BY ROCK HOFFMAN
College Football Editor
VILLANOVA -It might have been a little close for comfort in the end, but the No.6 Villanova Wildcats got the job done in all three phases of the game to beat 23rd-ranked Youngstown State 24-17 in the season opener for both schools on Goodreau Field at Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats' quarterback Connor Watkins had a pair of touchdown runs and made enough big plays with his legs and arm to allow Villanova to overcome some mistakes later in the game that let the Penguins back into it.
“I think we played pretty physical," said Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante after his team won its eighth season opener in a row, "there will be a lot of things to correct. We won the turnover battle three to nothing. They made more mistakes than we did and that allowed us to seal the win.”
On their first four plays from scrimmage (over two possessions), Watkins threw three incompletions and was sacked. On the fifth play, he raced 45 yards bouncing off guys to set up a 42-yard field goal by Ethan Gettman. In between Villanova’s possession, the “Cats defense forced YSU quarterback Beau Brungard to fumble on a fourth-and-one play at the Villanova 33-yard line.
After Youngstown punted the ball back to the ‘Cats, Watkins ran for a first down on a third-and-three play, on the next play he hooked up with Ja’briel Mace on a 35-yard throw and catch. Two snaps later, he was leaping over a defender into the end zone for a 10-0 Villanova lead.
A 15-play drive, that took nearly 10 minutes, resulted in a field goal by the Penguins, Christian Sapp returned the ensuing kickoff to the Youngstown 45. On a third-and-10 from that spot, Watkins hit Daniel Lopes with a short pass that turned into a 23-yard gain and set up a three-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Ragland.
On their first drive of the third quarter, the Wildcats extended their lead when Watkins ran up the middle, made a man miss, and burst into the clear for a 29-yard touchdown and a 24-3 Villanova lead.
The Penguins answered with another long, time-consuming drive, they covered 72 yards taking over nine minutes, and scored on an 18-yard pass play from Brungard to Cyrus Traugh on a fourth-and-four play, it was the second fourth down they converted on the possession.
In the next series, the 'Cats nearly scored twice but ultimately came away with nothing in their attempt to go up by three scores in the final quarter. Ragland had a 44-yard touchdown wiped out by a penalty then Gettman missed on a 32-yard field goal try.
After the miss, Youngstown matriculated the ball down the field a little quicker, covering 80 yards in 5 minutes and 18 seconds with Tyshon King scoring on a one-yard plunge to bring the Penguins to within seven at 24-17.
With just over four minutes remaining, Villanova had a chance to run out the clock with a couple of first downs instead they went three-and-out after getting flagged for a false start on a third-and-one situation. On the subsequent play, Watkins' pass to Ragland came up short of the line to gain. Gettman, thanks to a nice roll, pinned the Penguins at their seven-yard line with a 62-yard punt.
“It was a big lift,” said safety Jalen Goodman, about the punt, “but he knew we had to finish the game off strong.”
After a couple of first downs for YSU, Richie Kimmel ended it when he intercepted Brungard at the Wildcats' 49-yard line. Kimmel, a senior from Archbishop Carroll, also recovered the fumble in the first quarter and was in on 10 tackles.
“He’s very experienced,” said Ferrante about Kimmel, “even though he hasn’t been a long-time starter. He knows where he needs to be and when he needs to be there.”
The Wildcats are on the road next Saturday, at Colgate.
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