Staten Island, NY – Freshman QB Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY) ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 174 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a 15-yard TD pass to senior wide receiver Lon Woods (St. Petersburg, FL/ J.P. Taravella) with 26 seconds left in the game, to spur Wagner (6-3, 5-1 NEC) to a 32-27 win over Central Connecticut St. (7-2, 5-1) which moves the Seahawks into first place in the Northeast Conference.

In winning its fourth straight game and improving to 5-1 in the NEC, Wagner is tied with Central Connecticut for first place honors, but if the season were to end today the Seahawks would be league champions based on their head-to-head win today. Albany lost to Robert Morris 13-10 on Saturday and now has two losses in the league. Wagner, which travels to Robert Morris next weekend, will meet Albany on Nov. 21 in the regular season finale on Grymes Hill.

The NEC Champion will gain a berth in the Gridiron Classic and be matched with the winner of the Pioneer League on Dec. 5.

Wagner took a 13-7 lead into halftime, scoring first on a 30-yard TD strike from Doscher to junior TE Morgan Mizell (Mt. Vernon, NY/ Fordham Prep) and on a 29-yard TD jaunt by Doscher. In between those scores (Wagner missed the PAT on the latter) was a mammoth 9:36, 18-play, 99-yard CCSU drive that was capped by a one-yard TD run by James Mallory, who would finish the day with 180 yards rushing on 27 carries.

Mallory shook lose on a 63-yard TD romp on the second play from scrimmage in the second half to put the Blue Devils on top 14-13. At the outset of the fourth quarter, Mallory struck again, capping an 81-yard drive with a two-yard TD run. This time, CCSU failed on the point after leaving the Blue Devils with a 20-13 lead.

Wagner knotted the game at 20-20 on a gorgeous 32-yard connection from Doscher to sophomore WR David Crawford (Carrollton, TX/ Hebron) who was well covered on the play. CCSU answered with a four-play, 71-yard mach with Josue Paul scoring on a 13-yard pass from QB Aubrey Norris, to give CCSU the lead again at 27-20. Undaunted, the Seahawks countered with a six-play, 53-yard drive with Doscher taking it in himself from the two-yard line. The PAT failed when Doscher mishandled the snap, leaving CCSU on top for the moment at 27-26.

The Seahawk defense then stiffened, sacking Norris for a 10-yard loss on third-and-9 from the Blue Devil 37-yard line. Wagner was then the beneficiary of a shanked five-yard punt that gave the Seahawks their final possession at their own 42-yard line with 1:35 left in the game. Doscher started the drive with an 18-yard completion to Woods, who injured his foot on the play and was forced to leave the game.

Following an incompletion, Doscher ran twice for a combined 19 yards, giving Wagner a first down at the CCSU 21-yard line. Doscher then threw a six-yard bullet to junior WR Tyrone Collins (Geneva, NY/ Geneva), who stepped out of bounds at the Blue Devil 15-yard line with 34 seconds left to play.

Woods then re-entered the game and snared a Doscher pass in the left flat and raced it into the end zone for the game-winning score. Wagner failed on the two-point try but the Wagner defense took over from there, sacking Norris for a loss of 23 yards on the final play of the game to seal the 32-27 win and set off a raucous on-field celebration.

Doscher was an efficient 11-of-16 passing for 174 yards and those three TDs. Woods caught five passes for 70 yards. Junior RB Eric Foxworth (Delran, NJ/ Globe Institute) ran for 83 yards on 15 carries in his most extensive action of the season.

CCSU held a sizeable edge in total yards (471-387), first downs (30-19), offensive plays (76-47) and time of possession (34:13-25:47). But the Seahawks came up with just enough big plays to pull out the win. Norris, a Staten Island native, completed 19-of-27 passes for 201 yards and ran for another 51 yards. His favorite target was Paul who snared eight passes for 73 yards. 

Three Seahawks set career highs in tackles with junior safety Chaz Legette (Syracuse, NY/ Nottingham) leading the way with 15, followed by sophomore LB Julian Stanford (Bloomfield, CT/Bloomfield) and senior CB Jorel Joseph (Fairfax Station, VA/ Bishop Ireton), who posted 11 tackles apiece.

Wagner's game at Robert Morris is on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1:00 pm.

FINAL STATS