Post-Game Press Conference

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Staten Island, NY – Senior running back Matthias McKinnon rushed for 157 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns, while junior quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ / Keyport) completed 15-of-28 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns to carry Wagner to a thrilling 45-20 win over previously unbeaten Sacred Heart on Homecoming.
 
With a boisterous crowd of 3,002 fans on hand at Hameline Field as well as a global audience watching on ESPN 3, the two teams combined for 59 first-half points, as the Green & White amassed a staggering 405 first-half yards in sprinting out to a 39-20 lead at the intermission. 
 
Both defenses held the upper hand in the second half. Following a scoreless third quarter, junior running back Denzel Knight (Rochester, NY / Salisbury School) shook loose on a 67-yard touchdown jaunt with 7:17 remaining in the game for the only points of the second half.
 
Wagner's impressive victory was the Northeast Conference (NEC) opener for both teams, as the Seahawks improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Pioneers, who were coming off a 38-10 win at No. 20 Stony Brook, saw their record fall to 4-1.
 
Defensively for Wagner, redshirt freshman linebacker Santoni Graham (Arlington, VA / Bishop O'Connell / Fork Union Military Academy) paced the Seahawks with a game-high 11 tackles, including eight solo stops. Fifth-year senior outside linebacker and co-captain Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/ Norristown), added six tackles, a total that was matched by junior free safety Jesse Flaherty (Oceanport, NJ / Red Bank Catholic / The Peddie School), who also contributed a big interception in the Seahawk end zone on the last play of the first half.
 
Flaherty's INT was one of two that Wagner snared in its own end zone, as freshman cornerback Myron Morris (Miami, FL / Booker T. Washington) stepped in front of a third-quarter pass intended for wide receiver Moses Webb, to quell another Pioneer threat.
 
For Sacred Heart, quarterback RJ Noel connected on 23-of-52 aerials for 327 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while running back Ose Imeokparia added 48 yards rushing on 11 carries.
 
"I'm just so excited for our players, coaching staff and everyone connected with Wagner College and our football program," said second-year head coach Jason Houghtaling. "Homecoming, a big crowd, so many alumni back on campus, it's what college football is all about.
 
"Our players work so hard and it's tremendous to see them rewarded like this," Houghtaling added. "To compete that hard and that well against such a quality program in Sacred Heart, I just couldn't be any prouder."
 
McKinnon opened the scoring with a 41-yard first-quarter touchdown run, setting the tone for a dominating 264-yard team rushing performance. A missed extra pint left the score at 6-0 before Thomson found Knight on a five-yard TD strike to make it a 12-0 game as the Seahawks were unsuccessful on a two-point conversion attempt.
 
After Sacred Heart pulled to within 12-6 on a seven-year touchdown pass from Noel to Webb, the Green & White scored the next 13 points on a pair of long field goals by senior James Cooper (Linwood, NJ / Mainland Regional/ Temple ). After converting on a 39-yard try, Cooper then hit from 52 yards out on a career-long boot that hit the crossbar before bounding through.
 
McKinnon's second touchdown of the night gave Wagner a 25-6 lead with 3:20 to play in the opening half. SHU then responded with a 99-yard kickoff return by Nate Chavious which made it a 25-13 game.
 
Undaunted, the Seahawks answered right back with a quick-strike three-play, 63-yard drive, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown pass from Thomson to a leaping John Williams (Sewell, NJ / Washington Township/Lackawanna CC (PA). The 6-6 junior wide receiver gathered the ball in at the five-yard line before diving into the end zone.
 
William's TD put Wagner in front, 32-13 before Noel led SHU on a five-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 29-yard TD pass to wide receiver Andrew O'Neill to make it 32-20. Incredibly, Wagner had an answer here as well, as senior wide receiver Keith Foster (Newark, NJ / Weequahic / Milford Academy) made a leaping touchdown grab of his own, this one covering 39 yards, to make it a 39-20 game.
 
Noel then marched SHU to the Wagner 36 but his high-arching pass on the half's final play was picked off in the end zone by Flaherty.
 
Wagner ended up with 540 yards of offense, 276 through the air and another 264 on the ground, while the Pioneers generated 435 yards of offense.

NOTES
Career Highs
In addition to James Cooper's 52-yard field goal, other Seahawks who posted career highs this evening included:
 
Matthias McKinnon
Carries (24)
Yards (157)
 
Alex Thomson
Yards (276)
Touchdown Passes (3)
Attempts (28)
 
Keith Foster
Receiving Yards (82)
 
Santoni Graham
Overall Tackles (11)
Solo Tackles (8)
 
Robb & Lia Trophies
Annually at 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. The Lia Award is named in honor of former Seahawk great and Staten Island native, Nick Lia, who was killed in Vietnam.
This year's winner of the James Robb Offensive MVP Trophy is was Matthias McKinnon, while Santoni Graham was named the winner of the Nick Lia Defensive MVP Trophy.

 
Cooper's Field Goal Wagner's Longest In Six Years
James Cooper's 52-yard field goal was the longest by a Seahawk since October 9, 2010 when David Lopez nailed a 54-yarder which forged a 13-13 with Georgetown as regulation time expired en route to a 22-16, double-overtime win over the Hoyas. Cooper's boot also marked the first from beyond 50 yards since Lopez nailed a 51-yarder on November 17, 2012 vs. Duquesne.
 
NEC Openers
A charter member of the NEC, Wagner is now 12-9 all-time in league openers since the inaugural conference season of 1996.
 
Columbia On Tap Next
 On Saturday, October 8, the Seahawks host Ivy League member Columbia on Hall of Fame Night at 6:00 p.m.
 
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