ALBANY, N.Y.—Sophomore wide receiver
Jaylan Sanchez (North Bergen, N.J.) made a leaping catch for his first career touchdown in the second quarter but No. 16 Villanova (3-2, 1-1 CAA Football) was otherwise stymied offensively in a 31-10 loss to UAlbany (3-2, 1-0 CAA Football) at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The teams were locked in a defensive battle and tied 10-10 until the final minute of the first half before the Great Danes took the lead and held the Wildcats scoreless the rest of the way.
Sanchez caught four passes for 50 yards and the score while fifth year running back
DeeWil Barlee (Upper Darby, Pa.) amassed 96 yards on nine carries (71 yards) and a 25-yard reception. Both teams kicked field goals on their first drives of the game and Villanova later pulled even at 10-10 with 11:08 to play in the second quarter when Sanchez caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from fifth year signal caller
Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.). The play capped a nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive on the Wildcats first possession of the second quarter.
UAlbany put together a nine-play drive which consumed nearly all of the final five minutes of the first half and culminated with a 19-yard touchdown pass just 19 seconds before the intermission. That drive gave the Great Danes a 17-10 lead going into the break and the teams combined for three punts without scoring a point in the third quarter. The defensive stalemate was snapped by a UAlbany touchdown at the 12:50 mark of the final period.
Sophomore linebacker
Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) led Villanova defensively with six total tackles and a pass breakup. He and fifth year defensive end
Chandon Pierre (Reno, Nev.) each recorded solo sacks, with Pierre bringing down Poffenbarger for an 11-yard loss in the fourth quarter. Fifth year safety
Jalen Goodman (Narberth, Pa.), senior safety
Tyrell Mims (Philadelphia, Pa.) and senior safety
Ethan Potter (Chesapeake City, Md.) all had five tackles.
The game was tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter after sixth year kicker
Matthew Mercurio (Salinas, Calif.) and Great Danes kicker John Opalko kicked 40+ yard field goals. Mercurio opened the scoring on a 44-yard kick with 10:33 to play in the first period. It was his 12
th career field goal of 40+ yards and was within two yards of the longest in a Wildcats uniform for the former transfer from FBS member San Jose State. Opalko answered with a 42-yard field goal at the 6:01 mark of the first quarter.
NOTEWORTHY
- Fifth year wide receiver Rayjuon Pringle (Woodbridge, Va.) had two receptions for 40 yards and moved up one spot in school history to 12th all-time with 1,867 receiving yards. He passed Brandyn Harvey (2006-09) with a 33-yard grab in the first quarter. Pringle began the day leading the country with an average of 27.5 yards per reception.
- Watkins finished the day 17-of-31 for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked seven times by a UAlbany defense which was tied for fifth nationally in sacks entering the contest. Villanova committed four turnovers on the day with the two interceptions as well as two lost fumbles.
- Senior punter Nathan Fondacaro (Sewell, N.J.) had touchbacks on both of his punts on the day, including a 56-yarder in the second quarter. Fondacaro has 32 career punts of 50+ yards, including seven this season and three in his past two games.
NEXT UP
- Villanova goes on the road for the second straight week when it travels to North Carolina A&T for a 4 p.m. kickoff next Saturday. The game will be the first ever between the teams in the Aggies first year as a CAA Football member.
