extended the margin to 31-7.
 
LIU scored with 13:13 to play on a five-play, 46-yard scoring drive but the Wildcats countered with 6:17 to play to restore their 24-point lead. Starting from its own 19-yard line, Villanova needed just two plays and 49 seconds to find the end zone. Barlee broke away for a career-long 71-yard run and Ayo-Durojaiye scored on a 10-yard rush.
 
Despite throwing four interceptions for only the third time in the last seven seasons, the Wildcats wound up just a minus-one in the turnover column. Sophomore defensive lineman Jake Green (Ashland, Pa.) batted away a pass and caught the deflection for an interception in the first quarter, sophomore linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) recovered a fumble in the third quarter and sophomore cornerback Tyrell Mims (Philadelphia, Pa.) picked off a pass later in the period. Junior safety Jalen Goodman (Narberth, Pa.) led Villanova with seven tackles.
 
A win on the road was nothing new for the Wildcats, who were 5-1 away from home last season and have now won 13 of their last 17 road games dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante is 18-10 in road games during his career and the Wildcats are 52-35 (.598) overall on the road going all the way back to 2008.
Villanova will make another trip to New York next weekend when visits Army West Point on Saturday at 12 p.m.