PHILADELPHIA — On paper, it was an upset. On Villanova’s artificial turf, it seemed like anything but.
Kendell Anderson ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns as William and Mary rolled past Villanova 38-16 Saturday for a critical Colonial Athletic Association victory.
The Wildcats came into the game ranked 14th in the FCS Stats poll, but they haven’t been the same since quarterback John Robertson — last year’s winner of the Payton Award, the FCS Heisman — was lost for the season because of a knee injury Sept. 19 in a win over Delaware.
Villanova started well, taking a 10-3 lead in the first quarter on Gary Underwood’s 3-yard touchdown run and a Gerard Smith 36-yard field goal.
W&M (3-2, 2-1 CAA) responded in the second with four touchdowns. Anderson had a 1-yard plunge and a 71-yard run, DeAndre Houston-Carson returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown, and Steve Cluley found Christian Reeves for a 53-yard scoring connection.
Anderson added another 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Cluley finished 16 of 28 for 267 yards. Reeves had four catches for 126 yards.
Villanova’s Zack Bednarczyk was 13 of 31 for 164 yards with two interceptions. Javon White added a 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth for the Wildcats (2-3, 1-1).
