#21 Richmond holds off #17 Villanova 20-10, moves to 4-2 on the season (10-15-22)
By: Justice Miller
Headline Photo Credit: Corey Allen-LMS Network
No.17 Villanova (3-3, 1-2 CAA) was humbled with a final score of 20-10 to No.21 Richmond (4-2, 2-1 CAA) at Robins Stadium Saturday evening. The Spiders’ first win over a higher-ranked team since their takedown of No.18 Maine in 2019 as an unranked team.
Villanova was first to score with a 10-play, 62-yard drive ending with quarterback Connor Watkins’s (Williamsport, PA) 13-yard run with 2:33 seconds left in the first. Spiders quickly retaliated with Savon Smith’s 49-yard rush to kick off the charge. After 19 more yards provided by Smith, Reece Udinkski scores a running touchdown early in the second quarter.
The Wildcats recovered the lead 10-7 after a 24-yard field goal by graduate kicker Matthew Mercurio (Salinas, Calif.). Richmond responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass between Udinkski and Connor Deveney (Medford, N.J.) overtaking the Wildcats 14-10.Both teams’ defenses were effective making it a scoreless third quarter. A first this season for Villanova in which no points were scored in a quarter.
Richmond is the first to score after the third-quarter stalemate increasing their lead 17-10 following Andrew Lopez’s first career field goal. Immediately after the possession, the Wildcats look to strike but are out-maneuvered into another field goal by Lopez to finish the game 20-10.
The Spiders will be on the road next Saturday, October 22 as they face Hampton at 2 PM
