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Above: Photo by Dave Saffran



Staten Island, NY – Sophomore running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep) rushed for a career-high 90 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown and fifth-year senior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard) came up with his third interception return for a touchdown this season, and seventh pick overall, in leading Wagner to a 23-13 victory over Duquesne on Senior Day.
 
With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 6-4 on the season, 4-1 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play in recording the 24^th winning season for head coach Walt Hameline in his 34 years at the helm. With four seasons that have ended with .500 final records, Hameline has only experienced six losing campaigns during his Wagner career.
 
With the loss, Duquesne falls to 5-6 on the season, 1-5 in the NEC.
 
Despite today's win, the Green & White were eliminated from the NEC Championship race, however, as Sacred Heart claimed its second consecutive league crown with a 14-7 win over Bryant. The Pioneers, who posted a 23-7 November 1 win over Wagner, finish the regular season with a 5-1 conference mark and on overall record of 9-2.
 
Today's play began with Wagner, Sacred Heart and Bryant all still alive for the NEC title but the Seahawks, in addition to having to beat Duquesne, needed a Bryant victory. This scenario would have made the winner of next week's Wagner-Bryant game the league champion. Instead, the Seahawks, who can still finish tied with Sacred Heart for the best regular season NEC record, will play its final game of the year on November 22 at 1:00 p.m. vs. a Bulldog team that will come in at 4-1 in the NEC and 8-2 overall.
 
The Seahawks got on the board first today vs. Duquesne with 1:18 left in the first quarter when McKinnon barreled into the end zone from two yards out on a third-and-goal , to cap a crisp 11-play, 80-yard drive that took 6:07, to make it 7-0.
 
Duquesne answered with a late second-quarter 10-play, 69-yard drive, culminating in a four-yard touchdown run by Wayne Capers with 2:11 left, and the score remained 7-7 at halftime. Two plays prior to this score, Duquesne starting quarterback Dillon Buechel was shaken up on a hit by senior linebacker Max Wassel (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley), who was whistled for a targeting penalty and ejected from the game.
 
The Seahawks took a 10-7 lead with 9:03 left in the third quarter when senior Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) drilled a 34-yard field goal, which capped an 8-play, 37-yard drive. In the fourth quarter, Wagner put together the drive of the season, a mammoth 19-play, 83-yard march that took 10:43 off the clock, and culminated on a one-yard score by junior running back Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard), which made it a 17-7 lead.
 
Dieudonne then struck again, stepping in front of a pass by Dukes' QB Mike LoPresti and returning it 24 yards for a touchdown. Dieudonne's third pick-six of the season made it a 23-7 game at the 7:43 mark of the fourth quarter following a failed extra point try.
 
The Dukes answered with a one-yard touchdown run by Ryan Ho with 3:55 left to play but it was too little, too late for Duquesne.
 
Wagner, which entered the game No. 1 in the NEC and No. 3 nationally in run defense, held the Dukes to 90 yards rushing on 30 carries while recording three sacks. The Dukes also managed just 95 passing yards vs. a Green & White defense that came into the ranked No. 7 overall.
 
For the game, Wagner pounded the ball for a season-high 234 yards on the ground, averaging 4.6 yards a clip on 50 rushing attempts, and outgained Duquesne by a comfortable 309-185 advantage. Entering the contest ranked No. 7 in the nation with a time of possession average of 32:47, Wagner held a 33:48-26:12 edge in this department on the afternoon.
 
In addition to McKinnon's 90-yard day, Wright averaged more than seven yards per pop on 61 yards in eight carries while junior quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/Valley Forge Military) scampered for another 47 yards on 19 carries. The left-handed Andrews was an efficient 9-of-14 through the air for 80 yards, spreading the ball to eight different receivers.
 
