FINAL STATS
WAGNER VS. CORNELL HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
COACH'S HAMELINE'S THOUGHTS ON THE WIN

Staten Island, NY – Sophomore quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY / Moore Catholic) had a huge game going 8-of-11 for 227 yards in the air with three touchdowns while also picking up 77 more yards and one touchdown on the ground over just three quarters of action in a decisive 41-7 win over Cornell at Wagner College Stadium. The Seahawks even their record at 1-1 while the Big Red fall to 0-1.

Midway through the first quarter with no score and Cornell in Wagner territory, senior Greg Francois (Delran, NJ / Holy Cross) made the first of many big plays on the day for the Green & White when he stepped in front of an Adam Currie pass for his first career interception at the Wagner 42-yard line. Doscher then went to work, accounting for all but six yards of a 58-yard, seven-play touchdown drive that took 3:20 off the clock. The sophomore signal caller punctuated the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone, making it 7-0 with 6:05 to go in the first quarter following the extra point.

After stopping the Big Red on the ensuing drive the Seahawk offense went right back to work picking up three quick first downs before facing a pivotal third and nine from their own 46 yard line. Doscher rose to the occasion scrambling to buy time before finding sophomore Dan Ford (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, senior Tyrone Collins (Geneva, NY / Geneva) used his galvanizing speed to break open for a 41-yard touchdown reception from Doscher, extending the lead out to 14-0 with 11:52 to play in the second quarter, following the extra point.

Wagner's defense then stepped up to the plate on the ensuing drive as junior Julian Stanford (Bloomfield, CT / Bloomfield) sacked Currie while popping the ball loose. The Big Red managed to keep possession but would be forced to punt two plays later..

Taking over just outside of Cornell territory, the Green & White ripped off a five-play, 52-yard scoring drive in just 2:27, capped when Doscher found Collins on an 11-yard scoring slant with 7:30 to go in the second quarter. The third and long conversion extended the lead out to 20-0 as Cornell blocked the extra point.

In the pivotal half, Wagner outgained Cornell by a whopping 266-46 margin, averaging 7.4 yard per play, compared to just 2.0 yard per play for the Big Red. Doscher was 7-for-10 with 139 yards and two touchdowns while Collins snared four of those passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. After failing to convert the first third down of the half, the Seahawks were successful on the next four while the Big Red did not convert any of their five third-down attempts.

On Wagner's first drive of the second half, the Seahawks took over at their own two-yard line following a 34-yard Drew Alston punt. Facing a third and 11 from the 12-yard line, Doscher found senior Justin Matthews (Hillside, NJ / Hillside) for an 88-yard touchdown reception, extending the lead out to 27-0 with 11:40 to play in the third quarter.

Cornell responded with a 28-yard pass play on the first play of the next drive before being stymied by the Wagner defense when Stanford pressured Jeff Mathews into an incompletion on fourth down. Senior Jeremy Martinez (Brookhaven, NY / Brookhaven) then carried the load, literally, carrying the five times for 53 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by the senior's 10-yard scoring run while pushing the lead out 34-0 with 5:20 to go in the third quarter.

The Seahawks' defense followed with the knockout blow on the following possession as senior Stefen Gage (Syracuse, NY / Henninger) intercepted a tipped pass and took it 20 yards to the house, making it 41-0 with 4:23 to go in the third quarter, following the extra point.

Cornell would finally get on the board in the fourth quarter when Marcus Hendren scored on a one-yard run with 7:56 to go, capping a 10-play, 44-yard drive while providing the final 41-7 tally.

Wagner which had 127 yards on the ground at the half, collected 198 yards in the second half for a total of 325 on 51 attempts (6.4 ypc) highlighted by sophomore Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY / Port Richmond), who had 114 of his game-high 133 yards in the second half in his first collegiate start at running back, after playing on defense as a freshman at Syracuse. Martinez also had a big second half, picking up 71 of his 117 yards in the second half for his second career 100-yard performance. All told each running back had 16 carries as the Seahawks threw the ball just once in the second half, Doscher's 88-yard scoring strike to Matthews.

One game after allowing five sacks, the offensive line did not allow Doscher or senior Tyler Newberry (Germantown, MD / Mercerburg Prep) to be sacked. On defense, Stanford was a menace all day, recording 2.5 sacks on defense, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. Senior Keith Davis (Harrisburg, PA / Bishop McDevitt) had a team-best eight tackles while Gage and Francois each had one interception.

Grant Gellatly rushed for 87 yards on just seven carries, including a 63-yard scamper, to lead the way for Cornell. Luke Tasker also had a solid game with a game-high five catches for 56 yards. Big Red punter Drew Alston also pinned the Seahawks inside their own 20-yard line four times on the day.

All told the Green & White notched 552 yards of offense (8.9 yards per play), compared to just 242 yards (4.4 yards per play) for the Big Red.

Wagner is next in action at 12:00 pm on Saturday, September 25 when the Seahawks host Robert Morris in a game that will be televised by MSG.