Box Score FINAL STATS

BOCA RATON. FL – The Wagner College football team delivered a staunch defensive effort and redshirt junior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton) ran for 117 yards but it was not enough as Florida Atlantic escaped with a 7-3 victory in the 2012 season opener for both teams in a game that was streamed live on ESPN 3.
 
Wagner, which led 3-0 after three quarters before the Owls struck for an early fourth-quarter score, was playing its first-ever FBS opponent.
 
After missing wide right on a earlier 43-yard field goal try, senior kicker David Lopez (Plantation, Fl / American Heritage) gave the Seahawks a 3-0 lead by converting on a 39-yard field goal with 11:13 remaining in the opening half. The field goal capped a crisp five-play, 60-yard drive, the Seahawks' longest of the evening, a 6:52 march that spanned the first and second quarters.
 
The drive was helped by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Owls and was keyed by a gutsy 16-yard strike from senior quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/ Toms River North) on a fourth-and-two from the FAU 35-yard line which gave the Green & White a first down at the Owls'10-yard line. However, Doscher was sacked for a one-yard loss on second and 7, which was followed by a four-yard run by Williams on third-and-eight. Facing fourth-and-four at the Owl 13, Lopez was then called on and he came through.
 
The teams then traded punts but Wagner received a golden break on theirs when the highly-lofted boot from redshirt sophomore punter #A.J. Firestone# (Mecersburg, PA/ Mercersburg, Academy) was inadvertently touched by Owl return man Travis Jones, who was trying to get out of the way of the ball. Seahawk redshirt freshman defensive back Adebwale Godwin (Staten Island, NY/ Curtis) recovered the muffed punt, giving Wagner a first-and-goal at the FAU six-yard line with 4:44 left in the opening half.
 
A hurried Doscher threw an incomplete pass on first down before being thrown for a one-yard loss on second down. On third-and-goal from the seven, the Owls turned in one of the biggest plays of the game as D'Juan Smith came up with an interception in the deep right corner of the end zone before being tackled for a touchback.
 
The way the Seahawk defense was playing, a 10-0 lead would have put FAU in a huge hole and, even if Wagner had to settle for a field goal, a 6-0 advantage would have provided the  Seahawks with a little more cushion and a lot of momentum heading into halftime.  
 
In the second half, Florida Atlantic turned the quarterbacking reigns over to Graham Wilbert, the starter in 2011, in place of Stephen Curtis who the Seahawk defense limited to 4-of-10 passing for 37 yards in the first half. With Wilbert at the controls, the Owls picked up the pace offensively as he completed passes of 14 and nine yards, respectively to lead FAU to the Wagner 22 before the drive stalled on a third-and-10 incompletion. Wagner did make FAU work for its yardage as it took the Owls 12 plays and 5:37 to move the ball 42 yards.
 
On fourth down, Owls' kicker Sean Kelly came on try and tie the game but his 39-yard try sailed wide right as the jubilant Wagner defense sprinted off the field.
 
Wagner's next drive, which began with 5:13 left in the third quarter, had a promising start. It began with Doscher finding his fullback, sophomore Patrick Gibbons (Carthage, NY/ Milford Academy), on a swing pass up the right sideline for 12 yards. Williams then ripped off runs of nine and 11 yards, the latter giving the Green &White a first down at the FAU 42.The drive fizzled, however, when Williams was corralled in the backfield for a one-yard loss which was followed by a pair of incompletions.
 
Following a 39-yard Firestone punt that sailed into the end zone for a touchback with 58 seconds to go in the third quarter, FAU then went to work, With Wilbert now fully settled in at quarterback, the Owls marched deep into Wagner territory, fashioning a well-executed drive.
 
After the teams switched sides of the field to begin the fourth quarter, Owl running back Maseo Jackson shook loose on a 28-yard scamper to the Seahawk 43. On the next play, Graham found Byron Hankerson over the middle for 28 yards down to the 17-yard line. Following a three-yard keeper from Graham, Mason darted through the middle of the line for five yards where, at the nine-yard line, senior LB #C.O.Prime# (Laval, Quebec/ Montreal) delivered a crunching blow, jarring the ball loose with junior safety Patrick O'Conner (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) recovered the ball at the nine. FAU had marched 74 yards in nine plays, a quick-strike drive that took just 3:08.
 
While the drive did not turn directly into points, it helped keep FAU in control of the field position battle as the Owl defense forced Wagner into a three-and-out. Following  a Firestone 39-yard punt, FAU took over at the Green & White 39. On the very first play from scrimmage, Graham connected with Hankerson on a 39-touchdown delivery to put FAU in front 7-3.
 
Wagner's ensuing drive got off to a good start as three Williams runs netted 15 yards and a first down at the Seahawk 48. But two Williams runs wrapped around an incompletion brought on Firestone who boomed career-long 51-yard punt for a touchback.
 
Taking over at their own 20 with 8:27 left, FAU salted the game away with a methodical 18-play, 76-yard drive that took off a mammoth 8:07 off the clock. Wagner had a momentary flicker of hope when redshirt sophomore defensive back Blake Bascom (Monroe Township, NJ/ Monroe) knocked the ball loose from Mason on fourth-and-goal at the Seahawk one-yard line. Sophomore outside linebacker Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hill, NJ/ Cherry Hill West) recovered at the four.
 
Strong-armed backup junior quarterback quarterback  Kramer Berg (Plymouth, MN/ Wyzata/ Rochester & Technical CC), came on to try and pull off the miracle. The junior college transfer in his first season at Wagner did hit Carrington on a pretty 25-yard connection. That is as far as Wagner would advance, though, as a spiked ball at the line of scrimmage was followed by two incompletions as time ran out.
 
Doscher was 7-of-17 passing for 91 yards. Fifth-year senior WR David Crawford (Carrollton, TX/ Hebron), seeing his first action since suffering a season-ending injury on September 29, 2011, led Wagner in receptions with three, which went for 25 yards. Carrington, a smooth, gliding-type receiver, had two receptions for a career-high 41 yards.
 
Firestone had a very solid evening, averaging 41.6 yards on five punts, including the career-long 51-yarder.
 
For FAU, Graham was an efficient 10-of-13 passing for 129 yards and the touchdown while playing the whole second half. Jackson was the Owls' leading ground-gainer with 99 yards on 21 carries. Hankerson led all receivers with five catches for 93 yards.
 
Defensively, linebacker David Hinds paced the Owls with 10 tackles while defensive back Jeremy Wright added nine.
 
For Wagner on the defensive side, O'Connor registered 10 tackles while senior defensive back Matthew McGuinness (West Caldwell, NJ/ Caldwell), senior linebacker Mike Lombardo (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian/ Arkansas St.), and senior linebacker Theodore Clohessy (Staten Island, NY/ St. Joseph by the Sea) had seven tackles apiece.

Wagner head coach Walt Hameline was coaching his 331^st career game while on the opposite sideline, Carl Pelini was making his head coaching debut.
 
The Seahawks are at Georgetown on September 8 in a 1:00 pm kickoff.