Pictured Above: Senior running back Otis Wright (photo by R. Greene, Jr.)

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Pittsburgh, PA – Wagner took an early 7-0 lead and received a career-high 136 yards rushing from senior running back Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard), but could not overcome three turnovers and an injury to sophomore quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ/Keyport), in dropping a 35-17 decision at Duquesne in Northeast Conference (NEC) play this afternoon at Rooney Field.
 
In a close, competitive first half, the Seahawks had their running game going and, combined with a spirited defensive effort, trailed by just a 14-10 count at halftime. However, late in the second quarter, Thomson was shaken up and did not return.
 
With senior quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/St. Joseph's/Valley Forge Military Academy) unavailable due to a leg injury sustained last week at BYU, and regular third-string quarterback, freshman Vin Aranda (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell/Milford Academy) having suffered a season-ending leg injury earlier this month, Wagner turned to Tyler Loftus (Ashtabula, OH/Lakeside), who had never before taken a career snap.
 
The sophomore completed 4-of-12 passes for 21 yards and led the Seahawks on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive but Duquesne wound up outscoring Wagner 21-7 in the second half en route to victory.
 
Wagner ended up with a season-high 205 yards rushing on a season-high 53 carries in the game. The Seahawks also ran a season-high 75 plays from scrimmage, held a decided 35:35-24:25 edge in time of possession, and led in first downs, 15-14.
 
"I thought we ran the ball really well, especially early in the game," said head coach Jason Houghtaling. "The guys up front did an excellent job and of course Otis ran the ball really well. I thought we played extremely hard on both sides of the ball all game long.

"It's unfortunate that Alex (Thomson) couldn't go in the second half," he continued. "I thought Tyler (Loftus) handled himself well in a tough situation but we could just not make enough plays in the second half."

The Seahawk defense was opportunistic in coming up with two turnovers while junior punter Bryan Rafano (South River, NJ/St. Joseph's-Metuchen) continued his fine season, averaging 43.3 yards on seven boots.

The Seahawks were sharp at the outset of the game as Thomson led the Green & White on a well-executed 13-play, 75-yard drive game-opening drive that he capped with a six-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Lloyd Smith (Willingboro, NJ/Valley Forge Military Academy) for an early 7-0 lead.
 
Wright gained 32 yards on seven carries during the drive while Thomson and junior running back Matthias McKinnonn (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep) carried two times each for 21 and 16 yards, respectively.
 
Later in the opening quarter, following a Duquesne punt, the Seahawks drove 30 yards in eight plays. Faced with a 4^th-and-4 at the Dukes' 31, senior kicker Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alska/Chugiak) came on but his 48-yard field goal was wide, leaving the score at 7-0.
 
With Wagner holding that 7-0 lead and facing a 2^nd-and-5 from its own 45, Duquesne defensive end Christian Kunz made a tremendous, momentum-changing play, deflecting a Thomson pass at the line of scrimmage, before corralling the ball for an interception that he returned to the Seahawk 16.
 
Duquesne took advantage of the short field as running back Rafiq Douglas ran in it on the fifth play of the drive, from two yards out, to tie the game at 7-7.
 
On the ensuing possession, a 27-yard completion from Thomson to junior wide receiver Andre Yevchinecz (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) keyed an eight-play, 51-yard drive that stalled at the Dukes' 25. Maley then came on to drill a 42-yard field goal which gave the Seahawks a 10-7 lead with 4:30 remaining in the first half.
 
Duquesne countered with a quick-strike five-play, 75-yard drive in 1:47, capped by a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dillon Buechel to wide receiver Chris King, that gave the Dukes a 14-10 halftime lead.
 
Duquesne extended the lead to 21-10 on the opening drive of the second half when Douglas shook free on a 65-yard TD jaunt.
 
Senior cornerback Deangelo James (Miami, FL/American Senior) then followed up a first-quarter interception with another big play, returning the ensuing kickoff 43 yards up the right sideline, giving the Seahawks excellent field position at midfield. But on first down, Duquesne's Trenton Coles stripped Wright of the ball with teammate Abner Roberts recovering.
 
Duquesne maintained its 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter before Douglas extended the lead to 28-10 on an eight-yard TD run that made it a 28-10 game.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore free safety Tyamonee Johnson (Ft. Washington, MD/Bullis School) came up with his first career interception, picking off Buechel at the Wagner 45, and returning it 33 yards to the Duquesne 22. After Loftus hit fifth-year senior wide receiver Ralph Greene (Tigard, OR/Tigard) for two yards and a first down at the Dukes' four-yard line on 3^rd-and-1, Wright scooted into the end zone on the next play to make it a two-score game at 28-17 with 8:12 to play.
 
That's the way the score remained until Buechel found wide receiver Wayne Capers in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard TD with 54 seconds remaining in the game, to fashion the final score at 35-17.
 
Thomson wound up as Wagner's second-leading rusher during his one half of action, gaining 51 yards on 11 attempts, while McKinnon added 33 yards on six carries. Senior tight end Ryan Owens (Gainesville, NY/Letchworth), a preseason All-NEC pick, had a game-high three receptions (for 20 yards).
 
Defensively, senior inside linebacker Stephon Font-Toomer (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) had a team-high seven tackles (six solo), in addition to registered a second-quarter blocked field goal. Senior outside linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) and sophomore free safety Kemani Howard (Rochester, NY/Wilson Manet) recorded six tackles apiece.
 
For Duquesne, Douglas finished with 191 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 24 carries while Buechel was 10-of-24 through the air for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
 
The Seahawks fall to 0-8 on the season and 0-3 in NEC play, while the Dukes remain tied for first-place in the NEC standings at 3-1, while improving to 6-3 overall.
 
Following its fourth straight road game, Wagner returns home to meet Bryant on Saturday, November 7 in a Noon matchup with the Bulldogs that will be carried live on ESPN3.com.

NOTES: The Seahawks wore pink ribbons on their uniform in honor of junior punter Bryan Rafano's mother and in honor of it being the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As profiled in a story on wagnerathletics.com yesterday, Rafano's mother, Donna, is in the midst of her second bout with breast cancer. 
 
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)