Pictured Above: Senior DL and captain
Charbel Dabire
New Britain, CT – Wagner jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a pair of touchdown returns, a 36-yard fumble recovery by senior defensive lineman
Charbel Dabire, followed by a 30-yard interception return by freshman outside linebacker Titis Leo, before Central Connecticut clawed its way back for a 49-24 win at rainy, wind-swept Arute Field on Saturday.
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 2-6 on the season and 1-2 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while the defending league-champion Blue Devils improve to 5-4 overall, 3-2 in conference.
Central Connecticut was led by sophomore running back Aaron Dawson who, rushed for an NEC and CCSU-record 361 yards on 24 carries, with five touchdowns.
For Wagner, senior preseason All-American running back
Ryan Fulse, the leading rusher in all of FCS football, was a workhorse throughout, rumbling for 179 yards on a career-high 43 carries. The 5-11, 195-pound Fulse has now rushed for 100 yards or more in six of the Seahawks' eight games this season and in 13 of 19 career contests.
After the Blue Devils tied the game at 14-14 on a fumble recovery in the Seahawk end zone and a 39-yard connection from quarterback Jacob Dolegala to wide receiver Jose Garcia, Wagner regained the lead when sophomore
Eric Silvester opened the second-quarter scoring with a 36-yard field to put the Seahawks back on top, 17-14.
CCSU answered with a six-play, 47-yard drive, capped by a 23-yard Dawson TD run with 9:22 left in the second quarter, in taking a 21-17 lead, which is the way the score remained at halftime.
The Seahawks opened the second half with a huge special teams play that led to a short field and a Wagner touchdown when freshman linebacker
Ali Brightwell blocked a CCSU punt that was recovered by senior defensive back
Sterling Lowry at the Blue Devils' 19-yard line.
Three plays later, senior quarterback
Luke Massei, who came on in place of fifth-year senior QB T. J. Linta following the intermission, hit junior tight end
Adam Giordano for a 12-yard score which staked the Seahawks to a 24-21 lead.
This would prove to be the final points of the game for Wagner, however, as Dawson ripped off four long rushing touchdowns as CCSU went on to post the 25-point win.
Defensively, Dabire, in addition to his 36-yard fumble return for a TD, which came on his own blocked punt, led the way with a career-high 10 tackles, including nine solo. Redshirt junior linebacker
Santoni Graham finished with seven tackles, while senior defensive back
Tyamonee Johnson added six. Leo, who claimed NEC Rookie of the Week honors last time out in the October 13 win over Saint Francis U, added a forced fumble and three tackles to his pick-six.
The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, November 3 when they host the Duquesne University Dukes at 12:00 p.m. on Senior Day in a contest that will be carried live on ESPN 3.
NOTES
Fulse's Increasing FCS Rushing Yardage Total to 1,209 Yards
In pushing his nation-leading rushing total to 1,209 yards, the Fort Meade, FL native now has 2,513 yards career for his career, and moves into sixth on the Wagner all-time rushing list with 2,513 yards, passing Chris Davis (2,342 yards, 2000-03) Greg Harris (2,433 yards, 1988-91). He is also just 76 yards away from recording the second top-10 rushing season in his less-than two-year career, as his 1,306 yards in 2017 ranked ninth-best all-time (and fourth-best in the FCS). His 43 carries on the afternoon were just four shy of the Seahawk record of 47 carriers by Rick Sarille, which came in a 38-35 win over Robert Morris back on November 2, 1996.
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