Wagner spoiled Sacred Heart’s perfect record, while Central Connecticut prevailed in its NEC opener against Saint Francis during what was a thrilling Week 6 on the gridiron.  Duquesne returned from a bye to dispose of West Liberty in a non-conference contest at Rooney Field.  Robert Morris and Bryant both fell to non-league opponents on the road.

Wagner 23, Sacred Heart 20
Bryan Maley’s 45-yard field goal with 00:04 remaining snapped Wagner’s four-game losing streak and knocked Sacred Heart (5-1) from the ranks of the undefeated. Maley, who was filling in for injured all-NEC placekicker David Lopez, hit the first three field goals of his collegiate career before a facility-record crowd of 4,288 at SHU’s Campus Field.  The last-second game-winner completed a 9-play, 43-yard drive that was engineered by quarterback Kramer Berg who came off the bench with 1:56 remaining to run the 2:00 offense. Berg completed 3 of 4 pass attempts for 31 yards to set up Maley’s tiebreaking kick. Wagner jumped out to a 20-3 before Sacred Heart opened the fourth quarter with 17 straight points (two RJ Noel TD passes and a 31-yard Chris Rogers FG) to pull even at 20-20. Wagner’s Dominique Williams produced another 100-yard rushing performance, grinding out 108 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries.

Central Connecticut 38, Saint Francis 29
Central Connecticut’s Rob Hollomon and Saint Francis’ Kyle Harbridge showed why they are two of the nation’s top rushers in a Northeast Conference opener that was littered with big plays.  Hollomon (24 att., 123 yds., 2 TD) and Harbridge (29 att., 179 yds., 2 TD) combined for 302 yards rushing to entertain the ESPN3 audience.  CCSU jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead behind a 5-yard run from Hollomon followed by a trio of touchdown passes by Nick SanGiacomo.  Saint Francis stormed back by scoring the first 20 points of the second half to pull within 28-23.  After Steve Calitiri’s 29-yard field goal extended Central’s advantage to 31-23, Anthony Bowman scored on a 5-yard touchdown reception but Saint Francis failed to convert the game-tying two-point attempt.  Harbridge (3,493 yards) became Saint Francis’ all-time leading rusher, passing Todd Harris on Saturday in New Britain.

Stony Brook 21, Bryant 13
Bryant saw a potential game-tying drive stall at Stony Brook’s 28-yard line with 3:46 remaining in a non-conference contest Saturday night out on Long Island. The host Seawolves, who forced Bryant to turn it over on downs before running out the clock, built a 21-13 advantage a 41-yard touchdown pass from Lyle Negron 5:45 into the final quarter.  Negron finished 16-of-22 passing for 260 yards and two scores.  Bryant quarterback Mike Westerhaus went 16-of-28 through the air for 128 yards and one touchdown.  Walter Payton Award hopeful Jordan Harris made four catches for 53 yards.  The Bulldogs, who rushed for 153 yards at Stony Brook, will host Ivy League member Brown in Week 7 before returning to NEC play against Sacred Heart.
 
Duquesne 27, West Liberty 14
Duquesne didn’t need its offense in a 27-14 win over Division II West Liberty.  The Dukes took control of the game by scoring three first-quarter touchdowns, two via interception returns and one on a fumble recovery.  Duquesne defenders Nick Floyd, Zach Zidian and Dane O’Driscoll all found paydirt as the Dukes, who had two September bye weeks, picked up their first victory since the Week 1 win over CAA member UAlbany.

Monmouth 35, Robert Morris 9
Robert Morris jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but Neal Sterling caught three first-half touchdown passes to put Monmouth in control in an eventual 35-9 victory for the home team. RMU was limited to 71 yards on 29 rush attempts during its trip to the Jersey Shore.  RMU quarterback Paul Jones opened the game’s scoring when he hit DJ Pearson on a 12-yard scoring strike 2:33 into the first quarter. Jones, who was intercepted once, went 18-of-33 passing for 183 yards and one touchdown. RMU had won each of its last three games in West Long Branch, and now holds a slim 10-9 edge in its all-time series with Monmouth.