FINAL STATS

Moon Township, PA – Sophomore running back #Dominique Williams# (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton) ran for a career-high 216 yards on 32 carries and scored four touchdowns to spearhead Wagner to an impressive 38-17 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over Robert Morris.

In recording their second consecutive win, the Seahawks improve to 3-7 on the season, 3-4 in the NEC. In dropping their fifth straight game, the defending NEC champion Colonials saw their record fall to 2-8 overall, 2-5 in league play.

Williams scored on runs of two, five and 56 yards as the Seahawks built a 24-3 halftime lead. In the final minute of the game, Williams notched his fourth and final touchdown of the game, a one-yard run. For the game, he averaged 6.8 yards per carry. He now has 12 touchdowns on the season and 22 for his career.

Williams' two-yard touchdown plunge at the 6:41 mark of the first quarter capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive to open the game and give Wagner an early 7-0 lead. The Seahawks extended the lead to 14-0 when Williams scampered in from five yards out to cap a six-play, 36-yard drive at the 9:40 mark of the second quarter.

Robert Morris got on the board with a 37-yard field goal at the 3:38 mark of the second quarter, but Williams' third touchdown run of the first half, this one a 56-yarder with 3:19 to go in the half, staked Wagner to a 21-3 lead. Senior kicker #Mark Mangion# (Basking Ridge, NJ/ Ridge) gave the Seahawks a comfortable 24-3 lead at halftime by connecting on a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

During that final drive of the half, junior quarterback #Nick Doscher# (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) reaggravated a previous shoulder injury and would not return as redshirt freshman #Matt Misley# (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge) steered the ship the rest of the way.

Following a scoreless third quarter, RMU quarterback Tyler Forbes  found senior wide receiver Jamie Cobb for a 38-yard touchdown pass to trim the deficit to 24-10 with 14:05 to play. Wagner went three-and-out on its next possession, but the Colonials were unable to take advantage as senior strong safety #Jeremiah Brown# (Brooklyn, NY/ Grand Street Campus) intercepted Forbes at the Wagner 35.

Following a Wagner punt, junior linebacker Carl-Olivier Prime (Quebec, Canada/ The Kent School) sacked and stripped Forbes of the ball and the loose ball was scooped up by senior defensive end #Quintin Anderson# (Rochester, NY/ Milford Academy), who scampered 48 yards to the end zone for the touchdown and a 31-10 Wagner lead with 8:0l left.

Robert Morris responded with a one-yard touchdown run by Deontae Howard with 5:49 left to trim the deficit to 31-17, before Williams capped the day with his fourth touchdown run of the day, this time from a one-yard out, to fashion the final score of 38-17. Williams set up his own touchdown when he burst to the outside an second and 10 from the Wagner 15 and raced 79 yards before being tackled at the RMU six-yard line.

While Williams' record-setting day gained the limelight, it did not overshadow a ferocious Wagner defensive effort, finishing the day with nine tackles for loss for minus 34 yards and four sacks while forcing three turnovers. Reining NEC Defensive Player of the Week, sophomore cornerback #Torian Phillips# (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond), and junior linebacker #Mike Lombardo# (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian) paced the Seahawks with nine tackles apiece. In addition to his interception, Brown made eight stops along with junior free safety Theodere Clohessy (Staten Island, NY/ St. Joseph By the Sea), who made his first career start in place of the injured #Patrick O'Connor# (Leominster, MA/ Leominster). Junior linebacker #Greg Burton# (South Plainfield, NJ/ South Plainfield) also had a productive afternoon, with seven stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

During his nearly one half of play, Doscher rushed for 46 yards on nine carries while going 5-of-13 passing for 57 yards. Sophomore tight end #Joe Sidaras# (Mastic Beach, NY/ William Floyd) led Wagner in the receiving department with two catches for 27 yards with a long reception of 18.

RMU Freshman quarterback Matt Layman made his first collegiate start, finished 6-for16 passing for 70 yards before suffering an injury in the third quarter. Forbes finished the day under center for the Colonials, completing 10 of his 21 passing attempts for 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Colonials' All-NEC tight end Shadrae King had eight catches for 76 yards. Howard led the team in rushing with 34 yards on 13 carries.

With 103 yards of total offense, Doscher added to his school record total as he is now up to 5,961 yards in that department. His 57 yards passing ups his career total to 4,239 as he remains in fourth place in that category. With five completions vs. RMU, Doscher remains in third place all-time with 318.

The victory over RMU snapped a Wagner three-game slide vs. the Colonials and upped head coach Walt Hameline's career win total to 203, which is eighth among all active FCS coaches.

Wagner will close out the 2011 season by making the short trek down to the Jersey Shore to meet Monmouth on Saturday, November 19. Game time for the Wagner-Monmouth tussle is high Noon.

DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS SUPERLATIVES
*In recording his career-high 216 yards rushing on 32 carries vs. Robert Morris, Dominique Williams becomes the first Seahawk to eclipse the 200-yard plateau since Jason Butler gained 238 yards on 32 carries on November 17, 2007 at Jacksonville. That effort, which came in the season finale, was Butler's third 200-yard plus game that season as he also performed this feat vs. La Salle on October 3, 2007 (26 carries, 269 yards) and at Monmouth on October 13, 2007 (31 carries, 201 yards).

*Williams' previous career high was a 180-yard effort vs. Saint Francis (PA) on September 3, 2011. Williams has now run for 100 or more yards in 11 of his 18 games as a Seahawk, including seven of 10 games this season. At halftime of the Robert Morris game, Williams had reached the century mark with 100 yards on 16 carries, 56 of which came in a second-quarter touchdown jaunt. This marked the second time he has hit the 100-yard mark in a half this season as he had 104 yards on 15 carries in the first half vs. Saint Francis (PA). He now has gained 100-plus yards in three halves this season, first half vs. Saint Francis (PA) (15-104, 9/3/11), first half  vs. Robert Morris (16-100, 11/12/11) and second half vs. Robert Morris (16-116, 11/12/11).

*The 5-9, 200-pound Williams has now rushed for 1,222 yards on 256 carries this season, an average of 122.2 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. He entered the Robert Morris game ranked 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 111.78 yards per game and will undoubtedly enter the Top10 when the NCAA statistics are released on Sunday. The 1,222 yards also moves him into eighth place on the Wagner single-season list. His next target in the seventh spot is Rick Sarille, who rushed for 1,285 yards in 1997.

*Williams' 216-yard output vs. Robert Morris also moved him into the Seahawk All-Time Top-10 Career Rushing List. Williams is now in 10th place with1,864 yards after surpassing Vernon Hall, who gained 1,848 yards from 1978-80. Next on the list in ninth place is Tom Pugh, who rushed for 1,883 yards from 1985-88.

*With 72 points scored (12 touchdowns) this season, Williams is inching closer to the Wagner All-Time Top-10 Single-Season Scoring List as Bruce Wilson is in 10th place, having scored with 77 points.