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2024 Villanova vs Maine

SHOCKER IN MAINE. Black Bears Maul No. 5 Villanova Football In FCS Upset

SHOCKER IN MAINE. Black Bears Maul No. 5 Villanova Football In FCS Upset

Villanova trailed 15-0 in less than five minutes as Carter Peevy leads Maine Football to one of the biggest upsets of the FCS, CAA 2024 season.

Oct 19, 2024 by Joe Harrington
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The biggest upset of the FCS football season commence in Orono, Maine Football as the Black Bears (4-3 overall, 2-2 in CAA) crushed the No. 5 team in the country, Villanova, 35-0 on homecoming. 

Maine winning in itself is not shocking. But shutting out the Wildcats, picking off preseason CAA Player of the Year Connor Watkins twice and blocking a kick and returning it 70-yard for a touchdown probably wasn't on the bingo card. 

Watkins hadn't thrown an interception all season but threw two in the first half as the Wildcats trailed the Black Bears 28-0 at halftime.

The Black Bears started the second half with a soul-sucking drive that lasted more than seven minutes and ended with a Montigo Moss touchdown and Villanova could never must enough to get back in the game. 

Maine quarterback Carter Peevy threw three touchdown passes and 172 yards on 16-of-18 passing. Watkins finished 13-of-31 passing with 117 yards and two interceptions. 

Maine will get No. 17-ranked Rhode Island on Oct. 26 in Kingston, while the Wildcats will play No. 19. New Hampshire. 

Recap the Villanova-Maine game below! Or rewatch the replay on FloFootball or the FloSports app with a subscription.

Villanova vs. Main Football Score: Black Bears 35, Wildcats 7 | 4th QTR

Follow the action live below.

Villanova Will Not Be Shutout

The Wildcats scored with 1:50 left in the game to end the shutout. 

Backups Are In As Maine Football Maintains Shutout Of Villanova

The teams have the backups in as Maine is poised to beat Villanova for the first time since 2018. 

The Third Quarter Is Over. It's Been All Maine In This One

The Black Bears are one quarter away from pulling off the most stunning upset win of the FCS season in 2024. 

Maine Football Now Has 4 Sacks On Connor Watkins

The big question at this point is how much longer will Connor Watkins play in this game for Villanova. 

Highlight: You Go Mossed

Villanova Stop Maine, Forces Punt

The Wildcats will take over at their own 20 after a Maine punt from the Nova 45. 

Villanova Punts Again, Maine Already On The Move

Connor Watkins was sacked again, the Wildcats punted after three plays and Maine is already near midfield on the following drive.

Any Hope Of A Villanova Comeback Getting Thinner As Maine Scores Again

A giant holding call on third-and-six going against Villanova on their own 12 kept the Maine scoring drive alive to start the second half. A few plays later, Carter Peevy threw a 5-yard pass to Montigo Moss, Randy's son, to eventually push the lead to 35-0. 

It capped a 12-play, 81-yard drive that took 7:19 off the clock. 

Maine Football Begins Second Half With Ball

Up 28-0, Maine gets the ball first. 

Villanova vs. Maine Halftime Stats

STAT        Nova. Maine

Total Yds    112    222

Pass Yds    77    122

Rush Yds    35    100

Penalties    4-35    2-20

1st Downs    10    7

3rd Downs    3-8    2-4

4th Downs    1-1    0-0

Total Plays    40    26

Avg Yds/Play    2.8    8.5

Avg Yds/Completion    7.7    15.3

Avg Yds/Rush    2.1    6.3

Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)    49 (3.3)    111 (7.4)

Red Zone    0-0    2-2

Time of Poss    17:54    12:06

Turnovers (Def Pts Off)    4 (7)    1 (0)

Fumbles-Lost    2-2    1-1

Sacks (Def Yds)    1 (11)    2 (14)

TFL (Def Yds)    1 (11)    3 (15)

This Half Is Over As Villanova Will Look To Get Some Redemption In The Second Half

Maine leads Villanova 28-0 and frankly, it could be worse for the Wildcats. Four turnovers, a blocked kick returned for a touchdown and just 122 yards of offense so far for No. 5 Villanova. 

