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SCENE-SETTER
The Wagner College Seahawks, who enter play in sole possession of second place in the Northeast Conference (NEC), look to extend their winning streak to four games and improve to 4-3 overall and 4-1 in the NEC when they make the long trek to Loretto, PA to meet dangerous and improved Saint Francis (PA), who enters the game 3-4 on the season, 2-2 in NEC play. The Red Flash will undoubtedly play with passion and pride as Saturday is Homecoming Day at DeGol Field. 
 
SEAHAWKS SEEK FIRST FOUR-GAME WIN STREAK SINCE 2009
The last time Wagner won four consecutive games was during the 2009 season and buoyed the Seahawks to a 6-5 record.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAME
The Wagner-Saint Francis (PA) game will be streamed live free of charge on necrontrow. com. Live Stats can be accessed by logging onto goredflash.com Fans can also receive game updates from the team's official twitter account: @WagnerAthletics.
 
GOODBYE, BYE
After winning three straights, the Seahawks had themselves a well-earned bye last week. The last time Wagner was in action was back on October 6 when the Green & White outlasted Sacred Heart in a defensive struggle on the road, 12-3. In the days following the win over the Pioneers, the Seahawk coaching staff gave the players a couple of days off to heal and rest up from the rigors of the six games that opened the 2012 season. This past week was more of a typical practice week, with the intensity ramping up each day as Saturday neared.
 
WAGNER LEADS SERIES, 18-3
The meeting between Wagner and Saint Francis will be the 22nd consecutive between the schools and the Seahawks have won 18 of the previous 21 meetings. The Red Flash and the Seahawks first met back in 1992 when SFU knocked off Wagner 21-18. The recent history between the teams have been competitive  close with seven of the last eight contests being decided by 10 points or less. 
 
NATION'S 9^TH-RANKED DEFENSE TOPS NEC AND HAS KEYED WAGNER'S RECENT WINNING WAYS
Wagner's defense has been tremendous over the first six games of the season, particularly during the current three-game win streak. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Malik Hall, the Green & White rank No. 1 the NEC in total defense and scoring defense. The Seahawk defense also ranks ninth nationally in total defense, yielding just 15.83 points a game. On the offensive side, junior RB Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy) is the leading rusher for the Seahawks, averaging 97.33 yards per game to rank second in the NEC. Senior QB Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) has been one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the Northeast Conference throughout his career and is the Seahawks' all-time leader in total offense with 6,935 yards.
 
ABOUT SAINT FRANCIS (PA)
The Red Flash enters Saturday's game ranked first in the NEC in rushing with one of the most diverse rushing attacks in the country. Keion Wade sits as the leading rushing for SFU with 666 yards on the ground and eight rushing touchdowns. John Kelly is second on the team in rushing with 455 yards on the ground. Kelly also stands as the team's leading passer with 707 yards through the air this season with six touchdowns to just three interceptions. The leading receivers for the Flash have been in the backfield in 2012 with Dan Conley holding a team-best 12 receptions while Wade ranks second with 11 grabs.
 
DOSCHER CAREER UPDATE
Senior QB Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) was credited with 53 yards rushing on 18 carries vs. SHU, grossing 83 yards but was sacked five times for minus 30 yards, leaving him with 53 nets yards. That total was enough for Doscher to enter the Seahawk Top-10 all-time all-time rushing list with 1,945 career yards, which places him in 10th place.  He needs 29 yards to move into ninth place ahead of John Campbell (1998-2001) who gained 1,973 yards during his career. Doscher is ranked No. 1 on the Seahawk all-time list in total offense (6,935), No. 2 in passing yards (4,990), No. 2 in completions (374) and No. 4 in touchdown passes (34).
 
LAST TIME OUT: Dominique and Defense Carry Wagner to 12-3 Road Win At Sacred Heart
Fairfield, CT (Oct. 6) –  Junior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy) burst free for a career-long 81-yard first-quarter touchdown, later added a two-yard touchdown run en route to a 20-carry, 122-yard effort and the Wagner defense did the rest as the surging Seahawks made it three wins in a row with a 12-3 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory at Sacred Heart.
 
In posting their first road win over the Pioneers since 1998, the Seahawks improve to 3-1 in the NEC and into sole possession of third place in the league standings while evening their overall record at 3-3. Sacred Heart, meanwhile, falls to 1-4 overall, 1-2 in conference play.

