Box Score BOX SCORE / PHOTO GALLERY/ VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS/ POST-GAME INTERVIEWS
Staten Island, NY – Senior quarterback
Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) totaled 186 yards of offense, junior running back
Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy) ran for 106 yards and the Seahawk defense caused five turnovers to lead Wagner past Colgate 31-20 in an NCAA Division I Championship game in front a season-high 3,032 fans at chilly Hameline Field.
The third team to represent the NEC in the playoffs, the Seahawks will now travel to No. 2 seed Eastern Washington for a second-round matchup on Saturday, December 1. In posting the first-ever NCAA championship victory by a Northeast Conference (NEC) team, the Seahawks will now make the long trek to Cheney, WA to meet the Eagles on Saturday, December 1 at 6:00 pm (EST).
For the Green & White, it was their ninth consecutive victory, Wagner's longest winning streak since a nine-game skein in 1981, in head coach
Walt Hameline's first season at the helm. The Win also broke the Red Raiders' seven-game winning streak.
After starting out the season 0-3, the Seahawks now stand at 9-3 on the year while Red Raiders, champions of the Patriot League, finish with a final mark of 8-4.The 38-17 loss to Monmouth put Wagner in a 0-3 hole to start the season. Wagner righted the ship in week four with a win at Central Connecticut (31-13) and it's been off the races ever since for the Seahawks.
The Seahawks didn't commit a turnover, leaving them with just one in their last 11 games and Doscher has now thrown 210 consecutive passes without an interception. His one and only interception on the year came in the second quarter of the season opener at Florida Atlantic on August 31.
Wagner never trailed in what was the Seahawks' first NCAA game since 1988, when the team competed at the Division III level. It also marked the first NCAA win for the Green & White since December 12, 1987 when Wagner captured the Division III National Championships with a 19-3 win over Dayton.
Wagner's defense, led by an 11-tackle effort by senior linebacker
Mike Lombardo (Jupiter, FL. Jupiter Christian/ Arkansas St.) stifled Colgate's dangerous rushing attack, led by quarterback Gavin McCarney and running back Jordan McCord, by holding the Raiders to just 296 yards. The defense slowed Colgate's fifth-ranked FCS rushing offense (294 yards per game) and third-ranked FCS scoring offense (41 points per game) well in check.
Wagner hit the scoreboard first after senior cornerback
Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond/ Syracuse) came up with the first of his two interceptions. Phillips stepped in front of a Colgate receiver on along the right sideline to pick off the pass thrown by McCarney.
For the 2012 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, it was the first of five turnovers that he would commit as the senior lost three fumbles and was intercepted twice, both by Phillips. After Phillips returned the first quarter pick 31 yards to the Raiders 17, Doscher lofted a perfectly-thrown ball on first down to sophomore wide receiver
Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/ Toms River) for the TD and it was 7-0.
Wagner made it a 14-0 lead in on a smartly-executed drive by Doscher. The 10-play, 86-yard drive featured an efficient blend of the pass and run, culminating in a Williams 10-yard rushing touchdown run with 13:17 to go in the half.
Colgate's initial tally of the game came after a 61-yard, second-quarter drive that was capped by a four-yard McCarney TD dash that made it a 14-7 game with 8:25 left in the half.
Wagner countered by embarking on a six-play, 63-yard march capped by Doscher's improvisational, twisting and turning 13-yard TD jaunt up the middle to make it 21-7.
Late in the first half, Colgate turned in a huge special teams play to get back within striking distance. With Wagner punting from its own end zone and 1:15 left before intermission, Vince Myers broke through the Seahawk line to block the punt and teammate Demetrius Russell snatched the ball out of mid air in the end zone to pull the Raiders within 21-14.
With less than a minute left in the half, Doscher calmly directed the Seahawks on a drive that reached the Colgate 29-yard line following a seven-yard grab by junior WR
Cody Morgan (Boston, MA/ Boston College HS/ Syracuse) which set up 46-yard field goal by senior
David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ Heritage) as time expired to put Wagner up 24-14.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Doscher engineered a 13-play,, 74-yard drive that bridged the second and third quarters, capped by a gorgeous, lofted TD pass to fifth-year senior wide receiver
David Crawford (Carrollton, TX/ Hebron) that made it 31-14. The 6-4 Crawford leapt high for the ball, snaring it at the apex of his jump, and hanging onto it as he hit the ground.
Colgate answered with a 12-play, 69-yard drive as running back Jordan McCord took it over from the four. Following the missed extra point, the score stood at 31-20 which turned out to be the final score.
