Villanova Rallies Past Tarleton State, 26-21, To Reach Semifinals Of FCS Playoffs For First Time Since 2010
Rob Washburn
Villanova 26, Tarleton State 21
Box Score
STEPHENVILLE, Texas (December 13, 2025) - No. 12 Villanova overcame an early 14-point deficit and rallied past No. 4 Tarleton State, 26-21, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs on Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats (12-2), who extended their winning streak to 11, advance to the semifinals where they will host Illinois State at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 20. It’s the fourth trip to the semifinals, and the first since 2010, for Villanova while it marks the 11
th time in the past 13 years that a CAA team has reached the final four.
For the second straight week, freshman wide receiver Braden Reed caught the game-winning touchdown pass, hauling in an 11-yard strike from Pat McQuaide with 12:49 to play as the Wildcats took their first lead of the game.
Villanova’s offense piled up 426 total yards and controlled the ball for 33:41, while the Wildcats’ defense limited a Tarleton State offense that was averaging a nation’s-best 44.1 points per game to just 266 yards and only seven points over the final 52 minutes.
Several miscues put Villanova in a 14-0 hole in the opening 7:30 of the game. The Wildcats threw an interception in the end zone on their first drive, surrendered an 80-yard touchdown pass on the next play, and then had a punt blocked that resulted in another Tarleton score.
The Wildcats dominated the remainder of the first half. Jack Barnum got VU on the board with a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter after a nearly 10-minute drive. An interception by Anthony Hawkins set the Wildcats up in good field position, and they cashed it in on a gadget play as receiver Reed tossed a 27-yard scoring pass to Lucas Kopecky to make it 17-9. Barnum added a 42-yard field goal to pull within 14-12 at the half.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter. The Texas drove 68 yards on the opening drive of the second half to go up 21-12, but Villanova answered quickly as Ja’briel Mace broke off a 21-yard run followed by a 47-yard sprint to the end zone to trim the deficit back to two.
The Wildcats then put together a 12-play, 78-yard drive that spanned more than seven minutes from late in the third period to early in the fourth. It was capped as McQuaide found Reed on a slant on 3
rd-and-11 for a TD that put Villanova up 26-21.
Tarleton took advantage of a series of VU penalties to drive to the Wildcats’ 11-yard with two minutes to go, but Damill Bostic was able to force a Texans’ receiver out of bounds on a 4
th-down throw to the end zone. VU then sealed the win as Reed made a 6-yard catch for a first down on 3
rd-and-2.
Mace finished with 151 yards and a TD rushing on 18 carries. McQuaide was 16-of-33 passing for 180 yards with top target Luke Colella making five receptions for 71 yards.
Defensively, All-America linebacker Shane Hartzell made a team-high seven tackles and 2.5 TFL’s, Jason Hall had six stops and 1.5 TFL’s and Omari Bursey recorded a team-high three TFL’s and a sack.