How It Happened
No. 25 Villanova thumped No. 17/18 Rhode Island Saturday, knocking off the Rams 35-9 in a matchup of top 25 teams Saturday on the Wildcats' home field.

Villanova (3-1, 1-0 CAA Football) rushed for 287 yards and five touchdowns as it controlled the game tempo from start to finish. Wildcat quarterback Connor Watkins ran for three touchdowns in the first half as Villanova opened a big lead early. With Rhode Island (2-2, 2-1 CAA Football) struggling to do anything on offense, the Wildcats built a 32-point lead by midway through the fourth quarter as they coasted to the win.

By the time Jaden Griffin broke through for a 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Rams, the game had been decided.

Inside the Box Score

• Linebacker Evan Stewart led the defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry.
• Safeties Jordan Colbert and Brent Jackson each had six tackles.
• Safety Emmanuel Gomes had five tackles and one sack.
• Cornerback Fredrick Mallay had his second interception of the season.
• Villanova held Rhode Island to just 241 total yards of offense.
• Wide receiver Darius Savedge had three catches for 51 yards, while Kahtero Summers had two catches for 56 yards.
• Pennsylvania natives Ja'Den McKenzie and Kahtero Summers served as the anchor bearer and game captain, respectively.
• Redshirt freshman Dylan Shank had a 50-yard punt in his first career attempt.

What's Next
Rhode Island hosts in-state rival Bryant Saturday, Sept. 30. Game time is 1 p.m. on FloFootball.com.