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Pictured Above: Linebacker Jarrid Williams blocked a third-quarter punt today that was returned 13 yards for a touchdown by fellow linebacker Najee Harris
(photo by Dave Saffran)

Loretto, PA – Quarterback Zack Drayer completed 16-of-28 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns in leading Saint Francis U (SFU) to a 43-14 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory at chilly DeGol Field this afternoon.
 
With Wagner trailing 26-7 late in the third quarter and SFU facing 4^th-and-11 from its own 46, Seahawk senior linebackers Jarrid Williams (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie) and Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) combined on a spectacular special teams play that made it a two-score game.
 
Williams burst free up the middle to emphatically block an Andrew Zecca punt, with the ball bounding to the Red Flash 13, where Harris scooped it up and ran it in for a touchdown, making it a 26-14 game with 49 seconds left in the third quarter.
 
The Red Flash answered with a five-yard TD reception by tight end Frank Failace, his third of the game, with 14:11 to play that made it 33-14, before running back Marcus Bagley extended the lead to 40-14 with a five-yard TD run with 9:44 to go. Red Flash kicker Lance Geesey then rounded out the scoring with 33-yard field goal with 3:47 left.
 
Running back Khari Dickson, the 2014 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, led all rushers with 161 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown.
 
For Wagner, sophomore quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ/Keyport) completed 12-of-25 passes for 11 yards and one touchdown while being sacked four times. The 6-4, 220-pound Jersey Shore product also led the Seahawks in rushing with 74 yards (51 net with minus 23 yards in sacks) on 10 carries, while junior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep) added 50 yards on 13 carries.
 
In the receiving department, senior tight end Ryan Owens, a 2015 Preseason All-NEC selection, had three catches for 25 yards, while fifth-year senior wide receiver Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) had three catches for 22 yards.
 
Defensively, junior cornerback Tim Hayes (Los Angeles, CA/Crespi Carmelite), a transfer from the University of Wyoming, had a team and career-high eight tackles. Recording five stops apiece was the safety tandem of senior Bruce Brittingham (Trenton, NJ/Perkiomen) and sophomore Kemani Howard (Rochester, NY/Wilson Magnet).
 
Junior punter Bryan Rafano (South River, NJ/St. Joseph's-Metuchen) had another strong performance, averaging 38.8 yards on eight punts, with a long of 47 yards and three punts downed inside the SFU 20-yard line.
 
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 0-6 on the season, 0-2 in NEC play, while the Red Flash move to 3-2 overall and are now 1-0 in the conference.
 
SFU took an early 13-0 lead and held a 16-7 edge at halftime. After Rafano (South River, NJ/St. Joseph's) pinned the Red Flash back on their own 3-yard line midway through the first quarter, SFU went 97 yards in five plays, keyed by a 60-yard connection between quarterback Zack Drayer and wide receiver Terell Smith that gave SFU a first down at the Wagner 10.
 
 On the very next play, Dryer found his tight end, Failace, in the end zone for a 10-yard score. The Red Flash then tried to catch Wagner off guard by running a quick two-point conversion try out of their kicking formation, but the Seahawks snuffed it out to keep the score at 6-0.
 
Following an exchange of punts, Drayer led the Red Flash on a 9-play, 81-yard march, capped by his second TD pass to Failace, this one a five-yard score, to make it 13-0 with 11:36 left in the first half.
 
On its ensuing possession, Wagner answered with a quick-strike 5-play, 60-yard drive, keyed by a 32-yard burst by McKinnon and capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Thomson to junior wide receiver Lloyd Smith (Willingboro, NJ/Valley Forge Military Academy).
 
Thomson's fifth touchdown pass of the season was a gorgeous throw as threaded the ball between three SFU defenders in hitting Smith in the back right corner of the end zone.
 
Late in the first half, Lance Geesey booted a 23-yard field goal to extend the Red Flash lead to 16-7. The Seahawks had a chance to cut into the nine-point deficit after Thomson led a 53-yard drive that was highlighted by his own 22-yard scramble.
 
After the drive stalled at the SFU 15 with 39 seconds left in the half, Wagner sent the field goal unit on but just before the snap, SFU frantically called for a timeout. Fifth-year senior kicker Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) actually made the kick, but it was waved off due to the timeout.
 
Following the timeout, Maley's 32-yard attempt sailed left, leaving the score at 16-7 with 35 seconds left in the half and the Red Flash took a knee on the next snap as the teams headed into their respective locker rooms.
 
On the first possession of the second half, Drayer led SFU on a six-play, 69-yard drive, highlighted by a 36-yard completion to wide receiver Daniel Adams, who made a nice adjustment on the ball, giving the Red Flash a first down at the Seahawk 13. Three plays later, running Dickson took it over from the 2-yard line to make it a 23-7 game with 12:50 to go in the third quarter.
 
That's the way the score remained until Williams' blocked punt which led to Harris' ensuing scoop and score, before the SFU scored the game's final 17 points en route to the win.
 
SFU held a 628-253 edge in total yards while holding a 34-47-25:13 advantage in time of possession.
 
Wagner travels to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member BYU on October 24 with game time between the Seahawks and Cougars set for 3:00 p.m. EST.
 
NOTES
After starting 30 games in his career at right guard, fifth-year senior Kevin Messier (Burlington, VT/New Hampton-NH) gained his first career start at center today. Also, junior Matt Diaz (Edison, NJ/Edison), a 2015 Preseason All-NEC choice, saw his first action of the season after missing the first five games with a foot injury. Diaz got the start at left tackle.
 
The loss snapped Wagner's seven-game winning streak over SFU. This was the 25^th all-time meeting between the schools and the Seahawks hold a 21-4 lead in the all-time series.
 
The Wagner-SFU game was carried live as the second half of a "#NECFB on ESPN3" doubleheader following Bryant's 38-17 victory over Duquesne which had a start time of 12:00 p.m. Today's game marked the second of three Seahawk games that will appear on ESPN3 this season. On September 26, the Seahawks fell to Lafayette, 35-23 in a game that was carried on ESPN 3 while the Bryant at Wagner contest on November 7 at Noon will also appear on ESPN 3.


Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@WagnerAthletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @Wagner_Football for all the latest news pertaining to Wagner Football and first-year head coach Jason Houghtaling @HossWagner #CHAOSonthehill. Seahawk athletics can also be followed on Instagram (@wagnerathletics)