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Provo, UT – The Wagner College football team dropped a 70-6 decision at Football Bowl Championship (FBS) member BYU in front of a crowd of 56,015 at sun-splashed LaVell Edwards Stadium this afternoon.
 
The Cougars, one of the top FBS programs in the nation over the past quarter century, galloped out to a 49-0 halftime lead before the Seahawks got on the board with a 15-play, 70-yard drive on the first possession of the third quarter. Scoring the Wagner touchdown was junior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep-NC), who barreled into the end zone from one yard out.
 
Sophomore quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ/Keyport) went most of the way at quarterback and led the Seahawks in both rushing and passing. For the day, the 6-4, 220-pound Jersey Shore product rushed for 28 yards on eight carries with a long run of 22 yards, which came in the second quarter. Thomson was 7-of-12 through the air for 43 yards for Wagner with one interception and was sacked three times.
 
Senior quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/St. Joseph's/Valley Forge Military Academy) saw brief action in the opening half and was 1-of-4 passing for four yards before leaving the game with a leg injury.
 
Senior running back Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard) gained 25 yards on 12 carries. Defensively, senior strong safety Bruce Brittingham (Trenton, NJ/Perkiomen) and senior inside linebacker Stephon Font-Toomer (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) tied for team-high honors with eight tackles apiece. The outside linebacking  pair of seniors, Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) and Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/Suffield Academy/UMass) wound up with seven and six tackles, respectively.

The Seahawks' player of the game was punter Bryan Rafano (South River, NJ/St. Joseph's-Metuchen), as the junior was brilliant all afternoon, booming five punts of 50 yards or more, including a career-long 57-yard boot that he uncoiled in the fourth quarter. For the game, Rafano, who served as the understudy to All-Northeast Conference (NEC) punter and current Seahawks' operation director A.J. Firestone in his first two seasons, averaged a healthy 47.2-yard average on nine punts vs. the Cougars. Rafano's magnificent day upped his season average to 40.6 yards per punt.
 
For BYU, quarterback Tanner Mangum completed 12-of-13 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns, all of them in the first half. Wide Receivers David Kessler and Mitch Matthews each had three receptions for the Cougars who saw 12 different players record catches on the afternoon.
 
Running backs Algernon Brown and Nate Carter ran for 109 and 102 yards, respectively, to pace the Cougars' rushing attack.
 
With the loss, Wagner falls to 0-7 on the season while the Cougars improve to 6-2 overall.
 
Big Stage
LaVell Edwards Stadium, with a seating capacity of 63,470, is the largest stadium in which Wagner has ever competed. The previous largest stadium that the Seahawks played in was the 50,000-seat Carrier Dome at Syracuse on September 14, 2013. Today's attendance of 57,015 is the largest crowd that the Seahawks have ever played in front of, with the previous record being 32, who were on hand at Syracuse in 2013.
 
First-Ever Game in Utah, 17th Different State
In facing BYU, Wagner played its first-ever game in the Beehive State as Utah becomes the 17th different state in which Wagner has played at least one football game, in addition to the District of Columbia.
 
Fifth FBS Foe for Wagner
BYU was the fifth Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent that Wagner has ever played, with the four previous matchups taking place since 2012. This is the first time that the Seahawks have faced two FBS foes in the same season as the Green & White lost at Rice, 56-16, in the season opener back on September 5.


The Seahawks return to Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Saturday, October 31 for a high noon, Halloween Day showdown at Duquesne.

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)