Williams cracked the 100-yard plateau for the fourth time this season, out of six games, and 16th time in his 25-game Seahawk career. He remains in fifth place on the Seahawk all-time rushing list with 2,559 rushing yards. Next on the list in fourth place is Kito Lockwood, who amassed 3,156 yards from 1992-95. His 81-yard run surpassed his previous career-long dash of 79 yards vs. Robert Morris on November 12, 2011.

Senior quarterback Nick Doscher  (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) was a force on the ground all afternoon, grossing 83 yards (netting 53 yards) on 18 carries. But the Pioneers did a nice job limiting the Seahawk passing game as Doscher finished 6-of-13 passing for 82 yards and was sacked five times for minus 30 yards in losses.

Doscher's 53-yard day on the ground moved him into the top 10 on the Wagner all-time rushing list with 1,945 career yards. He needs 29 yards to move into ninth place ahead of John Campbell (1998-2001) who gained 1,973 yards during his career. 

Defensively, Wagner was paced by a quarter of seniors in cornerback Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond/ Syracuse) and linebacker Mike Lombardo (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian/ Arkansas St.), who led with eight tackles apiece, while strong safety Sidiq Soulemana (Bronx, NY/ DeWitt Clinton/ Hudson Valley CC) and linebacker C.O. Prime (Laval, Quebec, The Kent School) added six tackles each.
 
The Seahawk defense harassed SHU QB Tim Little into an 8-for-20 passing day for 67 yards. Running back Keshaudas Spence paced the Pioneers on the ground with 72 yards on 12 carries.
 
Wagner out-gained SHU 288-214, enjoying a 206-147 advantage on the ground.
 
The fast and aggressive Seahawk defense, which entered today's contest ranked No. 1 in the NEC in scoring defense, allowing 18.4 points per game, lowered that average to 15.8 points per outing. Wagner's defense also entered the game ranked second in pass defense (170.4 yards per game) and reduced that figure to 153.2, and second in total defense (353.8), which now stands at 318 after holding the Pioneers to 214 yards.

The three points allowed by Wagner are the least allowed since November 3, 2007 when the Seahawks blanked La Salle 28-0 on Grymes Hill and the least allowed to an NEC foe since a 7-0 win at Saint Francis (PA) on October 19, 2003.
 
Sacred Heart, meanwhile, was held to its lowest point total since the 2010 season when the Pioneers were shut out at Saint Francis (PA), 41-0.  It was the fewest points scored at home by the Pioneers in a loss since the 1998 season when SHU fell 24-3 to Iona.
 
Neither team could muster any sustained offense at the outset of the game. After Wagner won the toss and deferred, SHU managed one first down before having to punt. The Seahawks then went three-and-out on its opening drive, resulting in a punt before the Seahawks defense returned the favor, forcing a second Pioneer punt. It was at this point when Williams struck, taking a first down handoff and rumbling 81 yards to paydirt. The extra point try by senior David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage) was blocked, leaving Wagner in front 6-0.
 
The teams exchanged punts once again with Wagner taking over at its own 38 with 28 seconds left in the first quarter. After the teams changed sides of the field to open the second quarter, Doscher went to work on the next play, connecting with senior wide receiver Cody Morgan (Boston, MA / Boston College HS/ Syracuse / Milford Academy) on a 25-yard completion to the Pioneer 34.

Two rushes for 10 yards by Williams, a two-yard Doscher run and a five-yard pickup by redshirt freshman Ralph Greene (Tigard, OR/ Tigard) brought about a third-and-five from the SHU 17.
 
The reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Week then broke SHU's back as Doscher took off on a 14-yard scramble down to the three. A plunge by sophomore fullback Patrick Gibbons (Carthage, NY/ Milford Academy), sandwiched around two Doscher runs, netted just one yard and left the Green & White facing a fourth-and-goal from the two.

The Seahawks then called timeout at the 10:00 mark of the half to discuss strategy. Following the timeout, head coach Walt Hameline elected to forego a field goal attempt and sent his offensive unit on the field. In turn, the Seahawk offense rewarded their coach's faith as Williams barreled into the end zone to make it a 12-0 game. Lopez' extra-point try was no good, however, leaving it a 12-0 game.
 
