BETHLEHEM, PA – The Villanova Wildcats have won the 2025 Lambert Cup.
In the final Lambert Cup poll of the season, the Wildcats (12-3), based on their phenomenal run to the FCS Playoff semifinals, finished ahead of fellow FCS Playoff participants Lehigh (12-1), Yale (9-3), and Rhode Island (11-3) in the first year of the resurrection of the in-season Lambert Cup polling this season.
After finishing second to Rhode Island in the CAA regular season. Villanova earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs as the 12th seed and reached the brink of becoming only the third double-digit seed ever to advance to the championship game. Part of the team’s formula for success was a veteran roster with 1,880 career games played, including standouts like LB Shane Hartzell (101 tackles, 19 1/2 Tackles for Loss) and QB Pat McQuaide (3,125 passing yards, 25 passing TDs).
After losing to Monmouth in September 51-33, the Wildcats won eleven straight games, including a pivotal 31-24 win over William and Mary, with RB David Avit scoring two big touchdowns, and a dominating 37-7 win over New Hampshire, where RB Ja’briel Mace scored three touchdowns.
Hosting first-time playoff participant Harvard in the first round of the playoffs, the Wildcats crushed the Crimson 52-7 in a comprehensive win in all three phases, setting up a critical Lambert Cup-themed game at Murray Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, PA against undefeated Lehigh (who entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the final regular season Lambert Cup poll). Though the Lambert Cup was not officially on the line (Rhode Island and Yale, thanks to their first round FCS Playoff wins, were certainly still in the running), unofficially it seemed like Villanova’s FCS Second Round game against No. 5 seed Lehigh would go a long way towards determining the 2025 Lambert Cup champion for 2025.
In front of a large, electric crowd of nearly 9,000 fans on a cold December day, two of the best defenses in all of FCS went toe to toe and the result was a physical game that was one for the ages. The Wildcats and Mountain Hawks defenses held the offenses scoreless in the first half, battled to a 7-7 tie in the third quarter, and the Wildcats finally broke through with a go-ahead touchdown with three minutes to play on the way to a 14-7 win over previously undefeated Lehigh. WR Braden Reed’s amazing 28 yard touchdown reception stunned the Lehigh crowd, and for good measure Villanova’s offense would get a critical first down to secure the win.
Villanova’s run though the playoffs was not finished, however. The following week, they would travel to Stephenville, Texas and rally from a nine point deficit to stun No. 4 seed Tarleton State 26-21. Reed, the hero against Lehigh, would be the hero once again with an 11 yard grab from McQuaide to take the lead, and just like last week, Villanova would need a late offensive first down to secure the win, and they did so.
On their way to the 2025 Lambert Cup, the Wildcats beat Lehigh (No. 2), Harvard (No. 5), New Hampshire (6), and William & Mary (ORV). Through a quirk of scheduling, they did not play the eventual CAA conference champions Rhode Island (No. 4).
The 2025 Lambert Cup Committee consisted of regional and national FCS Football media members and conference representatives, and was conducted after Villanova concluded their season. The actual Lambert Cup may be awarded in person at at a time and place of the winning school’s choosing.
1. Villanova
2. Lehigh
3. Yale
4. Rhode Island
5. Harvard
6. New Hampshire
7. Monmouth (NJ)
8. Delaware State
9. Lafayette
10. Central Connecticut State
ORV: Dartmouth, Duquesne, William & Mary.