Villanova Falls To William & Mary 20-16, Moves To 0-2 In The CAA

The Villanova Wildcats fell to the William & Mary Tribe today 20-16 at Villanova Stadium. (box score) Despite being outmatched, 'Nova fought hard and held a 16-14 lead in the 3rd quarter on the strength of 3 Mark Hamilton field goals. Christian Culicerto had earlier hit Dorian Wells on a touchdown pass for 'Nova's only other score.

But the defense, which had played well all day, allowed two late fields goals and then couldn't get the vital stop it needed on a couple of late 3rd downs, which allowed William & Mary to escape with the win. It was their first win at Villanova Stadium since 2000.

Johnathan Grimes was the biggest offensive threat on the day as he finished 137 yards on 31 carries, including two touchdowns. 'Nova just didn't have an answer for him. Keith McBride added another 45 yards to finish off a big day on the ground for the Tribe offense.

Despite Christian Culicerto's modest day through the air (15-24, 132 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Villanova ran 22 less plays on offense as William & Mary controlled the clock throughout.

Freshman Jamal Abdur-Rahman had one of Villanova's lone offensive highlights, taking off on a 28-yard scamper. He finished with 43 yards on 4 carries.

Most fans wouldn't have expected a 'Nova win today, but they showed solid effort in sticking with one of the best teams in the league. This bodes well for later in the year as they continue to improve each game. It also bodes well for the future, as there are a lot of underclassmen playing significant minutes.