William & Mary scored 13 points in the final 53 seconds Friday, Aug. 28, to stun No. 8 Villanova 35-32 at Villanova Stadium.

The loss spoiled the Wildcats' Patriot League debut and snapped a nine-game season-opening win streak under head coach Mark Ferrante. A crowd of 5,221 watched the collapse, according to ESPN.

Max Lipinski's 45-yard field goal as time expired capped the comeback. It was his fifth field goal of the game.

Villanova held a 32-22 lead with 2:43 left after Isaiah Ragland broke a 37-yard touchdown run. Then the Tribe went to work.

Lipinski hit a field goal with 53 seconds remaining. William & Mary recovered the onside kick at the Villanova 39. Quarterback Winston Watkins then found Kai Austin for a 37-yard touchdown, and the extra point tied it at 32 with 22 seconds left. On the next Villanova possession, Cade Ellis returned an interception 24 yards to the Wildcats' 28, setting up Lipinski's winner.

"We made a lot more mistakes than they did, turnovers, penalties …" Ferrante said after the game, according to the Villanovan.

Watkins finished with 254 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He added 72 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries.

The game also marked the return of quarterback Pat McQuaide, who played despite an unresolved eligibility dispute with the Patriot League. McQuaide threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Binkowski and connected with transfer Jake Hilton on a two-point conversion to give Villanova a 25-22 lead with 3:47 remaining.

An Ohio judge granted McQuaide a preliminary injunction on Aug. 1, ruling he could play. Three days later, the Patriot League denied Villanova's eligibility appeal, stating that any game McQuaide appeared in would result in a forfeit. McQuaide's attorney, Richard Hamilton Jr., told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug. 22 that the league was asserting its four-seasons-of-competition rule to bar McQuaide from Patriot League games.

Whether Villanova faces a forfeit for the Aug. 28 game remains unclear.

On Aug. 27, Ferrante told the MattLeon1060 podcast he was "still figuring out what's happening there with the Pat McQuaide situation" and that senior Robert Russo and freshman Nolan DiLucia were competing for the starting job if McQuaide could not play.

Both programs moved to the Patriot League after leaving the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) following the 2025 season. Villanova topped the league's preseason poll with seven first-place votes. William & Mary tied for third with Lafayette.

Villanova falls to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in Patriot League play. William & Mary improves to 1-0.