The Penn State-Villanova Game Ended as a Bad Beat for Some Bettors

STATE COLLEGE | In section NGU at the top of Beaver Stadium's north end zone, a small but fierce copse of Villanova fans roared at the touchdown that ended Saturday's Penn State-Villanova game. With the touchdown, the Wildcats avoided getting shut out by the Nittany Lions. They also might have inspired some, well, seething reactions.

Villanova tight end Brandon Binkowski made a leaping one-handed catch, touched his toes in the back of the end zone and corralled the ball with no time on the clock. Final score, Penn State 52, Villanova 6.

It mattered because Penn State entered the game as a 47.5- or 48.5-point favorite, depending on who set the last line. And the over/under was 55.5 points, meaning the touchdown hit the over. So if you had Villanova covering the point spread and the over, congratulations.

Penn State was a 48.5-point favorite over Villanova... 🏈💸🚨 #BadBeat pic.twitter.com/sEUOVVA1AL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2025

Anatomy of a touchdown drive

Villanova's final drive was a gem of nerve-fraying action for bettors. With its backup quarterback, and against Penn State's backup defense, Villanova drove 75 yards in 16 plays for the score. The Wildcats got into scoring position as Maddocks converted first-down throws on 3rd-and-6 and 3rd-and-8 and gained 4 yards on 3rd-and-4.

The series was general chaos. Villanova committed a false start to force 3rd-and-9, followed by a Penn State offsides to get it back to 3rd-and-4. Penn State coach James Franklin called two timeouts in the last 37 seconds. Villanova called one. And Penn State nearly pulled off a goal-line stand to secure the shutout. Epic stuff.

Penn State, which beat FIU 34-0 last week, was playing for consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1996. Fittingly, Penn State honored its 2005 Penn State team, which went 11-1, finished third in the country and kicked off that season in 2004 with a goal-line stand vs. Indiana. Some of those guys likely watched with rapt attention.

The Nittany Lions had another chance for a goal-line stand. They held Villanova to no gain on 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and true freshman linebacker Alex Tatsch made a tackle for a 2-yard loss on 2nd-and-goal.

Villanova nearly scored on 3rd-and-goal, but tight end Antonio Johnson's juggled catch was ruled incomplete on the field and upheld upon review. That led to 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line. A false start pushed Villanova back to the 8-yard line. And then Maddocks and Binkowski did this. Watch it again.

WHAT A TD ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME!!! 😱

Villanova avoids the shutout. pic.twitter.com/65szOHseKX
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2025

Binkowski is a redshirt freshman who, according to his Villanova bio, "has a good feel for the game." The touchdown catch was the first of his career. Maddocks, a junior from Reading, Pennsylvania, threw first touchdown pass of his career as well.

Second-ranked Penn State has been favored by 40+ points in every game this season, and the Nittany Lions are 0-3 against the spread. They beat Nevada 52-6 in the opener and shut out FIU 34-0 in Week 2.

Next up for the Nittany Lions is their biggest home game of the season. Penn State hosts Oregon on Sept. 27 in the annual White Out at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions were listed as 4.5-point favorites over the Ducks before the season.

Penn State players know that fans might have some distinct reactions to the game. Before the season, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar discussed just that issue.

"I mean, I'll go back home and people will be like, 'Oh yeah, I got $1,000 on you to win the Heisman,'" Allar said. "I'm like, 'OK, why do I need to know that?' I don't necessarily need to know that. But that side of things can bring out some ugly interactions. I've definitely had some things that I'm questioning, I don't know how people can do that to you."

Anatomy of a touchdown drive

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