(photo by Adrienne Terzuoli)
Staten Island, NY – Wagner took a 10-7 halftime lead before Robert Morris, buoyed by a third-quarter blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, came back to record a 21-13 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory at Hameline Field on Saturday.
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 1-6 overall on the season, 1-1 in NEC play while the Colonials improve to 3-4 and 2-0 in conference.
Wagner got on the board first in this one when graduate student quarterback
Christian Alexander-Stevens found sophomore tight end
Nolan Quinlan in the back of the end zone to cap a 9-play, 44-yard drive in 4:01 to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Colonials answered with a 10-play, 67-yard drive scoring drive when quarterback Caleb Lewis hit wide receiver Tim Vecchio with a 23-yard TD strike that knotted the game at 7-7 with 1:41 left in the opening quarter.
That's the way the score remained until Wagner marched 12 plays in 59 yards, which resulted in a 22-yard field goal by junior
Eric Silvester with 4:33 remaining before halftime to give the Green & White a 10-7 lead at the break.
After the Wagner defense forced RMU into a three-and-out in the opening drive of the second half, the Seahawks were also unable to muster a first down on their first second-half possession. The game then turned on a crucial special teams play on the following snap, with Wagner facing a 4
th-and-12 at its own 44, RMU's Tiheem Crockett raced off the edge untouched to block a Silvester punt attempt at the Seahawk 34. The ball bounded nine yards towards toward the Seahawk goal line before Deju Dandridge scooped it up and scampered 25 yards to paydirt, giving RMU the lead for good at 14-10 with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
The Colonials then put together a 12-play, 72-yard drive, bridging the third and fourth quarters, aided by a successful fake field goal, that culminated in a one-yard TD plunged by Terence Stephens, Jr, in extending their lead to 21-10.
After Wagner made it a one-score game at 21-13 on a 22-yard Silvester field goal, following a 13-play, 68-yard march with 7:11 left to play, Wagner had one more chance but Alexander-Stevens' last second heave from near midfield was broken up in the end zone as RMU held on for the win.
Statistically, Alexander-Stevens was 22-of-41 through the air for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception. RMU's two quarterbacks were held to a combined 130 passing yards as Lewis was 8-of-14 for 88 yards, before giving way to George Martin who came on to complete 2-of-4 for 33 yards. The other nine passing yards came on the nine-yard fake field goal completion from holder George Souders II to kicker Nick Bisceglia.
In the rushing department, RMU's Alijah Jackson led all ground-gainers with 87 yards on 16 carries while Wagner's five ball-carriers were held to a combined 58 net rushing yards on 29 carries.
Junior wide receiver
Jeremiah Lorick led all pass-catchers with eight receptions for 53 yards while four different Seahawks snared three grabs apiece.
Defensively, senior nose tackle
Chris Williams and graduate student inside linebacker
Santoni Graham paced Wagner with seven tackles each, with two of Williams' stops going for a combined minus seven yards in losses. Senior All-American outside linebacker
Cam Gill added five tackles, highlighted by a pair of sacks that went for a combined 15 yards in losses.
For RMU, safety Jacob White recorded a game-high 12 tackles.
Overall, the Seahawks held a 271-229-yard edge in total yards, led in first downs, 18-13, and enjoyed an overwhelming 36:41-23:19 advantage in time of possession. However, in the end, the two key special teams plays – the blocked field goal for a score and the successful fake field goal - proved too much for Wagner to overcome.
The Seahawks now travel to defending NEC-champion Duquesne on October 26, followed by a November 2 home matchup with red-hot Central Connecticut. The Colonials, meanwhile, will return home for three consecutive games - vs. Bryant (October 26), LIU (November 2) and Duquesne (November 9).
NOTE: Former Wagner two-sport athlete and current member of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs,
Greg Senat, was on hand supporting his alma mater this afternoon and was greeted warmly by the homestanding fans.
