Cameron Edge took over on the Morgan State 44-yard line with 1:51 left and his team down by four, and six plays later he ran it in himself. Edge’s 2-yard quarterback keeper with 36 seconds remaining lifted Morgan State to a 38-35 win over Villanova on Saturday at Villanova Stadium, and the Bears held on when Dominic LeBlanc’s 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired.

Edge completed 31 of 40 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more scores. Morgan State improved to 4-1 and earned its first win over Villanova, evening the series at 1-1 after the Wildcats won the only previous meeting in 2014. The loss ended Villanova’s streak of 21 straight regular-season nonconference wins over FCS opponents, a run that dated back to 2016, as the Wildcats fell to 2-4. The Week 5 HBCU Football Preview set up the matchup.

Morgan State Strikes Early Through the Air

Morgan State needed just three plays to answer Villanova’s opening punt. Edge hit Justin Perry on a 79-yard completion deep down the right side to the Villanova 5, and two plays later he ran it in himself for a 5-yard touchdown.

After Isaiah Ragland tied the game with a 2-yard run, Edge converted a 3rd-and-13 with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Keith Jenkins Jr. with 59 seconds left in the first quarter. Justin Mcilwain intercepted Pat McQuaide early in the second quarter, setting up a 39-yard Alex Amaya field goal for a 17-7 lead.

Ragland answered with a 13-yard touchdown run, but Edge drove the Bears 66 yards in the final 1:50 of the half. He capped the nine-play march with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Bryant with 21 seconds left, sending Morgan State to the locker room up 24-14.

Villanova’s Ground Game Swings the Momentum

Villanova took control after halftime, led by Ja’briel Mace and Ragland. Mace capped a nine-play, 83-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 24-21 midway through the third quarter, and Morgan State scored no points in the period.

Pinned at their own 3 after an Amaya punt, the Wildcats went 97 yards on nine plays, and Ragland broke a 22-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter for a 28-24 lead, the first time Villanova had led all day. Ragland finished with 76 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, and Mace ran for 103 yards and two scores on 13 carries as Villanova piled up 191 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

A Back and Forth Fourth Quarter

Morgan State needed just 45 seconds to retake the lead. Edge found Joseph Towler on a 64-yard touchdown pass on the drive’s second play, giving the Bears a 31-28 lead. Villanova answered almost as quickly, as Mace broke a 52-yard touchdown run on the third play of the ensuing drive to put the Wildcats up 35-31 with 11:52 remaining.

Morgan State’s next real chance came on a 12-play, 67-yard drive that chewed 6:01 off the clock and reached the Villanova 13. On 4th and 7, Jamie Tyson intercepted Edge in the end zone with 2:45 left.

The Bears’ defense gave the offense one more opportunity. After a short run, a false start, and a short completion, Jalen Scarver sacked McQuaide for a 9-yard loss on third down, forcing a punt that Malique Leatherbury returned to the Morgan State 44.

Edge Delivers in the Final Two Minutes

The game-winning drive nearly stalled at midfield. Facing 4th and 5 from his own 49, Edge found Perry over the middle for 38 yards to the Villanova 13. Quavel Thornton followed with an 11-yard catch to the 2, and Edge carried it in on the next play for the go-ahead touchdown.

Villanova still had 30 seconds and moved from its own 33 to the Morgan State 30, with McQuaide converting a fourth down and completing four passes along the way. LeBlanc’s 47-yard try missed wide right as time expired.

Perry finished with 152 receiving yards on five catches; Jenkins had eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, and Towler added 89 yards on four receptions. Morgan State totaled 521 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per play.

Mcilwain led the Morgan State defense with nine tackles, including an interception, and Scarver finished with two tackles for loss, including the late sack. For Villanova, McQuaide completed 22 of 28 passes for 266 yards, and linebackers Omari Bursey and Christian Caballero each made nine tackles, with Bursey adding a sack. The win was the 111th of head coach Damon Wilson’s career.

Morgan State returns home to host Robert Morris for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 10. Full box score details are on our 2025 football season dashboard.