Connor Watkins Throws Second INT Of Game

Connor Watkins hadn't thrown a pick all season. Now he has two in this very forgettable half for No. 5 Villanova. 

Villanova Forces Quick 3-and-Out

The Wildcats will get the ball back with 1:22 left in the half. 

Villanova Punts Again As Maine's Defense Shines

The Wildcats' 9-play drive ended on their own 38 as they punted again to Maine with 1:48 left in the half. 

Villanova Football Stops Maine After INT, Forces Punt

Maine punted from the Villanova 36-yard-line and the Wildcats will take over on the Maine 20. 

Connor Watkins Throws First Interception As The Long Walk Back In The Game Gets Longer

Connor Watkins threw his first pick of the season and Maine takes over on their 18. 

Highlights: Watch Maine Football Score On 70-yard Blocked Kick

Brian Santana-Fis Runs It In. Maine Up 4 Scores On No. 5 Team In The Country

Santana-Fis scored a 1-yard touchdown three plays after Villanova fumble. 

Good News For No. 5 Villanova: The First Quarter Is Over. Bad News? Maine Knocking On Door Again

Maine has the ball on the Villanova 1-yard line to start the second quarter. 

Villanova FUMBLES AGAIN

Maine takes over at the Villanova 9-yard-line. 

The Stand Maine Was Waiting For Happened. They Block Nova FG. Return It For TD

Villanova drove to the Maine 31, but stalled out leading to a kick attempt. 

Naturally, Maine blocked it and Maine recovered the kick and ran it back 70 yards. 

Maine Football Fumbles After Long Run; Villanova Takes Over

Something went right for Villanova! After Trevin Ewing was a big time running man, going 39 yards, he fumbled at the Villanova 24. The Wildcats take over. 

No. 5 Villanova Punts Again As Maine Horror Show First Quarter Continues

Villanova has 9 yards of offense. But 85 punting yards. 

Highlight: Watch Maine Score its 55-yard Touchdown

Maine Up Big Already After Another Carter Peevy TD Pass

After Joey Bryson recovered a fumble, Maine scored quickly with Carter Peevy throwing his second touchdown pass of the game less than five minutes into the game. 

Peevy is now 4-for-4 with 89 yards passing and two touchdowns. 

Villanova Football Fumbles Kickoff

Maine will get the ball deep in the Wildcats territory at the 24-yard line. 

Black Bears Strike First At 11:45 In First After Huge TD Pass

Carter Peevy Threw a huge 55-yard passing touchdown to Joe Gillette and the Black Bears converted a 2-point conversion and Maine leads 8-0. 

Maine Football Force Punt To Open Game

Villanova will punt on its first first drive of the game after a 3-and-out and a fantastic deflected pass by Maine on third and long. 

Villanova vs. Maine Kickoff Almost Here!

Follow the action live here or subscribe to watch the game live on FloFootball or the FloSports app.

Villanova Football On A Hot Streak

Villanova enters play on a two-game win streak after suffering its only loss on the season at Maryland (38-20) back in week four. 

The Wildcats, coming off their bye, feature the CAA's top defense as they enter play allowing just 17.5 points per game and check in second in yardage surrendered at 327.0. The Wildcats have 10 takeaways on the season and rank ninth in all of FCS, second in the CAA, with a +7 turnover margin. 

Villanova ranks third in the CAA in rushing offense (205.3) behind David Avit who is averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

A Black Bear Manning The Grill, Kind Of, Before The Villanova Game

Villanova Football Coach Mark Ferrante vs. Maine

Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante is 4-1 against Maine as a head coach. The lone loss came in 2018 when Maine hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired in a 13-10 victory. That game remains the last time Villanova suffered a loss in walk-off fashion.

