BROOKINGS, S.D.—In the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs #8 seed Villanova (10-3) gave top-seeded and unbeaten South Dakota State (13-0) all it could handle before ultimately falling by a 23-12 margin at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The game came down to the fourth quarter and the visiting Wildcats were within a five-point margin until the final 12:34 of the contest.
 
Sixth year running back Jalen Jackson (Richmond, Va.) scored Villanova's only touchdown of the day on a 25-yard run midway through the second quarter which gave the Wildcats a 6-3 lead. Later in the period a touchdown on a return of a blocked punt gave the lead – ultimately for good – back to South Dakota State. Villanova trimmed the deficit to 10-9 at halftime on a 46-yard field goal by sixth year kicker Matthew Mercurio (Salinas, Calif.) with 1:06 to play before the intermission. It is the longest made field goal for Mercurio in a Wildcats uniform and his 14^th career field goal for 40+ yards.
 
Mercurio made a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter which pulled Villanova to within 17-12 with 13:29 to play. That capped the Wildcats longest sustained drive of the game as they went 70 yards on 16 plays while consuming 8:25 of clock time. It was a potentially game-changing development on a day with gusty winds and with Villanova set to have the wind behind it for the fourth quarter. Despite the Jackrabbits having the wind advantage in the first and third periods, the Wildcats were outscored by a manageable 10-0 margin in those quarters.
 
"I am really proud of the entire team," Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said. "These guys have been very resilient all year. There was a lot of experience and a lot of maturity. I am proud of the group we put on the field today but unfortunately, we could not move on. We played hard, we fought hard, and we would like to have a few plays back. Although we came up short today, I am honored, privileged and humbled to coach these guys."
 
Villanova converted four consecutive third down plays on its long third quarter drive, including three pass completions from fifth year quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) to Jackson and fifth year running back DeeWil Barlee (Upper Darby, Pa.) along with a quarterback keeper for a five-yard gain.
 
After the Mercurio field goal however, South Dakota State needed just two plays to go 75 yards for a touchdown which stretched the margin to 23-12 with 12:34 to play. A nine-yard run by Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski started the drive and then running back Isaiah Davis broke away for a 66-yard touchdown run on the longest play of the game by either team. On the first play of the ensuing Wildcats possession, an interception by South Dakota State stymied whatever momentum Villanova had left entering the period.
 
Jackson rushed nine times for 67 yards and his ninth touchdown of the season to go along with a 16-yard reception for a team-high 83 all-purpose yards. Watkins rushed for 50 yards on 13 carries while going 6-of-18 through the air on an afternoon when neither team could get its passing game going. The two squads combined for just 175 total passing yards in winds that dropped the wind chill to as low as five degrees in pregame warmups.
 
Sixth year linebacker Danny Abraham (Randolph, Mass.) led a physical and strong defensive effort for the Wildcats with a career-high 12 tackles, while fifth year defensive lineman Jake Reichwein (Doylestown, Pa.) added a career-high nine total stops and sophomore linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) also had nine tackles. Villanova held the Jackrabbits to 5.9 yards per carry on 41 rushes; South Dakota State came into the game averaging 6.4 yards per rush and would have averaged only 4.4 yards per carry on Saturday were it not for Davis' 66-yard burst.
 
Villanova is only the sixth team during the Jackrabbits current 27-game winning streak to stay within 11 points of the defending national champions. The teams were meeting for the third time in the playoffs and the second time in the past three years.
 
The loss concludes what has been a terrific year for the Wildcats, who were picked seventh in the preseason CAA Football poll but instead ran off a 9-2 regular season and captured a share of the league championship with a 7-1 conference record. Villanova earned the automatic bid from the CAA to the Division I Football Championship and was rewarded with the #8 overall seed and a first round bye in the playoffs. Last week's second round win at home over Youngstown State (45-28) advanced the Wildcats to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons and the ninth time since 1997.