Smithfield, RI – Wagner junior quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ / Keyport) completed 17 of 37 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown, but it was not enough, as Bryant earned a 27-17 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory this afternoon.
 
The loss is the Seahawks' first in NEC play, as the Green & White fall to 2-1 in the conference and 4-3 overall. With the win, the Bulldogs are now also 2-1 in the NEC and improve to 3-4 overall.
 
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Santoni Graham (Arlington, VA / Bishop O'Connell / Fork Union Military Academy) paced the Seahawks with 13 tackles while fellow sophomore linebacker Quintin Hampton (Moultrie, GA / Colquitt County / UCF) added 11 stops.
 
For Bryant, running back Brendan Famiano rushed for 98 yards, Dalton Easton threw for 172 yards, and Matt Sewall returned a kickoff 97 yards in leading the Bulldogs' to victory.
 
After taking a 3-0 lead on a 42-yard first-quarter field goal by Rickey Perez, Bryant increased its lead to 10-0 with 7:59 left in the first half on a four-yard run by bruising 6-2, 268-pound fullback Hunter Taute, which capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive.
 
The Seahawks struck right before halftime when Thomson engineered an eight-play, 64-yard match, finished off by a one-yard touchdown run from senior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY / Bishop Maginn / Jireh Prep [NC]) with 18 seconds to play in the half, to make it a 10-7 game at the intermission.
 
Sewall opened the second half with his first long kickoff return of the game, a 60-yard jaunt up the right sideline all the way to the Seahawk 30-yard line. Bryant matched inside the Wagner five before the Seahawk defense put together an impressive goal-line stand, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for an 18-yard Perez field goal and a 13-7 lead.
 
Later in the quarter, the Green & White embarked on a nine-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in a 33-yard field goal by senior James Cooper (Linwood, NJ / Mainland Regional/ Temple) that drew Wagner to within 13-10 at the 3:29 mark.
 
This is when Sewall struck for his back-breaking 97-yard kickoff return that made it a 20-10 game with 3:24 to go in the third quarter.
 
That's the way the score remained until Thomson hit senior wide receiver Andre Yevchinecz (Binghamton, NY / Binghamton) on a clutch fourth-and-seven screen pass over the middle for a 32-yard score. This Thomson to Yevchinecz connection came on the first play of the fourth quarter, ending a seven-play, 72-yard drive that made it 20-17.
 
The Bulldogs, however, countered with a seven-play, 74-yard drive. Dalton hit wide receiver Taylor Barthelette on a 23-yard score, as Bryant went ahead by a 27-17 count and hung on from there.
 
"The kickoff returns had a major impact on the game, no question," said second-year head coach Jason Houghtaling. "On the first one, we didn't execute the kick the right way and on the second one we kicked it down the middle and just had one guy blown out of his lane. You're not going to win games doing those things. There were definite positives on both sides, but overall we just didn't get it done."
 
Junior John Williams (Sewell, NJ / Washington Township/Lackawanna CC (PA)) was Thomson's favorite target as the 6-6 wide receiver finished with a career day, hauling in six passes for 112 yards, highlighted by a 42-yard fourth-quarter pickup. Junior running back Denzel Knight (Rochester, NY / Salisbury School) snared a career-high five receptions out of the backfield for 34 yards while Yevchinecz finished with 73 yards receiving on four grabs.
 
In the rushing department, McKinnon led the way with 43 yards on 13 carries.
 
For Bryant, Dalton's 125 yards passing came on 14-of-25 accuracy with Haute the leading receiver with three catches for 39 yards. On the ground, Femiano's 98-yard rushing day came on 15 carries while Taute churned his way for 59 yards on 14 carries. Defensively, middle linebacker Jesse Nemerowicz recorded a team-high eight tackles.
 
Overall, Wagner held the statistical edge, outgaining Bryant 359-314 while leading in first downs by a 23-18 count but the Seahawks were undone by those two long kickoff returns.
 
The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, October 29 when they travel to Amherst, MA to meet FBS foe UMass, with kickoff set for a 12:00 p.m. The Minutemen are 1-7 on the season, but are coming off of a competitive 34-28 loss at SEC-member South Carolina.
 
NOTES
Yevchinecz to Thomson
One of Wagner's top gains of the day came on a wide receiver pass when Yevchinecz hit a wide-open Thomson on the right sideline for a 32-yard second-quarter gain. The 6-5, 225-pound Thomson bobbled the ball before finally hauling it in, For Yevchinecz, a former high school quarterback, it was his second career passing completion.

Natural Grass
Today marked the lone game all season that Wagner will play on a natural playing surface. Before the game, Bryant officials indicated there are no plans to install a FieldTurf surface, indicating that the Bulldogs view having a grass field gives them an advantage, since there are so few colleges still playing on natural surfaces.

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