Villanova Holds Off Holy Cross To Advance To Quarterfinals of FCS Playoffs
Rob Washburn
Box Score
Fifth-seeded Villanova advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs for the first time since 2014 after holding off Patriot League champ Holy Cross, 21-16, Friday night at Villanova Stadium.
The Wildcats (10-2) will meet the winner of Saturday’s game between South Dakota State and Sacramento State, while Holy Cross had its season end with a 10-3 mark.
Justin Covington led the Villanova offense with 62 yards and two touchdowns rushing, including a big 12-yard first-down run that helped seal the victory with 1:47 remaining. Wildcats’ linebacker Forrest Rhyne, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, had a monster night with a career-high 21 tackles and two sacks.
After a scoreless opening period, Villanova got a big play from its defense early in the second quarter when Ethan Potter intercepted a pass at the HC 43-yard line. A 30-yard pass from Daniel Smith to Jalen Jackson moved the Wildcats to the Crusaders’ 3-yard line, and Covington found the end zone from 2 yards out on fourth down to put VU on top 7-0, with 11:20 left in the first half.
Villanova’s offense found its rhythm late in the second quarter. Starting at its own 21, the Wildcats put together a 10-play drive that ended with a 7-yard scoring run from Covington to extend the Villanova advantage to 14-0 with 1:12 left before halftime. Covington had 24 yards rushing on the drive and also caught a 20-yard screen pass.
Holy Cross battled back in the third quarter. The Crusaders drove 68 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half to cut the deficit to seven. HC then took advantage of a VU turnover on the kickoff and pulled within 14-10 on a 22-yard field goal with 6:10 to go in the third quarter.
The Wildcats responded quickly as TD Ayo-Durojaiye returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the HC 37. After a 19-yard scramble by Smith, Jackson broke through the middle of the Crusader defense for a 14-yard touchdown run that pushed VU’s lead to 21-10.
The Crusaders fought back once again as quarterback Matthew Sluka capped a 64-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run that brought the Crusaders within 21-16 with 6:22 remaining. VU’s Jared Nelson was able to pick off the two-point conversion pass.
Holy Cross drove into Wildcats’ territory late in the game, but Villanova was able to force a turnover on downs with 2:01 to go and then run out the clock.
Holy Cross finished with 347 yards of offense to Villanova’s 281 and the Crusaders ran 25 more plays. Sluka ran for 106 yards and a TD and threw for 169 yards.
Along with Rhyne’s stellar performance, Jalen Goodman made 12 stops for the Wildcats.