MATT SZCZUR

Villanova outlasted Holy Cross 38-28 in an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision first-round playoff game at Villanova Stadium on Saturday. Five different players scored touchdowns as the Wildcats rolled up 537 yards of total offense which was enough to offset the day that Crusaders quarterback Dominic Randolph had. The three-time Patriot League Player of the Year, who is likely to be an NFL draft pick, threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score.

Villanova’s Matt Szczur, who is the CAA Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year, had 238 all-purpose yards including a career-high 130 yards receiving.

The Wildcats (11-1) and Crusaders (9-3) each scored on their first two possessions of the game but the ‘Cats were able hold on defense in the second quarter while adding two more touchdowns to take a 28-14 halftime lead.

In the third quarter Holy Cross cut the lead to seven, when Randolph connected with Bill Edger for a 17-yard touchdown but Villanova came right back. On the second play from scrimmage after the Crusaders scored, Szczur caught a pass from a scrambling Chris Whitney for a play that covered 45 yards. Six plays later, Szczur would cap the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.

“This is one of the funnest games I’ve played,” Szczur said, “because you’ve got to get up and go do it again. You can never give up against a team like this because they’re going to score on their next drive so you know as on offense you’ve got to keep scoring.”

After Holy Cross scored early in the fourth quarter to make it 35-28, the Wildcats controlled the ball for over 12 minutes of the final 13-and-a-half minutes left and they would add a field goal to ensure their victory and a trip to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

Rock Hoffman can be reached at RDVSports@yahoo.com