Pictured Above: Junior running back Denzel Knight (photo by Dave Saffran)

In-Game Video Clips on Twitter - @WagnerGameday

Post-Game Press Conference /

Coach Houghtaling's Interview with Pete Mundo /

QB Thomson's Interview with Pete Mundo /

Staten Island Advance  [By Cormac Gordon / Photo Gallery by Hilton Flores]

Staten Island, NY – Junior quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ/Keyport) passed for 176 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to scoring on a 59-yard run, while junior running Denzel Knight (Rochester, NY/Salisbury School) rumbled for 147 yards and a score to lead the Wagner football team to a convincing 38-16 victory over Saint Anselm tonight at Hamline Field.

The Seahawks outscored the Hawks 28-6 in the second half in breaking open a game that was tied 10-10 at halftime. Not to be lost among the many offensive superlatives on this night was a virtuoso defensive effort turned in by the Green & White, particularly in the second half.
 
The only points allowed by the Seahawks following the halftime break came on the game's very last play when Saint Anselm quarterback Yianni Gavalas tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Hill on fourth down as time expired.
 
In the second half, the stingy Seahawk defense held the Hawks to just 166 yards from scrimmage.
 
Sophomore inside linebacker Quintin Hampton (Moultrie, GA / Colquitt County), who began his collegiate career at FBS member Central Florida,  led the Wagner defensive charge with a game-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops while senior cornerback Tiquan Garner (Brookville, NY/ Long Island Lutheran) responded to his first start with nine tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Also recording career highs in tackles for the Green & White were junior free safety Jesse Flaherty (Oceanport, NJ/ The Peddie School) and sophomore inside linebacker Santoni Graham (Arlington, VA/ Fork Union Military Academy) who recorded eight and five stops, respectively.
 
"Great to get a win," said coach Jason Houghtaling,. "We came out in the first half and had to deal with some adversity and our guys responded really positively and with real energy. I think we played extremely hard, which was great to see.
 
'"I thought the defense really came alive in the second half," he added. "Tony (coordinator Tony Brinson) changed up some calls at halftime, but what was really important was the way everyone stayed together. I thought we hit harder and played harder after halftime.
 
For the evening, Thomson, finished 17-of-31 through the air, both career highs, for 176 yards. On this night, the 6-5, 225-pound Thomson was the ultimate distributor, as his 17 completions went to nine different receivers. For Knight, the 147 rushing yards also marked a career high and  are the most by a Seahawk since October 26, 2013 when current New York Jet Dominique Williams ran for 177 yards on 33 carries vs. Georgetown. The 488 yards of total offense churned out tonight by the Seahawks marks their highest output since October 2, 2010 when the Seahawks amassed 460 yards in a 29-21 victory over Bryant.
 
The second half was a scoreless defensive stalemate until senior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/ Bishop Maginn/Jireh Prep [NC]) barreled into the end zone from five yards out, with just eight seconds remaining in the third quarter, en route to an eight-carry, 94-yard night. This score capped a 12-play, 63-yard drive and gave the Seahawks the lead for good at 17-10.
 
After forcing the Hawks into a three and out, Thomson took off on a nifty 59-yard touchdown run on 2^nd-and-10 from his own 41 yard line. On a designed pass play, the Jersey Shore native pulled the ball down and dashed up the left sideline, before cutting back to the middle of the field, aided by a punishing downfield block from junior wide receiver John Williams (Sewell, NJ / Washington Township/Lackawanna JC [PA]).
 
The career-long 59-yard Thomson jaunt extended the Seahawk lead to 24-10 with 13:50 remaining in the game.
 
On their ensuing possession, Gavalas led the Hawks smartly into scoring range but on a 2^nd-and-10 pass from the Seahawk 16, sophomore cornerback Sterling Lowry (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham/Milford Academy) came up with a big interception in the end zone to snuff out the threat.
 
After Wagner took over on its own 20 following the touchback, McKinnon ripped off a 43 yard run all the way to the Hawk 37. On the very next play, Knight did the rest as the 6-2-, 220-pounder raced straight up the middle for a 37-yard touchdown. This score, which came with 41 seconds to go in the third quarter, made it a 31-10 game and effectively put the game out of reach.
 
The Seahawks would add one final touchdown to complete a spree of 28 unanswered points when Thomson hit All-Northeast Conference (NEC) tight end Ryan Owens on a 21-yard touchdown strike with 2:52 to play to make it a 38-10 game.

Wagner took an early 3-0 lead in this one on a 37-yard field goal by senior James Cooper (Linwood,, NJ/ Mainland Regional/Temple). After Saint Anselm ran off 10 straight points to make it a 10-3 game, the Seahawks tied things up 10-10 heading into halftime when Thomson found senior wide receiver Keith Foster (Newark, NJ/Weequahic/Milford Academy) in the end zone on a six-yard pass to complete a seven-play, 78-yard drive.
 
For Saint Anselm, which competed in the NCAA Division II classification as a member of the NE-10 Conference, completed 22-of-40 passes for 263 yards one touchdown and was intercepted twice. His favorite target was wide receiver Zach Bartak who wound up with 13 receptions for 122 yards.
 
The Seahawks will look to make it two in a row on Saturday, September 10 when they host NAIA member Concordia University in a Noon tilt at Hameline Field.
 
"We're going to enjoy this one for the next 24 hours and then turn our attention to Concordia," said Houghtaling.
 
Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow @Wagner_Football for all the latest news pertaining to Wagner Football and second-year head coach Jason Houghtaling (@HossWagner). Be sure to follow @WagnerGameday on Twitter for all live in-game updates. #CHAOSonthehill.