VILLANOVA, Pa.—After more than 33 minutes of clock time without a point being scored, it was the culmination of a 99-yard scoring drive which finally turned the tide for good as No. 13 Villanova (6-2, 3-1 CAA Football) held off New Hampshire (4-4, 2-2 CAA Football) in a Wildcats grudge match at Villanova Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The turning point of the 14-6 victory on Homecoming Weekend came early in the fourth quarter when the defense made its second goal-line stand of the game to force a turnover on downs.
 
On the ensuring drive, Villanova drove 99 yards on nine plays in 5:24 and took a 14-3 lead when fifth year wide receiver Devin Smith (Durham, N.H.) caught a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:21 to play. The result marks the fourth straight Homecoming win for the Wildcats, who are now 38-21 (.644) all-time in Homecoming games. The win is the 13^th straight overall at home for Villanova and the first time that VU has tallied a home win over New Hampshire since the 2009 national championship season. This week marked only the third time since then that UNH came to Villanova Stadium.
 
Villanova's defense made every big stop that it needed to on a day where the two teams combined for just two scoring plays on 112 total offensive snaps. Senior linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) had a career-high 20 tackles – 13 stops in the first half alone – and was one of four Wildcats who made at least eight stops on the day. Fifth year linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) recorded a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss, the most in a single game by a Villanova player in 16 years.
 
"We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game and it sure enough was," Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante said. "I say to the guys all the time, the only stats that matter to me are points for, points against, and turnovers. So, I have to tip my hat to the defense. My takeaway is that our guys are tough, they're resilient, they came out and were fighting. We played a heck of a game, and our guys came out on the right side."
 
Sixth year Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Kopecky (Rocky Hill, N.J.) with 11:27 in the second quarter and the 19-yard pass to Smith midway through the fourth period. There were no points scored by either team in between those touchdown passes – a span of game which included a combined 58 plays by the two teams and 33:06 on the clock. New Hampshire was limited to two field goals on three tries on the day: a 21-yarder with 1:09 to play in the first quarter and a 40-yard attempt with 1:01 left in the game. An on-side kick after that field goal was unsuccessful and Villanova took a knee on the final three snaps of the contest.
 
The biggest plays made by the Wildcats defense were at the goal line in the second quarter and the start of the fourth period. New Hampshire had first-and-goal from the seven-yard line on a long drive in the second quarter and then had third-and-goal at the one with 4:09 to play before halftime. The third-down play was a quarterback sneak which Hartzell and senior defensive lineman Ayden Howard (McKinney, Texas) snuffed out. New Hampshire tried the same play on fourth down and was stopped by Hartzell and sixth year safety Jalen Goodman (Narberth, Pa.).
 
Later in the game, New Hampshire had the ball at the end of the third period and started the fourth quarter with second-and-goal from the seven-yard line. A four-yard gain brought up third-and-goal from the three, and a run by the quarterback was stopped by fifth year safety Ethan Potter (Chesapeake City, Md.). On fourth down, New Hampshire was stifled again by fifth year cornerback Isas Waxter (Newark, N.J.).
 
Villanova finished the day with a narrow 257-254 edge in yards of total offense. Watkins was 7-of-13 through the air for 112 yards and the two scores. On the 99-yard drive in the fourth quarter, a 20-yard run by Watkins which got the Wildcats to midfield and a 24-yard scamper by sophomore Ja'briel Mace (Somers Point, N.J.) two plays later were pivotal plays of the possession.

True freshman running back David Avit (Potomac, Md.) had a team-high 59 rushing yards on 14 carries, while Mace ran three times for 35 yards and Watkins had 30 yards on seven rushes. Kopecky has caught at least one pass in all five games he has played in this season as a walk-on graduate student who previously played four years on the Villanova lacrosse team.
 
Villanova returns to action on the road at Hampton next week for a 1 p.m. kickoff.