Box Score FINAL STATS (PDF) I Photo Gallery

Washington, DC – Senior quarterback Brian Gehring (Tigard, OR/Tigard/Laney JC) completed 13-of-19 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown, junior running back Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard) rushed for 74 yards on 23 carries, and senior safety Daquan Cooper (Philadelphia, PA/George Washington/Temple) led a dominating defensive effort with five tackles, as Wagner earned a 21-3 win at Georgetown in the season opener for both teams.    
 
The Green & White offense was sharp early as Gehring directed a crisp 14-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:12 on its opening possession. The march was capped by a 20-yard TD strike from Gehring to senior wide receiver Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) to make it 7-0 with 4:43 left in the opening quarter. For Gehring, who saw action in five games during his first season on Grymes Hills in 2013, it was his first career scoring pass while Carrington collected his sixth career touchdown reception.
 
The Seahawks had a golden opportunity to add to their lead when junior linebacker Matt Barnett (Washington Township, NJ/Paul VI) stripped quarterback Kyle Nolan of the ball and recovered the fumble at the Hoya three-yard line with 8:08 left in the half. But Gehring's first-down pass was intercepted by defensive back Garrett Powers at the goal line and returned 24 yards.
 
Then, late in the first half, the Hoyas marched 42 yards in 10 plays as kicker Henry Darmstadter booted a 35-yard field goal with 0:00 on the clock to cut the deficit to 7-3 at halftime. Moments earlier, Darmstadter had missed a 40-yard field goal attempt but Wagner was called for offsides. On the re-try from five yards closer, Darmstadter nailed the 35-yarder.
 
Following an exchange of punts to open the second half, Wagner put together its second sustained touchdown drive. Taking over at the Seahawk 33, Gehring got things started by connecting with Preseason All-NEC senior tight end Bryant Watts (Burlington, NJ/Florence) for an 11-yard pickup. The 6-4,, 205-pound signal-caller then picked up nine yards with his legs to move the ball into Hoya territory.
 
A pair of completions to senior wide receiver Ralph Greene (Tigard, OR/Tigard) of seven and nine yards, respectively, were followed by five consecutive rushes by Wright, the last being  a one-yard touchdown jaunt. The 15-play, 67-yard drive took 7:02 of the clock and staked the Seahawks to a 14-3 with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Wagner defense, meanwhile, continued to flex its muscle, limiting Georgetown to 13 yards on five plays on its ensuing possession, forcing the Hoyas to punt the ball for the sixth time. Senior Steve Rene (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie/Syracuse) gave the Seahawks excellent field position with a 19-yard punt return out to the Wagner 45.
 
From there, it took Wagner just 4:15 to march 55 yards on a nine-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters, culminating with a five-yard TD run by Wright who received an option pitch from Gehring before racing around right end. This score, which came at the 13:17 mark of the fourth quarter, extended the Seahawk lead to 21-3, effectively putting the game out of reach.

The big play in the this drive came on a 3^rd-and-10 play from the Wagner 45 when sophomore wide receiver Lloyd Smith (Willingboro, NJ/Valley Forge Military Academy) made a gorgeous, one-handed 42-yard reception to the Hoya 13-yard line.

Wagner used a balanced offensive attack  on this warm, muggy afternoon. In out-gaining Georgetown 330-204, the Seahawks accumulated 167 yards on the ground and 163 through the air. Smith was Gehring's favorite target, hauling in four passes for 71 yards, Greene finished with three receptions for 38 yards, while Carrington and Wright had two catches apiece.

In addition to Wright's 74 yards rushing, sophomore running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany,NY/Jireh Prep) added 42 yards on 10 carries while Rene chipped in 29 yards on eight attempts.
 
Defensively, the Seahawks controlled the line of scrimmage throughout. Aided by a pair of sacks, the 11-yarder by Matt Barnett and a nine-yard sack by senior outside linebacker Greg Hillard (Brockton, MA/Suffield Academy/UMass), Wagner held the Hoyas to just 19 net rushing yards on 20 attempts. Running back Jo'el Kimpela wound up as Georgetown's leading rusher with 10 yards on seven carries. Nolan completed 20-of-41 passes for 185 yards while backup quarterback Tim Barnes was 0-of-2 through the air in his one series of action.
 
