VILLANOVA, Pa.—Led by sixth year quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.) who averaged better than 10 yards a carry, No. 6 Villanova (1-0) rushed for 246 yards in its season opener and defeated No. 25 Youngstown State (0-1) by a 24-17 count in a Top 25 battle at Villanova Stadium on Thursday night. Watkins rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Wildcats to a victorious season opener for the eighth consecutive year.
 
Watkins accounted for 197 total yards and tallied his fourth career game with over 100 yards on the ground. Villanova looks to have depth in its running game this season and its top two running backs matched Watkins by combining for 107 yards and another score. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Ragland (Alexandria, Va.) ran for 65 yards and a touchdown in his first career start and true freshman David Avit (Potomac, Md.) picked up 42 yards on five touches. Watkins and the two running backs combined to average 9.7 yards per carry on 22 rushes.
 
"Any time you get a win is a good evening, a good game," Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante said. "We are excited about starting out 1-0. I told the guys before the game, first game there are going to be mistakes, and whoever makes the fewest mistakes is probably going to be the team that comes out on top. Whoever plays the most physical will have a chance to come out on top. So the good thing is I think we played pretty physical and there will be things to correct, but we won the turnover battle 3-0."
 
The first points of the season came with 8:57 to play in the first quarter when fifth year kicker Ethan Gettman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) made a 42-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. It was the eighth career make from 40 or more yards out for Gettman, who was making his Villanova debut as a graduate transfer from Bryant. Gettman also had a 62-yard punt in the game and averaged 46.0 yards on three punts.
 
Watkins scored the season's first touchdown on a 14-yard run with 1:23 to play in the first quarter as the Wildcats opened a 10-0 lead. The margin stretched to 24-3 by the 10:52 mark of the third quarter following a three-yard touchdown run by Ragland late in the second quarter (2:20 remaining) and a 29-yard burst by Watkins on Villanova's first possession after halftime.
 
The matchup of preseason top-25 squads was also a rematch of the second round of the FCS playoffs last season. It was the second straight game the visiting Penguins played on the Main Line, as the Wildcats defeated Youngstown State (45-28) at Villanova Stadium on December 2, 2023. Thursday night's contest marked the first time since 1968-69 that Villanova played its home opener against the same opponent it faced in its final home game of the previous season.
 
Both teams showed the potential that earned them spots in each of the preseason national polls. Ferrante alluded to the turnover battle which favored the Wildcats, who got an interception and a fumble recovery from senior linebacker Richie Kimmel (Holmes, Pa.) in his first career start. Kimmel had a career-high 10 tackles and redshirt freshman Zahmir Dawud (North Brunswick, N.J.) recorded an interception. Villanova's top two tacklers from last season, linebackers Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.), each had 11 total stops.
 
Youngstown State was a worthy opening opponent however and trimmed the Wildcats lead to 24-17 at the 4:24 mark of the fourth quarter. Penguins quarterback Beau Brungard threw an 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:30 to play in the third period and Tyshon King rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the final quarter. Youngstown State got the ball back with 2:27 to play in the game but was pinned at its own seven-yard line on a 62-yard punt by Gettman. The Penguins went 30 yards on six plays, but Brungard's pass on 2^nd-and-7 from the YSU 37-yard line was intercepted by Kimmel to seal the outcome.
 
Villanova alternates home and road contests for the first six games of the season. Next week sees the Wildcats travel to Colgate for a 6 p.m. contest in Hamilton, N.Y. on September 7.
 
NOTES: Kimmel's fumble recovery was the second of his career, while the interceptions by he and Dawud were each career firsts … Bell and Hartzell each registered their fifth career double-digit tackle games … Watkins topped 100 rushing yards for the first time since October 14, 2023 against Elon … Villanova's streak of eight straight season-opening wins is the second-longest active streak among FCS teams … The Wildcats have won 10 straight home games and are 43-5 when leading at halftime during the Mark Ferrante head coaching era.