Villanova vs. Maine Football Stats

Maine (CAA rank)CategoryVillanova (CAA)
24.0 (9)Points25.3 (6)
209.5 (16)Total Offense353.5 (10)
120.0 (12)Rushing Yards205.3 (3)
189.5 (13)Passing Yards148.2 (16)
8 Rushing, 9 PassingRushing TDs/Passing TDs14 Rushing/ 6 Passing
31:40 (5)Offensive Time of Possession30:34 (9)
30.8 (13)Points Allowed17.5 (1)
396.0 (12)Total Defense327.0 (2)
179.5 (10)Rushing Yards Allowed139.0 (3)
216.5 (11)Passing Yards Allowed188.0 (5)
12 Rushing/ 10 PassingRushing/Passing TDs Allowed8 Rushing/ 4 Passing
43.5 (5)3rd-Down Conversions38.2 (11)
47.9 (15)3rd-Down Conversion Defense32.0 (5)
0 (6)Turnover Margin+7 (2)

Villanova Football vs. Maine All-Time

Villanova leads the all-time series against the Black Bears 15-10 and has won the last three meetings by an average of 22.7 points per contest. 

The teams have been frequent opponents since the Wildcats joined what was then the Yankee Conference in 1988, and all 25 matchups in the series have been regular season conference contests.

Maine Football On Villanova

“One thing I would say about their offense is they’re able to be multiple, play to the strengths of their players,” Maine coach Jordan Stevens said of Villanova.

A Maine Football Win Would:

  • Be Maine's 11th win over Villanova.
  • Be Maine's highest ranking win (#5) since knocking off No. 3 Weber State (2018).
  • Be Maine's seventh home win over Villanova.
  • Be Maine's second ranked victory in its past three games
  • Be Maine's first home win over Villanova since 2018.
  • Snap a three-game losing streak against Villanova.
  • Double Maine's win total from a year ago and match its total wins over the past two seasons (2-9, 2-9)

Watch CAA Football On FloSports

How To Watch Villanova vs. Maine Football

The game is streaming live on FloFootball, FloCollege and the new and improved FloSports app. The platforms will also be home for game replays, highlights and breaking news. 

Villanova vs. Maine Kickoff Time

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET at Alfond Stadium in Orono, Maine. 

Watch CAA Football Action Live For Free As Hampton Football takes N.C. A&T

AFCA NCAA FCS Football Rankings In Week 8

1. South Dakota St. (5-1) - Prev. 1

2. North Dakota St. (6-1) - Prev. 2

3. Montana St. (7-0) - Prev. 3

4. South Dakota (5-1) - Prev. 4

5. Villanova (5-1) - Prev. 5

6. UC Davis (6-1) - Prev. 6

7. Mercer (6-0) - Prev. 7

8. Southeast Missouri St. (6-1) - Prev. 9

9. Tarleton St. (6-1) - Prev. 11

10. North Dakota (4-2) - Prev. 10

11. Montana (5-2) - Prev. 14

12. Central Arkansas (5-2) - Prev. 13

13. UIW (4-2) - Prev. 15

14. Idaho (4-3) - Prev. 8

15. Richmond (4-2) - Prev. 17

16. William & Mary (4-2) - Prev. 18

17. Rhode Island (5-1) - Prev. 21

18. Florida A&M (3-2) - Prev. 19

19. New Hampshire (4-2) - Prev. 22

20. Missouri St. (4-2) - Prev. 25

21t. ACU (4-3) - Prev. 12

21t. North Carolina Central (5-2) - Prev. 24

23. Illinois St. (4-3) - Prev. 16

24. Dartmouth (4-0) - Prev. NR

25. Jackson St. (4-2) - Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Sacramento St. (20), Weber St. (23)

Others Receiving Votes: Stony Brook, 36; Duquesne, 35; Chattanooga, 30; East Tennessee St., 28; UT Martin, 22; McNeese, 17; Monmouth (N.J.), 11; Sacramento St., 11; Western Carolina, 11; Drake, 8; Columbia, 6; Stephen F. Austin, 5; Tennessee St., 5; Weber St., 4; Butler, 2; Northern Arizona, 2; Georgetown (D.C.), 1; Indiana St., 1; Lafayette, 1; Lamar, 1.

What Are The Top Conference In The FCS?

Curious about the top performers and strongest conference within the FCS ranks? We’ve got you covered.

See the FCS conferences ranked using a unique system that originally was developed for chess.

When Do The 2024 FCS College Football Playoffs Start?

The FCS playoffs begin on November 30, 2024.

The 2024 Division I FCS College Football Championship game will be played on January 6, 2025, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

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