UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—An upstart Villanova defense which is quickly gaining experience in the early stages of the season was game for the challenge against the second-ranked FBS team in the country and the Wildcats held their own for large stretches of the game against No. 2 Penn State (3-0) on Saturday afternoon. In the team's annual game against an FBS foe, No. 11 Villanova (1-1) wound up with a 52-6 decision at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
 
The game ended with a highlight reel play for the Wildcats when redshirt freshman wide receiver Brandon Binkowski (Haymarket, Va.) made a leaping, one-handed catch in the back of the end zone for his first career touchdown and Villanova's only points of the game. He hauled in the pass from junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks (Reading, Pa.), with replay review confirming he had control of the ball with a foot in the end zone. It was the first career touchdown pass for Maddocks.
 
The announced attendance of 109,516 is the largest that the Wildcats have ever played in front of at any venue. It is the second time that Villanova has ever played in front of a crowd above 100,000 – the only other time came in the same venue in 2021 when Penn State announced an attendance of 105,790 in what was – at the time – the first meeting in 70 years between the in-state teams. These two games of 100,000+ fans in State College surpass the Wildcats largest-ever home attendance of 97,803 at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in a 1953 game against Georgia.
 
Villanova entered the 2025 season with the task of replacing six defensive starters from last year. There are seven players in the Wildcats defensive rotation who had six or fewer career games played entering Saturday's contest, while the trio of linebacker JR Strauss (Reading, Pa.), safety Anthony Hawkins (Arnold, Md.) and safety Garrett Rogan (Mercer Island, Wash.) have each been first time starters in the first two weeks of the season.
 
The first drive of the game saw the Nittany Lions go 12 plays and 78 yards for a touchdown at the 8:48 mark of the first quarter, but Penn State's next four possessions resulted in two punts and two field goals in a span that stretched to the 6:39 mark of the second period. On those four drives the Nittany Lions were a combined 1-of-5 on third down. One of the young players on the Villanova defense – redshirt freshman linebacker Omari Bursey (Broomfield, Colo.) – recorded his first career interception in the third quarter. It was also the first time in three games this season that the Nittany Lions had committed a turnover.
 
Senior linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) had a team high nine tackles and 21 different players recorded at least one stop. Redshirt freshmen Anthony Hawkins (Arnold, Md.) and Jamie Tyson (Somers Point, N.J.) each had two pass breakups.
 
Sophomore running back David Avit (Frederick, Md.) became the 43^rd player in school history to top 1,000 career rushing yards. He reached the milestone on a 27-yard burst late in the second quarter and finished the day with 10 carries for a team-high 53 yards and now has 198 rushes for 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns through the first 16 games of his collegiate career. The running back trio of Avit, Isaiah Ragland (Alexandria, Va.) and Ja'briel Mace (Somers Point, N.J.) who are all in their second years of collegiate eligibility combined for 82 rushing yards on 23 carries.
 
The game was the 10^th all-time in State College for the Wildcats, who visited Penn State eight times between 1902 and 1949, then did not return for more than seven decades until the 2021 season. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series by a 7-3-1 margin with Saturday's win. It also marked the first time since 1945 that Villanova played a team ranked in the top two of the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The only higher ranked team the Wildcats have ever faced was two contests versus Army West Point when the Black Knights were ranked No. 1 in the country during the 1944 and 1945 seasons.
 
Villanova has now played 28 games against FBS competition since becoming an FCS member in 1985. Although the Wildcats are 4-24 in these matchups, many of the games have been close, with 10 games decided by a single touchdown and Villanova tallying three wins in those games. This was the first time in its 28 matchups against FBS opponents that the Wildcats allowed a team to reach the 50-point plateau, while Vilanova's late score maintained its streak of not being shutout in any of its FBS matchups.
 
Next week will bring a second straight road game and the start of CAA Football competition for Villanova when it travels to Monmouth for a 1 p.m. contest.