SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Fifth year kicker Ethan Gettman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) made two of the eight longest field goals in school history but #11 seed Villanova (10-4) saw its season come to an end in a 13-6 loss to #6 seed University of the Incarnate Word (11-2) in the second round of the Division I Football Championship at Benson Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A cold and rainy afternoon saw both teams fail to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter in what turned into a tight battle in the first-ever meeting between the teams. A stingy Wildcats defense stymied UIW into their lowest point total in more than five years.
 
Gettman kicked a 49-yard field goal with 4:02 to play before halftime and then topped it with a 52-yard make at the 2:24 mark of the third period. The latter attempt is the second-longest field goal in school history and was the Wildcats first make from 50 yards or longer in the last quarter century. It was a career day for Gettman given the wet conditions, as he added to his field goal success with career highs of eight punts and 385 punting yards. He landed five of his punts inside the 20-yard line and had a career best 48.1 yards per attempt.
 
The 52-yard field goal trails only the school record kick from 53 yards made by Frank Venezia against Connecticut on October 7, 1995. Gettman is also the first Villanova kicker with a field goal from 50 yards or longer since Casey Hannon's 50-yarder against James Madison on October 1, 1999.
 
The turning point of the game occurred when the Cardinals scored the game's only touchdown less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Roy Alexander caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Zach Calzada with 14:08 to play which gave UIW the lead for good at 10-6. The next three drives of the game saw momentum swing each way, but a turnover on downs by Villanova with 9:37 to play was the Wildcats last good chance for a late rally attempt.
 
"First of all, congratulations to UIW," Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante said. "They found a way to get it done and secure the victory. Based on what I saw on tape, if you would have told me we were going to hold that offense to 13 points today, I would have taken it every time. [13 points] points got it done for them today. I am proud of everyone of our players. I told them congratulations on a great season, but unfortunately it came to an end today."
 
Villanova punted with 12:57 remaining and pinned the Cardinals at their own seven-yard line, then recovered a fumble at the 38-yard line just 45 seconds later to give the offense a short field. That was the possession that resulted in the turnover on downs however, as fifth year wide receiver Devin Smith (Durham, N.C.) was ruled to be just short of a first down on a second down reception at the 19-yard line. UIW then came up with stops on third and fourth down to take over from their own 21-yard line with 9:37 to play.
 
After the Cardinals made a 35-yard field goal with 4:14 to play for the final points of the game, the first pass on the ensuring Wildcats drive was intercepted at the Villanova 30-yard line and UIW maintained just enough offensive momentum to run out the clock for the final four minutes.
 
The game's outcome did not obscure what was another terrific effort for the Wildcats defense. Fifth year linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) tied a career high with 15 tackles and Villanova had three players reach double figures in total stops for the third time this season. Senior linebacker Richie Kimmel (Holmes, Pa.) and redshirt freshman cornerback Zahmir Dawud (North Brunswick, N.J.) each had career highs with 11 tackles and 10 stops, respectively.
 
Dawud and Bell each were each credited with forced fumbles and fifth year safety Ethan Potter (Chesapeake City, Md.) recovered the fumble forced by Dawud in the fourth quarter. Villanova amassed 94 total tackles on the day and held a powerful Cardinals offense to 24 points below their season average. It was the first time since October 28 of last season that UIW was held below 20 points and their lowest point total in a span of 66 games since scoring six points against Sam Houston State on September 21, 2019.
 
Watkins finishes his collegiate career with a 26-12 record as a starting quarterback. He topped 7,000 career passing yards during the game and was 12-of-27 on the day for 103 yards. Junior wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez (North Bergen, N.J.) had a season-high six catches for 54 yards and extended his streak of catching a pass in all 14 games played this season.
 
Fifth year wide receiver Lucas Kopecky (Rocky Hill, N.J.), a college football newcomer this season after playing four years for the Villanova men's lacrosse team, also continued his streak of catching a pass in every game he played in this year. Kopecky made his college football debut on September 21 against Maryland and played in all 11 games the rest of the season. He had at least one catch in all 11 contests, including two for 23 yards in today's game.
 
True freshman running back David Avit (Potomac, Md.) had a team-high 36 rushing yards on the day. He wraps up his collegiate rookie season ranked third in the country in rushing yards by a freshman. Avit ran for 923 yards while playing in all 14 games on the season. His total is the 14^th most in a single season in school history and the second-most by a first year player.
 
Villanova ends the season with a 10-4 overall record. It began the day as one of six FCS teams to have won 10 or more games in at least three of the last four years. The Wildcats have the most wins among current CAA Football teams over the last five years (38) and are tied for the most wins in the league over the last 10 seasons (72).