The deepest penetration either team would make the rest of the half came on the half's final drive when Doscher methodically led the Seahawks to the SHU 22. But Doscher was sacked on third-and-five and Wagner called another timeout to discuss a 44-yard field attempt. In the end, the Seahawk brain trust decided to go for it on fourth-and-12 at the 27 but Doscher's pass fell incomplete as the teams went into halftime with Wagner on top 12-0.
 
The final scoring drive by either team began when sophomore punter A.J. Firestone's 33-yard punt angled out of bounds at the SHU 7. From there, quarterback Tim Little engineered an 18-play, 90-yard drive that elapsed 9:31 off the clock and resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Chris Rogers that made it 12-3. The Pioneers were bent on making it a 12-7 game but the Seahawk defense came up with a tremendous goal line stand.

On first-and-goal from the four, junior nose tackle Tom Lindley (Mastic Beach. NY/ William Floyd/  Michigan) and sophomore LB Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hill, NJ/ Cherry Hill West) combined to hold RB Greg Moore to a one-yard gain. On second down, 230-pound RB Keshaudas Spence was nailed by Prime for no gain. On third-and-goal from the three, Little threw incomplete, settling for the field goal.
 
The closest either team got to the end zone the rest of the way was late in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks went 52 yards in 12 plays, chewing valuable time off the before giving the ball up on downs with just 40 seconds left to play.
 
WILLIAMS NAMED NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second consecutive week, a Wagner football player was named Northeast Conference (NEC) Offensive Player of the Week, as junior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy) picks up this week's honor following his 20-carry, 122-yard performance in Saturday's 12-3 win at Sacred Heart, the league office announced today.

Williams' honor comes on the heels of the NEC Offensive Player of the Week award earned by senior quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) following a 246-yard passing day that carried Wagner to a 31-21 win over Bryant on September 29.Williams continues to imprint his name in the Wagner record book, climbing to fifth place on the all-time Seahawk rushing list with 2,559 rushing yards.

The highlight of this win for the 5-9, 200-pound Williams came 5:50 into the opening quarter when he burst free up the left sideline en route to an 81-yard touchdown run that gave the Seahawks a lead they would never relinquish.

It marked the longest rush by a Seahawk since Chris Davis ran 85 yards for a touchown vs. Robert Morris on October 28, 2000. Williams' jaunt was also the longest rush in an NEC game in five years In fact, it was five years ago to the date that  Monmouth's David Sinisi went 99 yards for a score against Sacred Heart on October 6, 2007.

Williams would add another touchdown, this one on a two-yard burst, in the second quarter. The South Jersey product finished the game with 147 total yards from scrimmage, including 25 yards on two receptions.

Aided by his career-long run, Williams produced his third straight 100-yard rushing day and fourth of the season. It also marked the 16th time in his 25-game Seahawk career that Williams has hit the century mark.

Williams' rushing day, combined with the leadership of Doscher and a ferocious effort by the Seahawk defense, carried Wagner to its third straight victory, all of which have been conference wins. The victory over Sacred Heart moved the Seahawks into sole possession of third place in the league standings at 3-1, while evening the Green & White's overall record at 3-3.

For Williams, it marks the fourth time in his career that he has earned a weekly honor by the NEC. Last season, he was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week twice while in 2009 he earned one NEC Rookie of the Week honor.  Williams sat out the 2010 season due to injury.

Williams' honor marks the third time a Seahawk has been named an NEC Player of the Week this season. In addition to Doscher's Offensive Player of the Week award last week, senior free safety Patrick O'Connor (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) was the league's NEC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Seahawks' August 31 game at Florida Atlantic when he totaled 10 tackles and one forced fumble. 
 
HAMELINE FIELD AT WAGNER COLLEGE STADIUM
In a stirring pre-game ceremony, the field at Wagner College Stadium was named after Walt Hameline who is in his 32nd year as athletic director/football coach. One of just eight active Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) coach to win 200 games, he also ranks 16th all-time among FCS coaches and 18th among active NCAA coaches. Heading into the Bryant game, Hameline has an overall record of 206-126-2
 
WAGNER-SAINT FRANCIS (PA): THE LAST TIME
Wagner Runs Past Saint Francis (PA) 38-28 In Season Opener
September 3, 2011
Staten Island, NY – Sophomore running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford), who missed all of last season with a knee injury, made a resounding return to the field by exploding for a career-high 180 yards on 26 carries while adding two touchdowns to lead Wagner past Saint Francis (PA) 38-28 in the season opener for both teams.

