Pictured Above:
Ryan Fulse (jerseypics.com)
Final Stats (PDF)
New York, NY – New York, NY – Columbia's Oren Milstein booted a game-winning 29-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to offset a spirited Wagner comeback effort, as the Lions edged the Seahawks 17-14 in a thriller at steamy Lawrence A. Wein Stadium at Baker Field Today.
Today's game was the season opener for now 1-0 Columbia while Wagner falls to 1-2.
Wagner trailed 14-0 at the half before roaring back with two touchdowns by junior running back
Ryan Fulse (Fort Meade, FL / Fort Meade/Monroe), including an 83-yard jaunt, to tie the game at 14-14.
Fulse, who also had a 60-yard TD run negated by a holding penalty, finished with 153 yards rushing on just 19 carries,which computes to a hefty 8.1 yards per carry average.
The Seahawks, who had two field goals blocked, were led defensively by redshirt-sophomore linebacker
Santoni Graham (Arlington, VA / Bishop O'Connell / Fork Union), who also had an interception, and junior linebacker
Quintin Hampton (Moultrie, GA / Colquitt County / UCF), who recorded 11 and nine tackles, respectively. In addition to Graham's interception, redshirt-sophomore cornerback
Darryl Gamble (Tinton Falls, NJ / Monmouth Regional) came up with an interception which he returned 24 yards in the first start of his career in place of injured sophomore
Myron Morris (Miami, FL / Booker T. Washington).
"Overall, I couldn't be prouder of a group of kids for what they did today," said Seahawk third-year head coach
Jason Houghtaling. "I think whenever you're faced with adversity, guys are put into roles that they haven't been put into before, and to have them respond the way they did today...they're hurting now, but,,again, I couldn't be any prouder than I am of the team that's sitting in the that locker room who left it all out there on the field for each other."
Seahawk junior quarterback
Luke Massei (Cary, NC / Green Hope) made his first collegiate start, in place of the redshirt-junior
Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ / Keyport), who was injured in the first half of last week's game at Saint Francis U. In the face of a consistent Columbia pass rush, Massei went a gutsy 13-of-19 through the air for 120 yards, including completions of 18 and 17 yards to junior tight end
Chris Woodard (North Tonawanda, NY / North Tonawanda) and senior wide receiver
John Williams (Sewell, NJ / Washington Town-ship/Lackawanna CC), respectively.
The Seahawks had a chance to put points on the board in the first half but a 44-yard field goal try by fifth-year senior kicker
James Cooper was blocked, preserving the Lions' 14-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Fulse changed the complexion of the game when he broke through the left side of the line and galloped 83 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown that sliced the Seahawk deficit in half, at 14-7, with 11:53 left in the third quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Graham came up with a big interception over the middle which he returned 23 yards to the Columbia 39. On the third play of Wagner's ensuing drive, which was also the first play of the fourth quarter, Fulse got loose again, this time on a 21-yard TD sprint, that tied the game at 14-14.
This would prove to be the final points of the game for the Seahawks. After Milstein missed a 29-yard field goal attempt for Columbia in bidding to break the deadlock with 8:14 to go, Wagner methodically worked the ball to the Lions' 24 before having to settle for a 42-yard Cooper field goal try at the 1:38 mark, which was blocked.
Columbia then put together its game-winning drive that culminated in Milstein's game-winner at the end.
The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, September 23 when they travel to Western Michigan in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI. On January 2, 2017, the Broncos met Big 10 member Wisconsin in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and
battled the Badgers to the wire before falling by a count of 24-16.
Under first-year head coach Tim Lester, who took over for current University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck,
Western Michigan entered today's play with an 0-2 mark. Playing a tough early-season non-conference schedule, WMU lost at USC (49-31) and at Michigan State (28-14) before returning home to defeat Idaho tonight, 37-28.
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