FINAL STATS

Pittsburgh, PA - Junior quarterback #Nick Doscher# (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) hit sophomore running back #Dominique Williams# (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton) with an 18-yard scoring strike two minutes into the game but Duquesne scored 31 unanswered points following Wagner's early score in posting a 37-21 win over Wagner in Northeast Conference (NEC) action.
 
With the victory, the Dukes improve to 6-2 overall, 4-1 in league play while the Seahawks fall to 1-6 on the season,, 1-3 in the NEC. Duquesne is now a perfect 4-0 this season at Arthur J. Rooney Field. Wagner has dropped six straight game .

Williams finished with a hard-fought 81 yards rushing on 20 carries. With 752 yards on the ground for the season , the 5-9, 200-pound dynamo needs 248 yards over the season's final four games to crack the 1,000-yard mark .Doscher, under duress much of the day, completed 9-of-21 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns while adding another on the ground. He was sacked twice.
 
Defensively, the Seahawks were led by junior linebacker #Mike Lombardo# (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter) who recorded a career-high 11 tackles including one tackle for loss (minus four yards). Sophomore cornerback #Torian Phillips# (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond) and sophomore safety #Patrick O'Connor# (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) came up with nine stops apiece. For Phillips, the nine tackles were a career high while O'Connor finished one shy of his career high as he made 10 tackles at Bryant (9/24).
 
Things looked promising for the Seahawks early as freshman #Otis Wright# (Fort Lauderdale, FL/ Dillard) returned the opening kickoff 42 yards to the Duquesne 45-yard line. On third and five, Doscher found sophomore tight end Joe Sidras (Mastic Beach, NY/ William Floyd) open over the middle for a 22-yard pick up to the 18. Following an incompletion, Doscher connected with Williams to give the Seahawks an early 7-0 lead.
 
The Dukes then reeled off 17 straight points in taking a 17-7 lead into halftime. Duquesne's equalizing score came on a four-yard touchdown flip from left-handed quarterback Sean Patterson to wide receiver Connor Dixon which capped a five-play, 41-yard drive. The Dukes took the lead for good on another Patterson to Connor connection, this one covering 37 yards, which put Duquesne on top 14-7 with 11:30 left in the half. The Patterson to Connor hook-up put the explanation point on a five-play, 70-yard drive.
 
On the final drive of the opening half, the Dukes took over on their own 20. Patterson then fired consecutive completions to wide receiver Isaac Spragg of 22 and 14 yards, respectively. On the latter, Spragg was able to get out of bounds at the Wagner 34, stopping the clock with one second left in the half. That lone digit remaining on the game clock proved crucial as kicker Charlie Leventry came on to boot a school-record 51-yard field goal as the fired up Dukes raced towards their locker room with momentum on their side and a 17-7 lead on the scoreboard.
 
That momentum carried over to the second half as Devin Williams returned the kickoff 28 yards to the Duquesne 45. Patterson swiftly and efficiently moved his team down the field, the big play coming via his legs this time as he scampered 22 yards to the Wagner 13 on a third-and-two from the 35. McCoy covered 10 yards on a first-down run and took it from the three-yard line on the next play to stake Duquesne to a comfortable 24-7 lead.
 
Wagner's ensuing drive reached the Dukes' 41 but a hurried Doscher threw incomplete on third-and-four. After Seahawk senior punter #Rory Cregan# (Woodside, NY/ St. Francis Prep) punted the ball to the Duquesne 15, the Dukes went right back to work. Patterson led Duquesne on a six-play, 85-yard drive that was highlighed by passes of 28 and 23 yards, respectively, to Joe Cangella and Spragg. On second-and-9 from the Seahawk 29, Duquesne caught Wagner in a blitz as McCoy raced free 29 yards up the middle for a score, giving the Seahawks commanding 31-7 lead.
 
Following the 31-point Duquesne blitzkrieg, Wagner got back on the board on a one-yard touchdown plunge by Doscher with 3:16 to go in the third quarter to make it a 31-14 game. Doscher's touchdown completed a crisp 8-play, 70-yard drive that elapsed 3:25. The drive was aided by a 15-yard late hit on Duquesne which was followed by a 25-yard completion from Doscher to Sidaras.
 
The momentum shifted back to Duquesne, however, when junior wide receiver #Wandy Saintilien# (Miami, FL/ ASA Institute) fumbled deep in his own territory with Duquesne's Rich Piekarski pouncing on the ball at the Seahawk 19. A Wagner personal foul and four McCoy runs was all Duquesne needed as the bruising junior barreled in from the one-yard line for the Dukes' final tally of the game with 12:36 to go. A missed extra point kept the score at 37-14.
 
