Pictured Above: Senior WR Nour Aly pulls in one of his career-high five receptions today vs. Duquesne (photo by Dave Saffran) 


Staten Island, NY  – Wagner jumped out to a 10-0 lead and led 17-14 at halftime, before Duquesne mounted a second-half comeback in earning a 28-20 Northeast Conference (NEC) win this afternoon at Hameline Field.
 
The teams entered today's play tied for second place in the league standings with identical 2-1 conference records. With the victory, the defending NEC champion Dukes improve to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while the Seahawks fall to 4-5 on the season and 2-3 in league.
 
The Green & White will make the long trek to Robert Morris on Saturday, November 12 at noon before returning home to meet first-place Saint Francis U in the regular season finale. The Senior Day kickoff between the Seahawks and the Red Flash is also at noon.
 
On the game's first possession today, Wagner moved the ball sharply, as junior quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ / Keyport) led the Seahawks on a 10-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in a 33-yard field goal by senior James Cooper (Linwood, NJ / Mainland Regional / Temple) to take an early 3-0 lead.
 
After forcing the Dukes into a three and out on their first possession, the Seahawks marched 65 yards in nine plays, with Thompson scampering in on a 10-yard touchdown score with 4:48 left in the first quarter, increasing the Wagner lead to 10-0.
 
Duquesne answered with 60-yard touchdown burst by freshman running back A.J. Hines with 42 seconds remaining in the opening quarter to make it a 10-7 game, a run that capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive.
 
The Seahawks responded with an impressive drive of their own, navigating 80 yards in nine plays with junior running back Denzel Knight (Rochester, NY / Salisbury School) barreling in from one year out at the 11:54 mark of the second quarter to again make it a 10-point game, 17-7.
 
It was then Duquesne's turn to go back to work, as quarterback Dillon Buechel guided the Dukes on a seven-play, 74-yard drive, culminating in a five-yard run by P.J. Fullmore which sliced the deficit to 17-14.
 
In the third quarter, Wagner covered 64 yards in 11 plays before the drive stalled at the Dukes' 22-yard line. Cooper came on to nail a 39-yard field goal to give the Green & White a 20-14 lead with 8:09 remaining in the third quarter. In going 2-for-2 on the day, Cooper is now 13-of-16 on field goal attempts for the season and a perfect 11-of-11 from the 30-39-yard range.
 
Once again, Duquesne answered a scoring drive with one of its own as the Dukes executed an impressive 12-play, 83-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Buechel to wide receiver Blair Roberts as part of his 4-catch, 110-yard afternoon, which gave Duquesne its first lead of the game at 21-20 with 1:54 left in the third quarter.
 
The Dukes then put the game away with another long drive, this one an 11-play, 85-yard march which featured the pivotal play of the game. With under five minutes left to play and the Dukes facing a 4^thand-2 at the Seahawk 18, Hines burst through the middle of the line and broke several tackles in churning his way for an 18-yard TD run that made it a 28-20 game with 4:34 left.
 
Thomson wound up 17-of-31 through the air for 218 yards with a long completion of 43 yards to senior wide receiver John Williams in the third quarter. Senior tight end Ryan Owens (Gainesville, NY / Letchworth) had five catches for 67 yards, while senior wide receiver Nour Aly (North Caldwell, NJ / West Essex) recorded a second straight career game, finishing with five grabs for 60 yards, both career highs. A week ago at UMass, Aly posted the career highs with four receptions for 39 yards.
 
On the ground, Knight paced the Seahawks with 61 yards rushing on 23 carries. Wagner was hampered by the absence of senior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY / Bishop Maginn / Jireh Prep) the team's second-leading rusher, who sat out the game due to injury. In McKinnon's stead, junior Franklin Labady provided a spark with 54 yards rushing on just five carries.
 
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Quintin Hampton (Moultrie, GA / Colquitt County / UCF) led the way with 10 tackles, seven of which were solo stops. Senior cornerback Tiquan Garner (Brookville, NY / Long Island Lutheran) added seven stops for the Seahawks.
 
For Duquesne, Buechel was 13-of-22 passing for 171 yards and one touchdown while Hines wound up with 136 yard rushing on 22 carries and two scores. Defensively for the Dukes, linebacker Nathan Stone and defensive back Abner Roberts came up with 10 tackles apiece.

Statistically, Wagner led in total yards (355), passing yards (218-171) and first downs (23-17) while the Dukes held a slight edge in rushing yards (148-137).

NOTES:
Thomson Enters Single-Season Top-10
With his 17-of-31, 218-yard performance against Duquesne today, Alex Thomson has entered the Wagner All-Time Top 10 in two major statistical categories. For the season, the 6-5, 225-pound Jersey Shore native has completed 147-of-265 passes (55.5) for 1,915 yards with 11 TDs and four interceptions. 

Single-Season Completions
Alex Thomson - 9th, 147

Single-Season Passing Yards
Alex Thomson - 10th: 1,915 yards

Kicker James Cooper Moving Up On Single-Season, Career Lists
With his 2-of-2 effort on field goal tries today, James Cooper, a senior in his first season as a Seahawk after transferring from Temple, is now 13-of-16 for the season, including 11-of-11 from 30 to 39 yards. Cooper has now made five straight field goals which is his second-longest streak of the season as earlier this season, he connected on six consecutive. 

Single-Season Field Goals Made
James Cooper - T-3: 13

Career Field Goals Made
James Cooper - T-7: 13

 

Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics       
@Wagner_Football