Nov. 17, 2007
Final Stats
Jacksonville, FL - Senior RB Jason Butler (Syracuse, NY/ Henninger) capped his brilliant season and career by rushing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries to lift Wagner to a 41-27 victory over Jacksonville in the season finale for both teams.
The victory gives the Seahawks a final record of 7-4, the program's first seven-win season since 2002. With the loss, the Dolphins finish with a mark of 3-8.
The 6-1, 180-pound Butler rushed for 100 or more yards in all 11 games this season, becoming the first NEC player to ever accomplish this feat. His 238-yard outing was the second-highest total he has amassed in a game (career high is 269 vs. La Salle on Nov. 3), and marked the third 200-yard game of his season and career.
Butler finished the season with 1,713 yards, which is second on the Wagner all-time rushing list behind Terry Underwood, who gained 1,809 yards in 1988. Butler also finished the season with 316 rushing attempts, which is a Wagner single-season school mark.
In his two-year career as a running back, Butler, a defensive back before being converted to RB prior to the 2006 season, finished with 2,448 yards, which is sixth on the Wagner all-time list.
Jacksonville took an early 6-0 lead on a 64-yard pass from QB Nathan Conner to WR Chris Horton. The extra-point try failed and Wagner quickly countered with a 7-pla, 86-yard march capped by a 24-yard TD run by Butler with 10:01 left in the first quarter to go up 7-6. The Dolphins went back on top on a five-yard TD run by RB Rudell Small with 4:53 left in the opening quarter.
Wagner then took a14-13 lead a four-yard TD run by freshman FB Richard Parker (Cornoa, NY/ Hargrave Academy). A 25-yard field goal by senior Piotr Czech (Keyport, NJ/ Keyport) made it 17-13 but Jacksonville took a 20-17 lead into the locker room at halftime on a two-yard TD run by RB Ron Harris.
Seahawk junior QB Matt Abbey (La Canada, CA) put Wagner on top for good by connecting with sophomore WR Lon Woods (St. Petersburg, FL/ J.P. Taravella) on a 20-yard strike just 1:56 into the second half. Parker then gave Wagner a 31-20 lead on a one-yard TD run with 1:21 left in the third quarter. Czech nailed a 50-yard field goal with 8:34 left in the game to make it 34-20. Jacksonville's Geavon Tribble hauled in a 21-yard TD with 4:30 left to play to cut the deficit to 34-27. Butler then capped the day's scoring by racing 41 yards for a TD with 1:11 left in the game to seal the victory and fashion the final score at 41-27.
Wagner amassed 562 yards of offense while Jacksonville gained 515. Abbey finished wih a season-high 267 yards on 11-of-22 passing and one TD. Senior LB Bryan Brand (Placerville, CA/ Santa Barbara CC) recorded 13 tackles to lead the Seahawks defensively.
