Villanova Football Avoids Shutout Despite 52-6 Pummeling at No. 2 Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.— At least they didn’t get shut out. Villanova Football couldn’t muster any offense for a full 60 minutes in their 52-6 loss at No. 2 Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 13, but still managed to avoid a shutout loss in walk-off fashion.

Wildcats’ backup quarterback Tanner Maddocks scrambled right, throwing across his body a split second before running out of bounds as he connected with tight end Brandon Binkowski on a one-handed eight-yard touchdown catch in order to break up the shutout on the final play of the game.

Defense kept the (FCS) No. 11 Wildcats in the game for much of the first half, but the Nittany Lions methodically added to their lead while Villanova’s offense remained stationary against a team that made the National Semifinals last season. Of Villanova’s 174 total yards, 85 came in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats managed just one first down in the first 24 minutes of play as starting quarterback Pat McQuaide missed two drives due to injury, hurting the Wildcats’ ability to settle in in a hostile road environment. The Wildcats crossed midfield late in the second quarter and managed to drive into the red zone with the help of a fourth down misdirection play that saw McQuaide line up at wide receiver.

Running back David Avit took the ball 27 yards on a simple handoff, crossing 1,000 rushing yards in his Villanova career in the process, but the Wildcats stalled out inside the 20. A penalty on Jack Barnum’s 32-yard field goal try backed Villanova up 15 yards and the ensuing try sailed wide left, sending the ‘Cats to the sideline empty-handed.

Penn State Pulls Away

Beyond a scripted opening touchdown drive, Villanova managed to limit the Nittany Lions’ offense for much of the first half. Penn State countered with tempo and began to move the ball midway through the second quarter.

Once the Nittany Lions got into the red zone, however, a penalty put them behind the chains. Damill Bostic Jr. made a shoestring tackle on second down to trip up Trebor Peña and stop a touchdown, then Jamie Tyson broke up a pass on third down to force a field goal.

However, the Nittany Lions had already learned their lesson, and they managed to execute a seven play drive before that half that chewed just 36 seconds off the clock and resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Drew Allar to Peña.

After a Ryan Barker field goal pushed Penn State’s lead to 24-0, Pat McQuaide threw an interception on the next play from scrimmage. Redshirt freshman linebacker Omari Bursey returned the favor against Allar, jumping a route in the flat to haul in an interception and keep the Nittany Lions off the board: had he managed to remain on his feet, he’d have enjoyed an unobstructed path to the end zone.

Villanova couldn’t make anything of the breath of life, however, and Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen added rushing touchdowns late before Penn State turned to their backups.

Up next, Villanova Football will head to Monmouth for a likely ranked battle against the Hawks, set to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.