Villanova falls to William and Mary, 31-24

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Villanova just kissed its No. 1 national ranking goodbye.

The defending Football Championship Subdivision national champion also said sayonara to its 12-game winning streak against subdivision opponents. And to the delight of the 12,259 at Zable Stadium, the Wildcats no longer have William and Mary's number.

The seventh-ranked Tribe defeated Villanova, 31-24, in Saturday's Colonial Athletic Association showdown. With the win, William and Mary (4-1, 2-1 CAA) snapped a six-game losing streak against Villanova (3-2, 1-1) and avenged last season's heartbreaking 14-13 FCS semifinal defeat.

Villanova, which played without all-American wideout Matt Szczur (sprained left ankle), trailed by 25 points late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats staged a comeback and, with 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game, pulled to within a touchdown when quarterback Chris Whitney threw a 47-yard Hail Mary pass to wideout Norman White on fourth down.

But William and Mary running back Jonathan Grimes, a junior out of Paul VI High, recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Tribe ran out the clock.

"I was disappointed with our team in terms of our emotion," said Villanova coach Andy Talley, who noted that eight Wildcats missed the game because of injuries. "I don't think we hit the field with the same kind of intensity that we needed to play in a hostile environment. And that was disappointing."

The Wildcats trailed, 21-0, in the second quarter before picking up their third first down. Tribe quarterback Michael Paulus, Grimes, and Villanova's inability to move the ball early were the reasons.

Paulus, a transfer from North Carolina and younger brother of former Duke basketball player and Syracuse quarterback Ron Paulus, made his first start at William and Mary. Starter Mike Callahan was sidelined by a shoulder injury.

He completed 20 of 28 passes for 211 yards with two interceptions.

Paulus went 7 for 8 on the Tribe's second offensive possession. His last completion of the drive, a 15-yarder to fullback Jimmy Hobson, put the ball at the Villanova 12-yard line. Two plays later, Grimes (86 rushing yards, three TDs) scored from 8 yards out for the early lead.

On the Tribe's next possession, Paulus completed a 36-yarder to wideout Ryan Moody to the Villanova 4. Grimes scored his second touchdown on the next play.

William and Mary led, 21-0, after middle linebacker Donte Cook intercepted Whitney's fourth-and-2 pass and rumbled 84 yards for a touchdown 5:03 before intermission.

"As everyone saw, we are a lot better than what we showed on that field today," said Whitney, who rallied his team with two TD runs. "We've just got to fix our mistakes next week, come together, and play our type of football."

Wildcats center Dan Shirey left the game in the second quarter with a jaw injury and did not return.