A loss to New Hampshire Oct. 10 in Durham was the only blemish on Villanova’s impressive season. Yesterday, the Wildcats erased it - in a big way.
Angelo Babbaro ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns to lead Villanova to a 46-7 rout of visiting New Hampshire in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals.
Villanova (12-1), which has won seven in a row since the 28-24 loss to UNH, advances to host William & Mary in the semifinals next weekend.
Villanova’s defense dominated New Hampshire (10-3), holding it to 84 total yards. On the first play from scrimmage, Villanova defensive back John Dempsey returned a fumble 4 yards for a touchdown, and the hosts rolled from there in snowy conditions.
Villanova, which collected six sacks, held UNH without a first down until 6:31 was left in third quarter and didn’t allow the Wildcats to pick up positive offensive yardage for the game until later in the quarter. In the first half, UNH was outgained, 239 yards to minus-33.
Chris Whitney attempted only five passes, completing three for 44 yards, and ran for a TD for Villanova.
UNH registered its only score of the game with 14:25 to play when Kevin Decker threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mickey Mangieri.
Starting quarterback R.J. Toman went 6 of 18 for 46 yards and was sacked four times before Decker came in and went 11 of 21 for 104 yards and a touchdown while being sacked twice.
Villanova finished with a 387-84 edge in total offense.
William & Mary 24, Southern Illinois 3 - The visiting Pride (11-2) broke the Salukis’ 11-game winning streak, getting 133 yards rushing and three TDs from Jonathan Grimes while holding Southern Illinois (11-2) to just 84 yards on the ground - 147 below its season average.
The Salukis, who were averaging 37 points per game, managed only a field goal on their opening possession. William & Mary finished with 14 more minutes of possession time thanks to Grimes, who totaled 30 carries after averaging just 19 entering the game. The Pride also got 192 yards passing from R.J. Archer.
William & Mary stifled Deji Karim - one of three candidates for the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy - to just 27 yards on the ground, 111 yards off his typical output that was good for second in the FCS.
After the teams exchanged field goals, Grimes’s 6-yard run untouched up the middle put the Tribe ahead for good, 10-3, with 1:37 left in the first half. That capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive extended by punter David Miller’s 12-yard run on a fake on fourth-and-5 from the Saluki 45.
William & Mary finished with 373 yards of offense, Southern Illinois just 187.
Appalachian St. 35, Richmond 31 - The defending champion Spiders were eliminated at home as the Mountaineers’ Armanti Edwards threw a 4-yard TD pass to Matt Cline with 10 seconds to play.
Richmond (11-2) had taken the lead with 3:26 left when Eric McBride stripped Travaris Cadet on a punt return and took the ball 8 yards for a touchdown. But Appalachian State (11-2) drove 70 yards before Edwards found Cline in the end zone.
Montana 51, Stephen F. Austin 0 - The top-seeded Grizzlies (13-0) forced 10 turnovers to blow out the Lumberjacks (10-3) in Missoula, Mont. Montana turned seven of those turnovers into a 38-0 halftime lead, with Andrew Selle throwing for three TDs and running for another.
The Grizzlies will host Appalachian State next weekend.
