FCS Roundup: Second-half surge fuels Villanova victory vs. James Madison

VILLANOVA, Pa. — Junior quarterback John Robertson had a career-best passing performance and No. 8 Villanova scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to surge past James Madison by a final score of 49-3. The Wildcats overcame a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter and win the CAA Football opener for both teams.

Robertson threw for a career-high 337 yards and matched a career high with four passing touchdowns.

He completed his first 15 attempts of the game and finished the day 22-of-27 passing through the air. He connected with eight different receivers, including four who had at least 68 receiving yards on the afternoon. Senior tight end Earnest Pettway caught a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter, with the latter score giving Villanova the lead for good. Five different players had a touchdown for the Wildcats, with Pettway and senior running back Kevin Monangai each scoring twice. Monangai ran for 129 yards on 15 carries.

The teams combined for 1,131 yards of total offense, with the Dukes owning a slight edge (568-563) in that category. The total yardage in the game was just 36 yards off the single-game school record for combined total offense between Villanova and its opponent. In addition to the 337 yards passing by Robertson, the Wildcats also ran for 226 yards. Villanova has scored 99 points in its last two games, which matches the team’s highest two-game scoring output in 17 years.