‘Absolute thriller’: William & Mary opens FCS season with 13-point rally in final minute

With just 55 seconds left on Friday night, Villanova held a 10-point lead at home over William & Mary. Ranked No. 7 in the FCS and playing an unranked opponent, the expected outcome was a 1-0 start to the season for the Wildcats.

Most 55 seconds, however, don’t get so interesting.

Instead, a perilous stretch included 13 unanswered points from the Tribe and a 35-32 William & Mary upset.

ESPN play-by-play announcer Allen Bernstein summed it up eloquently as a wave of white, green and gold crashed in delirium onto the field.

“William & Mary stuns Villanova on the road,” Bernstein said on the broadcast. “A top-10 win for the tribe. An absolute thriller here at Villanova Stadium.”

William and Mary was down double digits to No. 7 Villanova with under a minute left to play.

Then this happened pic.twitter.com/8BPsrbzrLj

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 29, 2026

William & Mary’s rally started when junior kicker Max Lipinski knocked through a 40-yard field goal to cut Villanova’s lead to 32-25 with 53 seconds remaining. The ensuing onside kick took a precarious bounce and was recovered by William & Mary all the way down on the Wildcats’ 39.

With 22 seconds left, junior quarterback Winston Watkins uncorked a 37-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Kai Austin, who had somehow found his way past a defense whose only prerogative was to stop said deep ball and see out the game. Tie game at 32.

“How does he get behind the defensive back?” analyst Dave Clawson asked.

Usually, the ensuing scenario would involve a knee or two and a game heading to overtime.

Instead, the Wildcats, who entered as 11.5 point favorites, wanted it all back.

When Villanova’s sixth-year quarterback Pat McQuaide woke up Friday morning, he wasn’t eligible to suit up that night.

On Aug. 1, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy McCormick issued a preliminary injunction overturning the NCAA’s denial of the quarterback’s extra year of eligibility. On Aug. 4, however, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Patriot League notified Villanova that he remained ineligible and that playing him would violate conference-specific rules. The ensuing appeal was denied.

Just hours before kickoff Friday night, McCormick granted a separate preliminary injunction against the Patriot League, and McQuaide was allowed to play. He repaid the effort by going 17-for-30 for 270 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw three interceptions, the last of which was consequential.

With just under 10 seconds left, and from his own 35, McQuaide threw a pick to William & Mary freshman defensive back Cade Ellis, who returned the ball to the Wildcats’ 28 before being tackled with five seconds remaining.

Just 50 game seconds removed from a double-digit Wildcat lead, the Tribe sat one 45-yard Lipinski field goal away from winning in an improbably rapid comeback against a highly ranked opponent.

Moments later, it was William & Mary that started the 2025 season 1-0.