VILLANOVA, Pa.—The trophy is staying home, and as a result the Wildcats hope to as well as a potential host in the first round of the FCS playoffs. It was the end of an era in the last ever matchup as conference foes for Villanova and Delaware, who played their last regular season finale rivalry game at Villanova Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The game was well worthy of the classic battles these teams have waged against each other dating back to the 19^th century, but the result was a familiar one as the Wildcats defeated the Blue Hens for the 17^th time in the last 19 meetings.
 
Playoff implications were on the line for No. 15/14 Villanova (9-3, 6-2 CAA Football), while the contest was the last one for Delaware (9-2, 6-2 CAA Football) as an FCS program. The game was tied several minutes into the fourth quarter before the Wildcats scored 10 unanswered points for a 38-28 victory. How unexpected are the twists and turns that have defined this rivalry? The game came down to a made field goal kicked into a gusty wind at the 8:41 mark of the final period, followed just a minute later by a linebacker scoring his second offensive touchdown of the season.
 
Villanova and Delaware, who first played each other in 1895, agreed to a name for the rivalry in 2007 when the annual matchup attained the billing of "Battle of the Blue" and the programs vied for the Battle of the Blue Trophy each year. Prior to the "Battle of the Blue" era, the Blue Hens led the all-time series by a slim 20-19-1 margin. The tables turned as soon as the trophy came into play. Villanova went 16-2 in the "Battle of the Blue" era and the all-time series now belongs in the Wildcats favor by a 35-22-1 margin. Villanova has played – and beaten – Delaware more times than any other opponent in its storied football history.
 
If the finale needed a hero on Saturday, it had several, but maybe no one staked their claim better than fifth year linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) who is the first Villanova player in any kind of recent memory to score both a defensive touchdown and an offensive touchdown in the same game. He returned an interception 38 yards for a pick-six in the first quarter – his second career score and first defensive touchdown – and added it to it with a game-changing six-yard rushing touchdown to close the scoring in the fourth quarter. The three-year starter on defense has 10 rushing yards and two touchdowns to go along with making a reception this season.
 
Bell shouldn't quit his day job, though. He tied for the game high with 11 tackles against Delaware, recovered a fumble as time expired to end the game, and scored the Wildcats first defensive points of the entire season with his big interception return. Bell is believed to be the first player in Villanova's FCS era (since 1985) to score offensive and defensive touchdowns in the same game.
 
True freshman running back David Avit (Potomac, Md.) scored a touchdown for the fourth straight game as the Wildcats drove 75 yards on eight plays on their first possession of the game. Avit scampered into the end zone from the one-yard line with 4:39 to play in the opening quarter and the Villanova lead eventually swelled to 21-0 on Bell's pick-six with 2:55 left in the period and the first career touchdown for sophomore wide receiver Kenyon Miles (Huntington Station, N.Y.) on a 36-yard reception at the 9:49 mark of the second quarter.
 
Nothing comes easily in a grudge match, and the Blue Hens scored two touchdowns 41 seconds apart to tie the game at 21-21 going into halftime. Sixth year quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) restored the lead on a 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but Delaware answered again and tied the game at 28-28 with 1:44 to play in that period.
 
The score stayed tied until fifth year kicker Ethan Gettman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) converted an adventurous 31-yard field goal with 8:41 remaining in the contest. Kicking straight into a cold wind which gusted between 23 and 38 miles per hour throughout the game, he put enough power behind his kick to will the ball over the goalpost for a 31-28 advantage. The ball first soared high into the air and easily through the uprights before the wind nearly pushed it all the way back, fate and good fortune intervening to keep the ball just true enough for Gettman's fifth consecutive made field goal over the last four games.
 
Watkins ended the day with a team-high 79 rushing yards and a touchdown while going 13-of-30 through the air for 203 yards and the scoring pass to Miles. Seven different receivers caught a pass, including Avit who had three catches for 22 yards and rushed for 29 yards and his ninth touchdown of the year.
 
It wasn't just Bell who stood out defensively. Senior linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) matched Bell with 11 tackles, four different players had a sack and the Wildcats made seven tackles for losses totaling 36 yards. Senior defensive tackle Obinna Nwobodo (Wilmington, Del.), a Delaware native, had two of those tackles for loss and a sack for a loss of 16 yards. Senior linebacker Richie Kimmel (Holmes, Pa.), redshirt freshman defensive end Nigel McSween (Newark, N.J.) and redshirt freshman cornerback Zahmir Dawud (North Brunswick, N.J.) also had sacks.
 
Villanova will await its playoff fate on Sunday afternoon when the selections for the 2024 Division I Football Championship are announced live on ESPN at 12:30 p.m.