VILLANOVA, Pa. – North Carolina A&T crept past the 50-yard line five times in Saturday's game against No. 12 ranked Villanova, yet only scored a single field goal in a 31-3 loss at Villanova Stadium. The Aggies passing game difficulties continued. A week after throwing for 90 yards, the Aggies threw for 50 on Saturday, dropping to 1-9 overall and 0-6 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Meanwhile, the Wildcats rushed for 223 yards to improve to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Multiple long kick returns and costly penalties against Villanova gifted the Aggies favorable field position during several drives. However, A&T's inconsistency on offense made it difficult to keep up with the high-powered Wildcats in the second half. Villanova scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away from the Aggies, who, up to that point, had been able to stay competitive with their defense.
The defensive unit was highlighted by linebackers Kade Moledor and Javon Armstrong-Grady, who assisted each other on a critical third-down sack in the second quarter, and defensive end Henry Daniel who tallied 2.5 tackles for loss.
Senior Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins led Villanova's offense with 167 passing yards and a touchdown. He also added two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, effectively putting away any hopes of an Aggies comeback. True freshman Braxton Thomas and graduate Justin Fomby split time at quarterback for the A&T.
Thomas completed 4 of 13 passes for 30 yards and added 49 rushing yards, but Fomby led the team's only scoring drive. The Aggies return specialists were the unlikely stars. Redshirt senior Aaron Harris and freshman Cortez Lane both had returns of 40 yards or more.
"Our inability to push the ball downfield and produce points, again, (was) very disappointing," A&T head coach Vincent Brown said. "And we knew we were a little shorthanded with some guys that are out, but still, we kind of pride ourselves on being able to find a way with the people that we have, and we came up short."
After Watkins threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaylan Sanchez on Villanova's first drive of the game, Harris gave the Aggies an excellent chance to respond by returning the kick 40 yards to the A&T 42-yard line. Unfortunately for the Aggies, the offense made it only 16 yards downfield before punting. Later in the second quarter, Villanova kicked a 33-yard field goal to increase their lead to 10-0. Harris stepped up again, returning it 27 yards to the A&T 37.
This time, A&T would take advantage of Fomby under center. Five carries and an 11-yard catch from freshman Daniel Coles, combined with an unsportsmanlike penalty on Villanova, helped set up junior placekicker Andrew Brown for a 34-yard field goal that cut into the lead before the half.
But Villanova's final drive of the first half and its first drive of the second half would heavily define Saturday's outcome. The Wildcats faced a 3rd-and-11 from their 1-yard line with 1:09 remaining in the first half. A stop would give the Aggies good field position and a chance to put points on the board before the half. A&T forced an incompletion, but a roughing the passer call gave the Wildcats a first down, ending any hopes of A&T getting the ball back before the half.
Watkins marched downfield in the Wildcats opening drive of the half but faced a 4th-and-9 from the A&T 34. The Aggies pass rush flushed Watkins out of the pocket and had him desperately trying to avoid a sack back at the 50-yard line. But a mistake in the secondary allowed David Avit to get open for a 21-yard reception. Watkins later scored on a 13-yard quarterback keeper on the drive to put Villanova ahead 17-3.
As has been common for the rebuilding Aggies this season, the game got away from them in the second half. Watkins responded with another rushing touchdown from 12 yards out to give the Wildcats a 24-3 edge. Villanova scored once more on a one-yard rushing touchdown from Avit.
"I felt we came out with energy, played hard, especially defensively early," Brown said. "We got some stops. It was a one-score game at halftime. That's kind of the story of the season. We had a chance after halftime. We knew we were going to try to get a stop defensively. We didn't. Touchdown. Next possession, touchdown. Next possession, touchdown. Now, all of a sudden, what is a very competitive game becomes lopsided."
A&T will play its final road game next week against Towson at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The game will kick off at noon and stream live on FloFootball.