In support of Cooper's five-tackle effort, Hilliard and senior cornerback Deangelo James (Miami, FL/American Senior) added four stops apiece. Senior inside linebacker Max Wassel (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley) had three tackles, two of which went for minus six yards in losses. Also contributing three tackles apiece in this magnificent, across-the-board defensive display, were junior linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown), fifth-year senior safety Daniel Mack (Miami, FL/Dade Christian/Wake Forest), senior cornerback Nevon Williams (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck), fifth-year senior linebacker Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hills, NJ/Cherry Hill West/Hargrave) and senior inside linebacker Jarrid Williams (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie).
 
The Seahawks travel to Miami, FL to meet the FIU Panthers, an FBS program, on Saturday, September 6 at 6:00 pm.

GAME NOTES

Participation
First career Seahawk start (4): DB Daniel Mack, WR Lloyd Smith, OL Matt Diaz, DL Al Page

Wagner debut (12): DB Daniel Mack, WR Lloyd Smith, OL Matt Diaz, DL Al Page, DB Tiquan Garner, WR Fritz Rock, RB/PR Steve Rene, DB Myles Martin, DL Kendle Bramble, OL Eli Grant, DL Evan Odeseye, DL Jordan Baskerville.
 
Wagner started the offensive line of LT Matt Diaz , LG Brus Palaj, C David Fredrickson, RG Kevin Messier and RT Brett Buzzard
The group now has now combined for 100 games played and 86 starts.    

Individual
RB Otis Wright
*Wright's 73 yards, 24 carries and two touchdowns were all career-highs

TEAM
Wagner Football Opens 84^th Season
Wagner opened its 84th season of intercollegiate football today and, with the 21-3 over Georgetown, improved its all-time record to 43-39-2 in lid-lifters. Head coach Walt Hameline, in his 34^th season at the helm, is now 21-11-2 in season-opening contests dating back to 1981 while his overall record improved to 217-135-2 (.616)
 
Wagner Now 4-0 in Last Four Games vs. Patriot League Teams
November 10, 2012: WAGNER 31, Holy Cross 30
November 24, 2012: WAGNER 31, Colgate 20 (NCAA FCS 1^st Round Playoffs)
August 31, 2013: WAGNER 28, Georgetown 21
August 30, 2014: Wagner 21, GEORGETOWN 3
 
Wagner Evens All-Time Series Record with Georgetown at 3-3
Sept. 16, 2000:  Georgetown28, WAGNER 21
Oct. 9, 2010:     Wagner 22, GEORGETOWN 16 (2-OT)
Oct. 8, 2011:      Georgetown 24, WAGNER 10
Sept., 13 2012: GEORGETOWN 13, Wagner 10
Aug. 30, 2013:   WAGNER 28, Georgetown 21
 
Wagner Improves to 13-8 All-Time vs. Patriot League
The Seahawks now boast an all-time record of 13-8 vs. teams that currently comprise the Patriot Football League. Of the seven current members of the Patriot League, the Seahawks have played five. The most noteworthy win over a Patriot League for came on November 24, 2012 when NEC Champion Wagner hosted Patriot League Champion Colgate in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. History was made that day, as Wagner came away with a 31-20 triumph in becoming the first NEC team to ever win an NCAA FCS Playoff game. Two weeks earlier, the Seahawks posted a thrilling 31-30 come-from-behind win over Holy Cross in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Georgetown is one of two Patriot League opponents on the 2014 schedule as the Seahawks travel to Easton, PA to meet Lafayette on Saturday, September 27 at 6:00 pm. This will mark the first meeting between the Seahawks and the Leopards since 1979.
 
Team                  Record     Last Meeting
Bucknell             0-0             N/A
Colgate              1-0             11/24/12: NCAA FCS 1st Rd. Playoffs: Wagner 31, Colgate 20
Fordham             8-3             11/28/87: Wagner 21, Fordham 0
Georgetown       3-3             8/31/12:  Wagner 28, Georgetown 21
Holy Cross         1-0             11/10/12: Wagner 31, Holy Cross 30
Lafayette            0-2             11/10/79: Lafayette 21, Wagner 3
Lehigh                 0-0             N/A
                         13-8

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