Pictured Above: Senior
Cam Gill (Photo by Adrienne Terzuoli)
Pittsburgh, PA – Senior All-American
Cam Gill became the Northeast Conference's (NEC) All-Time sack leader and graduate student quarterback
Christian Alexander-Stevens scored three rushing touchdowns, but the Wagner football team fell 28-24 in dramatic fashion at rainy Rooney Field on Saturday afternoon.
With a sack-fumble in the second quarter, Gill improved to 31 career sacks, overtaking Duquesne's Christian Kuntz, who accumulated 30.5 sacks throughout his career, as the conference's all-time leader.
Alexander-Stevens threw for 191 yards and rushed for 64, scoring all three Seahawk touchdowns on the afternoon. On the season, the FBS transfer now has five touchdowns on the ground along with six through the air.
With the loss, Wagner falls to 1-7 on the season and 1-2 in NEC play, while the Dukes improve to 5-2 on the year and 3-0 in conference action.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Seahawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead with two touchdowns less than four minutes apart. Following Alexander-Stevens' first touchdown, a 16-yard scamper, Gill's record-setting sack knocked the ball out and was recovered by senior
Chris Williams. Four plays later, the Seahawk signal caller found paydirt once again on a nine-yard run that doubled the Wagner lead midway through the second quarter.
The Dukes engineered two late scoring drives to knot the game at 14-14 at halftime and pulled ahead on a two-yard run by Mark Allen with 10:23 to play in the third quarter. After graduate student
Drew Daniel came away with an athletic interception deep in Seahawk territory, Allen provided a pivotal play on special teams to open up the fourth quarter, scoring on a 65-yard punt return to make it 28-14 in favor of the Dukes.
The Seahawks fought their way back on the following drive, as a 46-yard completion from Alexander-Stevens to junior
Roland Foiyoe on the first play of the drive set the offense up in the red zone. Three plays later, Alexander-Stevens completed his hat-trick with a three-yard rush up the middle to make it a one-possession game.
On the ensuing offensive drive, a 32-yard field goal by junior
Eric Silvester pulled the Seahawks within four points at 28-24 with under eight minutes to play.
Needing a stop late in the fourth quarter with no timeouts remaining, outside linebacker
Titus Leo knocked the ball out and freshman
Javeon Ensley recovered, setting Wagner up in Duquesne territory with a chance to win the game, but an interception on a tipped pass by the Dukes' Mason Williams ended the ballgame.
Foiyoe led the way with three catches for 86 yards, while junior
Jeremiah Lorick caught a team-leading five passes for 60 yards.
Defensively, Leo paced all players with eight total tackles along with his forced fumble, while Williams, Gill, Ensley, and graduate student
Julian McCleod had seven tackles apiece.
Next up, the Seahawks will host Central Connecticut at Hameline Field on Saturday, November 2, with kickoff set for 12 pm.
