Mace’s Kickoff Return Flips Game as Villanova Outlasts William & Mary

By Tiffany Williams –

redtexturedeconomynewsyoutubethumbnail_20241128_212704_00008424520492500696465 Mace’s Kickoff Return Flips Game as Villanova Outlasts William & Mary

Villanova leaned on explosive special teams and a workhorse running back to outlast William & Mary, 31–24, on Family Weekend at Villanova Stadium.

The Wildcats (2-2, 1-1 CAA) trailed 17–14 at halftime before Ja’briel Mace electrified the home crowd with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to open the third quarter, swinging momentum for good. Running back David Avit carried the offense, piling up 133 rushing yards and three touchdowns — his second straight week with both triple scores and a 100-yard effort. His final 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter stretched the lead to 31–17.

William & Mary (2-3, 1-1 CAA) rallied late behind quarterback Tyler Hughes, who threw for 233 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 63 yards and two scores. Hughes’ 1-yard keeper with 4:38 remaining cut the margin to 31–24, and the Tribe had one last chance after Villanova missed a 36-yard field goal with just over a minute left. But the Wildcats’ defense, led by Shane Hartzell (10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4.0 TFL), sacked Hughes near midfield as time expired.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Avit’s opening 1-yard touchdown run gave Villanova an early edge, but Hughes answered with a 10-yard strike to Tariq Sims and a 1-yard rushing score. Keegan Shackford’s 37-yard field goal sent W&M into halftime ahead. Villanova regrouped at the break, scoring 17 unanswered points — keyed by Mace’s return and Avit’s powerful running — before Hughes’ late touchdown made it tight.

Statistically, W&M held the edge through the air (233–194 passing yards) and was sharp on third downs (9-for-15), but Villanova dominated the trenches, outrushing the Tribe 232–123. Luke Colella paced the Wildcats’ receivers with six catches for 88 yards, while Hughes spread the ball to three wideouts topping 50 yards for the Tribe.

Defensively, W&M saw strong outings from Luke Banbury and David Roulley (8 tackles each), and Jalen Jones (6 tackles, 2 breakups). But Villanova’s front seven proved decisive, especially in crunch time.

The Wildcats snapped W&M’s two-game win streak in the series, tightening the all-time head-to-head to 20–17 in favor of the Tribe.

Up next: William & Mary returns home to host North Carolina A&T for Family Weekend, while Villanova heads north to face New Hampshire in another CAA showdown.