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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Wagner College raced out to a 20-0 first half lead and captured its first win of the year, knocking off Cornell 41-7 in the Big Red coaching debut of Kent Austin at Wagner Stadium. The Big Red will now look to shake off the loss when it opens conference play next weekend at home against Yale.
"We have a long way to go, but we're going to get there," said head coach Kent Austin. "Cornell football will get to where we all want it to."
Wagner's Nick Doscher had a hand in all three first half scores, tossing two to Tyrone Collins and sneaking in from 1-yard out for the first score.The 23-year-old sophomore led the Seahawks in rushing (64 yards) and passing (7-of-10, 139 yards). He finished the game 8-of-11 passing for 227 yards and three scores, while also rushing for 77 yards. A pair of Wagner running backs posted more than 100 yards on the ground, led by Torian Phillips with 133 on 16 carries.
Freshman Grant Gellatly was outstanding in his first collegiate game, rushing for 87 yards and just seven carries, including a long 63-yard scamper. Freshmen starred on both sides of the ball, as Jeff Mathews was 7-of-15 passing for 97 yards after halftime and rookie Brian Gee notched 12 tackles pace the defense. Marcus Hendren scored the lone touchdown for Cornell, going in from 1-yard out in the fourth quarter.
Cornell's offense was limited to just 46 yards at the half and failed to convert on five third-down conversion opportunities. Hendren was the lone bright spot from the Big Red, rushing for 33 yards and just seven carries, while Drew Alston placed two of his five punts inside Wagner's own 20-yard line. Freshman Brian Gee, in his first career start, notched eight tackles and a tackle for loss in his first collegiate action.
Wagner dented the scoreboard first, going 58 yards on seven plays with Doscher scoring on a 1-yard plunge with 6:05 left in the first quarter. He found Collins from 41 and 11 yards out on consecutive drives in the second quarter, with senior Anthony Ambrosi blocking the extra point on the second of the touchdowns to limit the damage as the home team went into the break with a 20-0 edge.
The second half opened with a long 49-yard kickoff return by Rashad Campbell, but the offense stalled and Wagner got right back into the scoring column, this time with an 88-yard catch and run by Matthews. An interception off a tipped reception led to the Seahawks' final score.
Cornell will open its 2010 home schedule next weekend when it welcomes Ivy League rival Yale to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 12:30 p.m. The contest will be the first home game for Austin, will feature a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 1990 Ivy League championship team and fall squarely on Homecoming. The Big Red has won two straight games against the Bulldogs, including a 14-12 triumph last season at the Yale Bowl.
