WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.—Fifth year collegiate quarterback Pat McQuaide (Solon, Ohio) surpassed 5,000 career passing yards and sophomore running back David Avit (Frederick, Md.) had his best game of the season with three touchdowns, but No. 11/12 Villanova (1-2, 0-1 CAA Football) was unable to recover from a fast start by the nation's top-ranked passing offense in a 51-33 defeat at No. 21/18 Monmouth (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon. The conference opener for both teams featured more than 1,000 combined yards of offense by the two teams.
 
McQuaide came on strong as the game went on and threw for 220 yards in the second half to finish the day 25-of-43 overall for 333 yards and two scores. Including the past two seasons as the starter at Nicholls and his first season with the Wildcats this year, McQuaide has thrown for 5,073 career yards and 30 touchdowns in 27 collegiate games played. He bookended the Villanova scoring on Saturday with a 10-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman receiver Brandon Binkowski (Haymarket, Va.) in the first quarter and a 30-yard strike to senior tight end Antonio Johnson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the final period.
 
The teams combined for 61 first downs, 84 points and 1,135 yards of total offense on the day. Fifth year collegian and fellow Wildcats newcomer Luke Colella (Wexford, Pa.) was McQuaide's top target on the day with a career high nine catches for 117 yards. He tallied his third career 100-yard game and second in three games this season. Avit led Villanova's running game with 18 carries for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He tallied his third career game with 100+ yards and his second with at least three scores.
 
Hawks quarterback Derek Robertson threw touchdown passes of 75 yards and 72 yards in the first quarter to set an early tone as Monmouth scored 46 seconds into the game and led 17-7 by the end of the opening period. The margin grew to 24 points (31-7) with 1:57 to play before halftime, but Avit scored on a two-yard run 49 seconds before the intermission and on a 19-yard score on the opening drive of the second half. Those touchdowns cut the Wildcats deficit to 31-21 at the 13:04 mark of the third quarter. Two more touchdowns by the Hawks before the end of the period put the game all but out of reach.
 
McQuaide connected with eight different receivers on the afternoon. True freshman Braden Reed (Pottstown, Pa.) had four catches for 71 yards and graduate student Lucas Kopecky (Rocky Hill, N.J.) extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 14 straight. Kopecky is a former Villanova lacrosse player who joined the football team as a graduate walk-on before the 2024 season. He has now played 14 collegiate games on the gridiron and has recorded at least one catch in each one. His career stats include 34 receptions for 433 yards and three scores.
 
Senior linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) tallied his first double digit tackle game of the season and ninth of his career with a game high 10 total stops. He had six solo tackles and recorded Villanova's only sack of the day. Senior safety Christian Sapp (East Stroudsburg, Pa.) and redshirt freshman Anthony Hawkins (Arnold, Md.) had seven tackles apiece.
 
For the first time since 1954, the Wildcats have given up 50+ points in consecutive games. That note comes with the caveat that last week Villanova allowed 52 points to the nation's No. 2 FBS team – Penn State – in a performance which proved to more respectable than the final point total would indicate. In this week's game, the Hawks set the record for the most first downs (34) allowed by the Wildcats in a single game. Villanova was additionally set back by 13 penalties totaling 124 yards.
 
Saturday's game was the second of a stretch in which the Wildcats play three of four on the road. The exception in the four-game span is next week when Villanova returns home to play William & Mary on September 27 for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.