Last-Second Touchdown Lifts Wagner To Thrilling 23-22 Win Over Saint Francis U

Staten Island, NY – Senior wide receiver D'Erren Wilson tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Chris Woodard with six seconds left to play to complete a nine-play, 65-yard drive, lifting Wagner to a remarkably improbable and exhilarating 23-22 comeback victory over Saint Francis U in a game that the Seahawks led most of the way.

FCS Football

play. Following Woodard's touchdown reception, as the home crowd at Hameline Field held its collective breath, sophomore kicker Eric Silvester split the uprights on one of the most important extra points in recent Seahawk history. While the Wilson-to-Woodward connection gave Wagner the 23-22 lead, there was still the matter of executing the kickoff at hand. On the return, the Red Flash tried some razzle-dazzle of its own, lateraling the ball into the hands of the dangerous Nick Rinella. But SFU's would-be magic was squelched when sophomore linebacker Jordan Haventackled Rinella at the Red Flash 45, setting off a wild Seahawk victory celebration. Senior running back Ryan Fulse, the leading rusher in all of FCS football, finished with a hard-fought 102 yards on 30 carries, to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark and now stands at 1,028 yards for the season. Graduate student quarterback T.J. Linta completed 20-of-39 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball to eight different receivers on the afternoon. Three different Seahawks finished with four receptions apiece in graduate student wide receiver Denzel Knight (54 yards), Woodard (54 yards) and graduate student wide receiver Andrew Celis (23 yards). Until Woodard's game-winning grab, perhaps the most important reception of the game for Wagner was a nifty 51-yard, late third-quarter screen pass from Linta to Fulse, who eluded several SFU defenders, in weaving his way to the Red Flash 10-yard line, setting up an eight-yard TD strike from Linta to senior fullback Ben Sieczkowski that staked the Seahawks to a 16-7 lead.

SFU fought back, recovering a fumble deep in Wagner territory, leading to an 11-yard TD jaunt by Jymere Jordan-Toney that made it a 16-14 game with 13:02 left to play. The Red Flash defense, meanwhile, continued to keep Wagner's offense at bay and, with 2:07 remaining, quarterback Bear Fenimore connected with wide receiver Kam Lewis on a 35-yard score, with Lewis making a gorgeous catch in the right corner of the end zone. SFU then converted a two-point conversion try, with Fenimore hitting tight end Terrell Johnson in the end zone. These eight points put the Red Flash seemingly in control, but the Seahawks had other ideas, countering with their thrilling late-game heroics on the ensuing drive. Defensively, junior outside linebacker Cam Gill paced Wagner with nine tackles, including a strip-sack of Fenimore that led to an eight-yard TD TD pass from Linta to Wilson with just 22 seconds left in the first half that gave the Seahawks a 10-0 lead at the break. Freshman Titus Leo, who pulled double duty at both outside linebacker and wide receiver, had eight tackles, including a sack, while redshirt junior inside linebacker Santoni Graham also made eight stops. The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, October 27 when they travel to New Britain, CT to meet the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in a 12:00 p.m. start. NOTE: Wagner Athletics also enjoyed a celebratory morning on Grymes Hill when four former Seahawk greats were inducted into the Hall of Fame: Natosha Davis (Class of 2001, Volleyball/Lacrosse), Dedrick Dye (Class of 2003, Men's Basketball), Jermaine Hall (Class of 2003, Men's Basketball), and Tom Masella (Class of 1981, Football). F