No. 18/20 UAlbany Football Shut Out By Wagner, 30-0

Photo: Jon Morgan (11) and Alex Helmer (36) bring down Wagner's Dominique Williams.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Coming off a chaotic week of no power, cold showers, and the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in their Staten Island campus community, the Wagner College Seahawks rallied together to shut out the No. 18/20 University at Albany football team, 30-0, in a key Northeast Conference contest  Saturday afternoon at University Field. The loss marks UAlbany's first in the league this year and just the second time the Great Danes have fallen to Wagner in their 16-game all-time series.

In addition, the defeat snapped UAlbany's five-game win-streak, falling to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the NEC, while the Seahawks rolled into first place and streaked to their sixth straight win, now owning a 6-3 overall mark and 6-1 record in conference play.

Coming into the game averaging a conference-best  34.25 points per game, the Great Danes struggled against the Seahawks, managing just 188 yards of offense and 11 first downs, compared to Wagner's 413 offensive yards.

“We had numerous opportunities to make plays,” said head coach Bob Ford. “When those opportunities presented themselves, we did not make them.”

Playing without the second-leading scorer in the nation, senior tailback Drew Smith, for a game due to a violation of team rules, sophomore Omar Osbourne took on the starting role and led the Great Danes with 51 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Sophomore quarterback Will Fiacchi threw for 103 yards, completing 18-of-33 passes, including six each to junior Jameel Gay and senior Ryan Kirchner. Gay's six catches and 43 receiving yards marked a career-high, while Kirchner finished with 34 yards.

Defensively, senior Dave Plungas recorded double-digit tackles for the second straight game, bringing down a team-high 11, including 10 solo. Senior inside linebacker Jon Morgan tallied eight tackles, moving into ninth place all-time at UAlbany with 255 in his career.

Junior Paul Layton punted seven times in the contest, averaging 43.0 yards, including a career-long and program record 82-yarder.

Winning the coin toss, Wagner deferred and was able to have the steady blustering wind in its favor to start the contest. The Seahawks scored 14 points in the first quarter, first on an 11-yard rushing touchdown by Dominique Williams at the 11:43 mark. Wagner then used a 10-play 70-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass from Nick Doscher to Joe Sidaras.

In the second quarter, the Seahawks expanded their lead when Doscher connected an 88-yard pass to Anthony Carrington to make the score 20-0 with 11:35 to go. Wagner then capitalized on a roughing the kicker penalty that eventually resulted in another Seahawk touchdown. Williams ran the ball seven yards into the end zone with 3:28 remaining before intermission, capping a 7:05 minute, 72-yard drive.

Trailing 27-0 at the half, UAlbany tried to get going in the second half, but Wagner's defense forced a three-and-out and then scored the last points of the game with 5:55 to play in the third quarter. Kicker David Lopez made a 40-yard field goal to give the Seahawks the final 30-0 score.

In the end, Williams led Wagner with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Doscher finished with 253 passing yards (10-15-0) and two passing touchdowns to his credit as well.

Last season, UAlbany shut out the Seahawks, 24-0, in Staten Island. With the tables turned, the Great Danes suffered their first shutout since going to Robert Morris (38-0) in the 2010 season.  

“The challenge is always, always to come back down to earth after a great win, and to pick it up after a devastating loss,” added Ford. “We'll see if we can get it going next week.”

Still in contention for the NEC title, the Great Danes look to rebound next Saturday when they travel to Duquesne. Kickoff will be at noon in Pittsburgh, Pa.

WAGNER vs #18 University at Albany (Nov 03, 2012 at Albany, N.Y.)

WAGNER (6-3,6-1) vs. University at Albany (7-2,5-1)

Date: Nov 03, 2012 • Site: Albany, N.Y.  • Stadium: University Field  •  Attendance: 2617