VILLANOVA, Pa. – The William & Mary football team nearly rallied back from a two-touchdown deficit late in the fourth quarter but fell at No. 20/22 Villanova, 31-24, on Saturday afternoon.

After quarterback Tyler Hughes narrowed the margin to a single score with a 1-yard touchdown run at 4:38 remaining, W&M (2-3, 1-1) reclaimed possession following a missed 36-yard field goal by Villanova's (2-2, 1-1) Jack Barnum with 1:05 left. The Tribe drove to midfield but time expired before it could advance into Wildcat territory.

W&M led 17-14 at halftime, but VU rattled off 17 consecutive points before Hughes' late score. Villanova's Ja'briel Mace opened the third quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, while David Avit's third rushing touchdown of the afternoon early in the fourth quarter punctuated the Wildcats' scoring.

Villanova got the scoreboard first with a 1-yard touchdown run by Avit midway through the first quarter before W&M answered with a 10-yard scoring strike from Hughes to Tariq Sims and a 1-yard score by Hughes.

A 37-yard field goal by Keegan Shackford late in the second quarter gave W&M its halftime lead.

In addition to accounting for three touchdowns – two on the ground and one through the air – Hughes threw for 233 yards and rushed for a team-high 63 yards on 18 carries.

A trio of W&M wideouts recorded at least 50 receiving yards – Isaiah Lemmond (4-67), Joseph Johnson (3-60) and Deven Thompson (3-50).

Linebacker Luke Banbury and safety David Roulley led W&M with eight tackles apiece, while Banbury also added a TFL. Cornerback Jalen Jones posted six stops and two pass breakups, while linebacker Jorden McDonald tallied five tackles and 2.0 TFL.

W&M outgained VU through the air, 233-194, but the Wildcats owned a 232-123 advantage on the ground.

The Tribe was 9-of-15 on third downs and scored on all four trips into the red zone, which included three touchdowns. Additionally, W&M did not commit a turnover for the fourth straight game.

Avit led Villanova with 133 rushing yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns, while quarterback Pat McQuaide completed 15-of-28 passes for 194 yards. Wideout Luke Colella recorded a team-high six receptions for 88 yards.

VU Linebacker Shane Hartzell totaled a game-high 10 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 4.0 TFL.

The Tribe will return to action when it hosts North Carolina A&T at Zable Stadium as part of Family Weekend next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Mini plans and single-game tickets for all W&M's home games are available at TribeAthletics.com. Learn more about the enhanced fan experience at Zable Stadium for the 2025 season, including security improvements, pre-game areas, shuttle service, the new Kids Zone, fan experience upgrades, and more at TribeAthletics.com.