Wagner would get to within two scores at 37-21. A 24-yard punt return by Williams allowed the Seahawks to set up shop at their own 38. On first down, Doscher heaved a long pass that was corralled by Saintilien at the Dukes' 20 and the 5-7, 150-pound speedster did the rest, out-running the Duquesne secondary for a 62-yard touchdown with 6:59 left in the game.
 
The Seahawks would get the ball back one more time, forcing Duquesne into a three-and-out. Taking over at their own 15 with 5:15 left, Doscher could not connect with diving junior wide receiver and fellow Staten Island native #Kenny Munson# (Tottenville HS) on a third and eight from the 17. Following a Cregan punt, the Dukes were able to run out the final 4:11 in staving off the Seahawks by the final count of 37-21.
 
On the afternoon, the Dukes doubled the Seahawks in first downs, 26-13, while out-gaining Wagner 477-261. The Dukes displayed tremendous balance in passing for 264 yards and rushing for 213. Patterson was a sharp 25-of-35 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Spragg was his favorite target with nine catches for 95 yards while Dixon finished with 89 yards on eight catches, two of which went for scores. McCoy, as he has been all year, was the workhorse for Duquesne with 149 yards on 26 carries.
 
Wagner is next in action on Saturday, October 29 when the Seahawks host Albany on Homecoming Day in a 12:00 pm kickoff. The Wagner-Albany contest is the NEC Game of the Week and will televised by Fox College Sports (FCS), which is available to digital cable subscribers in 56 million homes, and via broadband on ESPN3. At halftime, the Wagner College Athletic Department will welcome five new members into the school's Hall of Fame. The five-member class of 2011 is comprised of Jennifer Albrizio (Softball, '85), John Chaney (Football, '88), Andy Fellouris (Football, '86), Frank Gunther (Golf, '64) and Milan Rikic (Basketball, '95).
 
NOTES - Senior quarterback #Nick Doscher# (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) saw his first action since injuring his right shoulder at Cornell on October 1. Doscher completed 9-of-21 passes for 154 yards, highlighted by a 62-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver #Wandy Saintilien# (Miami, FL/ ASA Institute). Saintilien wound up with three catches for a career-high 70 yards, 62 of which came on his fourth quarter touchdown vs. Duquesne. Saintilien now has the two longest receptions of the season, both of which went for touchdowns, as he hauled in a 67-yard TD vs. Saint Francis (PA) on September 3. Saintilen is third on the team with 13 receptions for a team-high 254 yards. He is far and away the team leader in receiving yards per catch with a 19.5 yards per catch average. Against Duquesne, Doscher moved into fourth place on the Seahawk all-time passing list.  His 154 passing yards give him 4,100 career passing yards as he surpassed Matt Abbey who threw for 4,021 yards (2005-08). Doscher is now one of five Seahawks to annex the 4,000-yard mark for his career. Also against the Dukes, Doscher became just the fourth Seahawk to surpass the 300-completion milestone, leaving him seven behind Terry O'Hare (1991-92) with 306 completions. The first quarter touchdown reception by Williams was the first of his career. Overall, he has nine touchdowns on the season and18 for his career. Junior wide receiver #Kenny Munson# (Staten Island, NY/ Tottenville) and sophomore offensive lineman #Brendan Byrne# (Slate Hills, NY/ Minisink Valley) made their first career starts. Byrne got the starting nod at left guard. #Mark Mangion#, (Basking Ridge, NJ/ Ridge) a graduate student who had been a reserve kicker in his previous four years at Wagner, re-joined the team last week to provide depth as he had one season of eligibility remaining. Starting kicker David Lopez, a preseason All-NEC selection, has missed the last four games due to injury. Mangion was the starting placekicker vs. Duquesne and converted all three of his extra-point tries while not attempting a field goal. Freshman #Bryan Maley# (Eagle River, AK/ Chugiak) handled kickoff duties. Freshman wide receiver #Anthony Carrington# (Toms River, NJ/ Toms River North) made the first catch of his career with a 12-yard third quarter reception. Defensively, the Seahawks are being led by senior strong safety #Jeremiah Brown# (Brooklyn, NY. Grand Street Campus) and junior linebacker Carl-Olivier Prime who are tied for the team lead in tackles with 52. Lombardo is third on the team with 50. Sophomore tight end #Joe Sidaras# (Mastic Beach, NY/ William Floyd) has assumed the team lead in receptions with 16 which have gone for 233 yards. Senior wide receiver #Justin Matthews# (Hillside, NJ/ Hillside) is second on the club with 15 for 167 yards. Wagner's special teams play was solid all-around. Wright's 42-yard kickoff return was the longest by a Seahawk this year as was a Williams 24-yard fourth quarter punt return. Senior punter #Rory Cregan# (Woodside, NY/ St. Francis Prep) punted nine times for a 37.2 yard average, highlighted by a career-long and Wagner season-high 54-yarder. Three of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, a Seahawk season high, and one went for a touchback.