Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College football team erased a 14-0 deficit and took the lead in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough, as the Seahawks fell 34-26 against Duquesne at Hameline Field on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing by eight late in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks went on a 13-play drive that spanned 83 yards, resulting in a nine-yard touchdown pass from graduate student quarterback to senior tight end
Chase Stafford with 1:51 to play.
The two-point conversion was unsuccessful and the Dukes recovered the ensuing onside kick. Wagner's defense forced a Duquesne punt, but the visitors came away with the ball and a touchdown on the final play to seal the victory.
The Green and White were led by its rushing attack, with junior
Rickey Spruill going for 136 yards on the ground, while sophomore
Zachary Palmer-Smith ran for 88 yards. Spruill became the first Wagner running back to gain 100 yards on the ground in consecutive games since 2018, when All-American Ryan Fulse closed out the season with two straight 100-yard games.
After a scoreless first quarter, Duquesne took a 14-0 lead, but the Seahawks fought their way back into the game for the second straight week. A two-yard run by Spruill with time winding down in the first half got Wagner on the board, but the extra point was blocked, sending both teams into the locker room at 14-6.
Wagner received the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 73 yards in seven plays, capped by a 19-yard touchdown catch by Spruill to make it 14-13. Next up, both teams traded interceptions, but were unable to capitalize.
After a missed field goal by the Dukes, the Seahawks flipped the game upside down, as Palmer-Smith gave Wagner its first lead of the game on a 66-yard touchdown run that made it 20-14 in favor of the Seahawks with 3:51 to play in the third quarter. Palmer-Smith's run was the longest touchdown rush by a Seahawk since Ryan Fulse ran for a 79-yard score in the season finale against Robert Morris in 2018.
Duquesne answered with a touchdown drive, before returning an interception for a score to take an eight-point lead, setting up the dramatic finish.
With the loss, Wagner falls to 3-3 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play, while the Dukes move to 5-0 and clinch a share of the NEC title.
Defensively, Wagner was led by senior
Roberto Auguste's seven tackles, with freshman
Zachary Ricci recording his second consecutive game with an interception.
Next up, Wagner will wrap up NEC action at LIU on Saturday, November 11, at 12 pm.
