Colonial Athletic Association
SE Louisiana rallies past Villanova 45-44 in FCS 1st round
Colonial Athletic Association

SE Louisiana rallies past Villanova 45-44 in FCS 1st round

Published Nov. 30, 2019 8:01 p.m. ET

HAMMOND, La. (AP) — Chason Virgil completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to CJ Turner on fourth down with 2:56 left and SE Louisiana held off Villanova for a 45-44 win in the first round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday.

Virgil finished with a career-high 474 yards passing and three TD passes for the Lions (8-4), who visit No. 6 seed Montana in the second round next Saturday.

SE Louisiana erased a 31-14 halftime deficit with 17 straight points in the third quarter. The Wildcats (9-4) answered with leads of 38-31 and 44-38 in the fourth quarter, failing to convert the PAT on the second touchdown with 4:36 left in the game.

Jaaron Hayek caught a 40-yard TD pass from Daniel Smith that would have given the lead back to Villanova with 1:31 left, but Hayek was called for pass interference. That gave Villanova a first-and-25 from the Wildcats 45. Villanova turned it over on downs and SE Louisiana ran out the clock.

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Turner caught 11 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Bransen Schwebel added six catches for 119 yards and Javon Conner had receptions for 102 yards and a score for the Lions.

Smith passed for 283 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 90 yards and a TD for Villanova.

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