EASTON, Pa. -- Tanoh Kpassagnon returned a fumble 25 yards on the first offensive play of the game and Jeff Steeb returned an interception 45 yards to close the scoring and Villanova defeated Lafayette 31-14 on Saturday night.
Aaron Forbes, who ran for 111 yards on 11 carries, scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter to put the Wildcats (3-1) up 24-14 after the Leopards (1-3) had rallied after falling behind 17-0.
Javon White's 1-yard plunge made it 17-0 for Villanova but Lafayette's Drew Reed hit Yasir Thomas for a 14-yard score just before halftime. Reed connected with Tim Vangelas on a 19-yard score early in the third quarter.
Lafayette finished with four turnovers with Rob Rolle picking off two passes, including one he returned 100 yards for a touchdown that was nullified by a penalty.
Villanova had 378 yards of offense, 238 on the ground while Lafayette had 342, 272 through the air.