In addition to Lombardo's 11-tackle game that was highlighted by two sacks for minus 16 yards, strong performances were turned in by senior linebacker
Theodore Clohessy (Staten Island, NY/ St. Joseph By the Sea) and senior free safety Patrick O'Connor (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) who had nine tackles. Clohessy had nine tackles and two forced fumbles while O'Connor matched him with nine stops of his own and one forced fumble.
Yet another senior, linebacker #C.O. Prime# (Laval, Quebec/ Montreal, Canada), consistently laid the wood all afternoon, recording six stops, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
NOTES
WAGNER POSTS NEC'S FIRST NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP WIN
Today's game marked the third consecutive year that the Northeast Conference (NEC) winner competed in the Division I NCAA Championship as an automatic qualifier and Wagner will forever hold the distinction of being the league's first team to win an NCAA game. Robert Morris was the first school to represent the NEC in the championship in 2010 and the Colonials battled North Dakota St. for a good part of their meeting before the Bison pulled away for a 43-17 win. Last season, 2011NEC champion Albany held the lead over Stony Brook for the majority of the game before the Seawolves rallied for a 31-28 victory.
SEAHAWKS' FIRST NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK SINCE 1981, HAMELINE'S FIRST AS HEAD COACH
In capturing its ninth consecutive win, Wagner has done something that has not been done on Grymes Hill since 1981. That season was head coach
Walt Hameline's first as head coach and, following a season-opening loss to Montclair St.,, the Seahawks went on to win next nine games in finishing with a 9-1 record.
DOSCHER BECOMES SCHOOL'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN PASSING YARDAGE
Already ranked No. 1 in Wagner history in total offense, senior QB
Nick Doscher became the school's all-time leading passer in the victory over Colgate. Coming into the game just 23 yards behind John Sciarra, who amassed 5,902 passing yards from 2004-05, Doscher's 95 yards passing vs. the Red Raiders give him 5,975 career passing yards.
DOSCHER'S NAME APPEAR THROUGHOUT ALL-TIME RECORD BOOK
Following the 31-20 victory over Colgate, here's where Doscher ranks in several key career categories.
Doscher on Wagner All-Time List
Rank Category Statistics
1 Total Offense 8,235 yards
Passing Yards 5,975 yards
2 Passing Completions 444 - First Place John Sciarra (2004-05), 473
Touchdown Passes 44 – First Place Don Cavalli (1958-61), 46
8 Rushing Yards 2,260 yards
DOSCHER 210 STRAIGHT PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
Senior QB
Nick Doscher has now thrown 210 straight passes without an interception as he played his 11th consecutive interception-free game against Holy Cross. The 210 passes without an interception has spanned 11.5 games (46 consecutive quarters). Incredibly, Doscher has not thrown an interception since the season opener at Florida Atlantic on August 31. With Wagner leading 3-0 in what would in an eventual 7-3 loss, Doscher was picked off in the end zone on a third-and-goal with 3:42 remaining in the first half against the Owls. It was his 10th pass attempt of the season. The next 210 have either hit a green shirt or the green playing surface.
WAGNER JUST ONE TURNOVER IN LAST NINE GAMES
Against Holy Cross on Nov. 10, Wagner's remarkable string of games without a turnover ended at six on a fumble by QB
Nick Doscher with 9:02 left in the third quarter. The last turnover committed by the Green & White prior to this was way back on September 15 vs. Monmouth, with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks picked off a pass thrown by junior QB
Kramer Berg.
The 38-17 loss to Monmouth put Wagner in a 0-3 hole to start the season. Wagner righted the ship in week four with a win at Central Connecticut (31-13) and it's been off the races ever since for the Seahawks. Wagner has gotten right back on the beam in its last two outings, playing turnover-free football in a 23-17 NEC Title-Clinching win over Duquesne on Nov. 17, followed by another four quarters of protecting the ball in Saturday's 31-20 NCAA victory over Colgate.
WILLIAMS MOVES INTO 4TH PLACE ON ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST
Junior RB
Dominique Williams (Bridgton, NJ/ Milford) moved into fourth place on the Wagner all-time rushing list during the victory over Colgate. The 5-9, 200-pound Williams gained 106 yards vs. the Raiders, giving him 3,248 yards for his career. He moved passed Kito Lockwood, who gained 3,156 yards from 1992-1995. Sitting in third place is Seahawk Hall of Fame member Alonzo Patterson (1979-82) wih 4,177 yards. Patterson is the only football player in Wagner football history to have his uniform number retired (#21).
PHILLIPS UP TO SEVEN CAREER INTERCEPTIONS
With his two interceptions vs. Colgate, senior CB
Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond) now has three picks on the season and seven for his career. Making that number even more impressive is the fact that, due to injuries in the Wagner backfield, Phillips played RB in 2010.