The Wagner defense, which was forced to play more than half the game without Wassel, the team's leading tackler, was led by senior outside linebacker Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/UMass) who had a team-high eight stops, including a sack and three tackles for loss. Fellow linebackers Stefon Font-Toomer (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty), a junior, and senior Anthony Emmanuele (Depew, NY/Depew) each finished with five tackles. Fifth-year senior punter A.J. Firestone (Mercersburg, PA/Mercersburg Academy) dropped three punts inside the Duquese 20-yard line.
 
For Duquesne, the Dukes were led defensively by Nathan Stone's 14 tackles while Sam Martello added 11. Offensively, Buechel was an effective 9-of-13 passing for 92 yards prior to his injury while backup Mike LoPresti was just 3-of-8 for three yards on the day. Marcus Hughes was the Dukes' leading ground-gainer with 60 yards on nine carries while wide receiver Devin Rahming caught five passes for 60 yards.
 
NOTES:
Dieudonne's seven interceptions moves him into a fourth-place tie with Hall of Fame member Mike Kelly on the Seahawk single-season list with Kelly's five pilfers coming in 1965. The 6-1,, 190-pound Dieudonne now has 14 career interceptions and moves into a tie for fifth all-time with Tom Masella (1978-1981), the former Seahawk assistant coach who is now defensive coordinator at UMass. On the all-time NEC interception list, Dieudonne's 14 ties him with Nick Downs of Robert Morris, who had 14 INTS from 1997-2000.
 
Senior Day
Prior to the game, the Seahawk football program hosted a ceremony in honor of its 23 graduating seniors, a collection of young men who donned the Green & White  for the final time on Grymes Hill.
 
The Seniors honored in the pregame ceremony were: FB Anthony Bulluck, OL Brett Buzzard, DB Daquan Cooper, LB Anthony Emmanuele, LS Phil Faccone, P A.J. Firestone, LS Anthony Fiumefeddo, OL David Fredrickson, DL Patrick Gibbons, OL Eli Grant, LB Trevor Loveland, DB Daniel Mack, K Bryan Maley, DL Evan Odeseye, DB Anthony Rivers, WR Fritz Rock, OL Kevin Sweeney, LB Max Wassel, TE Bryant Watts, Ja'Kim Williamson and OL Ryan Wytanis.
 
Military Appreciation Day
Today's game between Wagner and Duquesne was also Military Appreciation Day with all current and former United States Military members receiving free admission with proceeds from the game-day ticket sales benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. Wagner football and military service have long been intertwined. Annually on Homecoming, two Wagner College football players are selected to receive special awards for outstanding play. The James Robb Memorial Trophy is presented to the outstanding offensive player, while the Nick Lia Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Seahawks' outstanding defensive player. Established in 1949, the Robb Trophy was named in memory of James Robb, a Seahawk gridiron star who was killed in action during World War II. It was presented to Wagner's outstanding individual player in the annual homecoming game until 1969. In that season, the Lia Trophy was introduced in honor of another Wagner football player, Nick Lia. The 1965 recipient of the Robb Trophy was killed in the Vietnam War. An outstanding defensive player and team captain, the Staten Island native was a graduate of Curtis High School. Each year, as a reminder of the tremendous and unselfish sacrifices that our veterans have made for this country and the global community, a Veteran's Day Remembrance is held at the Delta Nu Memorial, which is located next to the Spiro Sports Center here on the Wagner College campus The ceremony is sponsored by the Wagner College Alumni Association.

Fred C. Williamson ('64), Jr. Serves As Honorary Captain
Marine Corps veteran Fred C. Williamson, Jr. served as Honorary Captain for the Wagner-Duquesne game. During a tour of duty in Vietnam, he was awarded two Silver Stars for valor and the Purple Heart for combat injuries. Williamson is a former Seahawk letterwinner ('64), 1963 team captain, and long-time Wagner Board of Trustee Member, who received an honorary doctorate degree from Wagner in 2011.
 
Gibbons Goes Two Ways
In addition to starting at his usual defensive tackle position, senior Patrick Gibbons (Carthage, NY/Milford Academy) lined up as a fullback in short-yardage situations. Gibbons was originally a fullback at Wagner prior to switching to defense prior to the 2013 season.