William & Mary opens FCS season with 13-point comeback in final minute to stun Villanova

College football is back with a bang: In an FCS Week 0 treat, William & Mary pulled off a massive double-digit comeback against Villanova on the road in less than a minute of play. After finding themselves down 10 points late in the fourth quarter, the Tribe began their rally with a field goal scored with just under a minute in the game. Desperately needing a touchdown, William & Mary hit an onside kick that they were able to recover inside the 40 after it bounced off a Wildcat. On third-and-eight, W&M starting quarterback Winston Watkins lofted the ball deep to receiver Kai Austin, who cradled it for a touchdown. With an extra point, that was enough for William & Mary to stunningly tie the game with 22 seconds left. But the Tribe wasn’t done: Villanova starting QB Pat McQuaide tried to throw long under pressure, and instead got picked off by Cade Ellis. (The interception was Ellis’ second on McQuaide that night, and McQuaide’s third in all.) That set up a chance for the Tribe to kick a 45-yard field goal to win the game — which they promptly did, completing one of the wildest comebacks in college football history. 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 It was quite a start to the season for William & Mary, who is in its first year in the Patriot League after nearly a decade in the Coastal Athletic (CAA) conference. Villanova had headed into the game ranked No. 8 in the NCAA FCS preseason poll , and No. 7 in the coaches’ poll, holding home field advantage over a team that should have been an easy opening win. Instead, they found themselves stunned by the Tribe in impressively fast fashion. Quite a bit of credit deserves to go to the Tribe’s starting kicker Max Lipinski, a transfer from James Madison with limited in-game experience. Lipinski went a perfect five-for-five on field goals, including the 45-yarder to win the game. Sophomore kicker Sam Braidwood, though, was the player who got the successful onside kick. The loss to William & Mary sours Villanova’s home opener, especially as the Wildcats are about to embark on a three-game road trip to continue the season — including an FBS matchup against Louisville on Sept. 11. The Tribe, meanwhile, will face their own FBS challenge with a game against Duke on Sept. 26.