The matchup between the Seahawks and Red Flash was the only game on the docket involving two Northeast Conference teams as Wagner now resides atop the standings with a 1-0 mark.

The Seahawks struck early in this one as senior defensive end Derrick Forrest (Fort Lauderdale, FL / Calvery Christian Academy) stripped the ball away from quarterback John Kelly on the Red Flash's first possession of the game. Junior safety Patrick O'Connor (Leominster, MA/ Leominster) pounced on the ball at the Saint Francis (PA) 31-yard line and the Seahawk offense went right to work.

On the very first offensive snap of the season, junior quarter Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) hit senior wide receiver David Crawford(Carrollton, TX/ Hebron) in stride along the left sideline for a touchdown to give Wagner a 7-0 lead.

That's the way the score remained until the Red Flash put together a crisp seven-play, 83-yard drive that bridged the first and second quarter, culminating in a 28-yard TD pass from Kelly to Jacob Novicki that tied the game at 7-7. Wagner then reeled of the next 10 points to enter halftime with the momentum and a 17-7 lead.

After junior kicker David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage) nailed a 40-yard field goal, the Red Flash appeared to be on its way to a score of its own but junior cornerback Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond) had other ideas, blocking a Josh Thiel 40-yard field goal attempt. The turn in momentum led to a seven-play, 77-yard Seahawk march that was capped by a Williams five-yard touchdown run with just 39 seconds left in the half. Williams set up his own score by gashing the Red Flash defense for runs of 20 and 19 yards earlier in the drive.

After Wagner went three and out on the opening series of the second half, Saint Francis (PA) embarked on a an eight-play, 71-yard drive, keyed by a 41-yard dash up the right sideline by Harbridge. Four plays later, Harbridge barreled in from the two to make it a 17-14 game.

The teams traded punts before Wagner came up with a huge, game-changing defensive play. Kelly tried to make a big play on first down but his bullet pass over the middle went right into the waiting arms of junior linebacker Carl-Olivier Prime (Quebec, Canada/ Kent School), who angled to the left sideline, tiptoeing his way to a 37-yard touchdown which staked the Seahawks to a 24-14 lead with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.

After the teams traded three-and-outs to begin the fourth quarter, Wagner took over on its own 33-yard line. On first down, the Seahawks hit paydirt when Doscher found the diminutive, yet speedy junior wide receiver Wandy Saintilien (Miami, FL/ ASA Institute) in the right flat. Saintilien then received a terrific block from fellow wideout Crawford and the 5-7, 150-pounder did the rest, sprinting along the right sideline for a 67-yard touchdown.

Trailing 31-14, the “never-say-die” Red Flash countered with a home run of its own as Kelly found wide receiver A.J. Alexander, a transfer from Florida St., over the middle for a 69-yard pass and catch which brought Saint Francis (PA) right back to within 10 points at 31-21 with 11:11 left to go

After Saint Francis (PA) took over on downs, the Red Flash developed a methodical 13-play, 69-yard drive, which was capped by a two-yard TD run by Harbridge that made it a 31-28 game at the 3:37 mark.

Saintilien would then give the Seahawks an immediate spark, returning the ensuing kickoff 28 yards that allowed Wagner to set up shop at its own 41-yard line. Williams began the drive with an 11-yard burst, giving the Seahawks a first down at the Red Flash 48. After Doscher gained 13 yards on a pair of runs, Williams followed with a six-yard jaunt. On second-and-four from the Red Flash 28, Williams put an exclamation point on his day and, in the process, sealed the win with a nifty scamper into the end zone to fashion the final score at 38-28.

Saint Francis (PA) held many of the statistical advantages, out-gaining the Green & White 474-378. Most of that disparity was through the air as the Red Flash held a 273-173 in passing yards. Kelly was 20-of-38 passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns. For the Green & White, Doscher completed 8-of-18 passes for 173 yards and two scores.

Both teams ran the ball effectively throughout, with Wagner holding a scant 205-201 edge on the ground. For much of the contest this was a battle of running backs between Williams and Harbridge who seemingly waged a personal game of “can you top this.” In addition to his career-high 180 yards rushing, Williams' 26 carries were also a career high. Harbridge nearly matched Williams yard for yard, finishing with 154 hard-fought yards on 28 carries.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, Fl/ Dillard), a transfer from Purdue, gained the start at cornerback and paced the Seahawks with 10 tackles.