Villanova throttles Delaware in CAA showdown, wins 3-way tiebreaker for championship

Nov 19, 2023, 04:31 am

NEWARK, Del. -- — Connor Watkins threw two touchdown passes, Danny Abraham returned an interception for a touchdown, and Villanova defeated Delaware 35-7 on Saturday to claim a share of the Coastal Athletic Assocation championship.

The No. 15 FCS Wildcats (9-2, 7-1) turned a first-place showdown into a rout, holding No. 6 Delaware (8-3, 6-2) to one touchdown and fewer than 300 yards.

Watkins had TD passes of 11 and 51 yards to Jaaron Hayek, Jalen Jackson had 130 yards rushing, and Abraham capped the scoring with a 69-yard pick-6.

Watkins completed 17 of 27 passes for 227 yards.

Marcus Yarns ran for 97 yards, but Delaware quarterbacks combined to go 14-for-31 for 129 yards with three interceptions.

Albany and Richmond also won on Saturday to share the league title with Villanova. The three teams did not play each other so the tiebreaker for the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs came down to point differential in conference games. Villanova edged Albany by four points to claim the automatic bid.

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