Bell's third quarter TD carries Villanova past Hampton, 20-14 in defensive battle

Published Nov. 2, 2024 5:36 p.m. ET

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HAMPTON, Va. (AP) — Brendan Bell’s 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was enough to carry Villanova to a 20-14 win over Hampton on Saturday to remain a game back in the hunt for a share of the Coastal Athletic Association title.

The Wildcats (7-2, 4-1) trail unbeaten conference leaders Rhode Island (8-1, 5-0) and Richmond (6-2, 4-0) with three games left in the regular season.

Chris Zellous fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kymari Gray to cap Hampton’s opening drive to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead but did not score again until Zellous squeezed in from a yard out with a minute left in the third quarter to cut the Villanova lead to the final margin.

Ethan Gettman missed a 42-yard field goal attempt early, then hit from 29- and 40-yards out and David Avit capped a short drive with a 1-yard run to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Neither team found much success offensively. Villanova finished with just 241 yards of total offense, two more than Hampton. The Wildcats managed 11 first downs, one fewer than the Pirates.

Connor Watkins completed 9 of 22 pass attempts for 149 yards and Avit carried 26 times for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Zellous completed just five of his 11 passes for 79 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ja’Quan Snipes carried 14 times for 85 yards.

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