Above: Tight End Joe Sidaras and the Seahawks look to make it seven straight vs. Holy Cross. (photo by Dave Saffran)
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GAME NOTES
Staten Island, NY - A week after shocking the nation with a nearly-flawless 30-0 vanquishing of No. 18 Albany on the road, the Wagner College football team is back at it on Saturday at 1:00 pm when the Seahawks meet Holy Cross for the first time ever at Hameline Field.
This will be the fi rst-ever meeting between the Seahawks and the Crusaders on the gridiron. Wagner has an all-time record of 9-7 against current members of the Patriot League (8-3 against Fordham, 1-2 vs. Georgetown and 0-2 against Lafayette), including a 13-10 defeat at Georgetown back on September 8. Against current members of the Northeast Conference, Holy Cross stands 4-3 all-time with marks of 2-0 against Sacred Heart and 2-3 vs. Duquesne.
Duquesne Win Over Albany Clinches NEC Crown For Seahawks;
If Albany Wins, Wagner Then Must Beat Duquesne Onn Nov. 17 To Claim Title
Wagner stands alone in first place off the NEC at 6-1 heading into Saturday's non-conference game Saturday against Holy Cross. A Duquesne home win over Albany would clinch the NEC title and give Wagner its first trip to the National Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) playoffs. For Albany to get in, Great Danes need a win over Duquesne, a win over Central Connecticut on Nov. 17, followed by a Duquesne win over Wagner.
Seahawks Receiving Votes in Both Major Polls
Wagner's winning ways, topped by Saturday's eye-opening 30-0 victory at Albany, are being noticed by many influential people involved in college football, including conference and collegiate officials who comprise The Sports Network Top-25 Poll as well as the coaches who vote in the NCAA Football FCS Coaches Poll. The Seahawks, who have overcome challenges that include an 0-3 start, and a campus without electricity or hot water leading up to the Albany game, are ranked 34th in The Sports Network Top-25 Poll with 47 votes and 39th in the FCS Coaches Poll with three votes.
First NEC Shutout for Wagner in 10 Years
The 30-0 blanking of Albany represented the Seahawks' first shutout over an NEC opponent since Oct. 19, 2002 when Wagner posted a 7-0 win over Saint Francis (PA). This marked the second consecutive shutout for Wagner that year as the Seahawks blanked Robert Morris 29-0 in their previous game on October 12, 2002.
Wagner Sweeps NEC Players of the Week
Senior quarterback Nick Doscher and sophomore cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne were named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their roles in the Seahawks' resounding 30-0 win at Albany on Saturday. Doscher engineered the 30-point offensive outburst while Dieudonne amassed four tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, while also recording three pass break-ups.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wagner is the only team in the nation to have begun the season 0-3 before rattling off six straight wins.
WAGNER IN NCAA AND NEC RANKINGS
NCAA – Team
Rank Category Average NEC Rank
1st Kickoff Returns 29.71 1st
4th Scoring Defense 14.67 1st
6th Pass Defense 157.44 1st
21st Pass Efficiency Defense 113.96 1st
NCAA – Individual
Rank Name/Category Average NEC Rank
2nd Otis Wright, KO Returns 34.19 1st
20th Nick Doscher, Pass Efficiency 143.76 * 1st
* - No. 1 in NEC
FIRST SIX-GAME WIN STREAK SINCE 1988 WHEN SEAHAWKS WON EIGHT IN A ROW
Wagner's six-game overall winning streak is the longest by the Seahawks since 1988. That year, Wagner sandwiched an eight-game winning streak after losing its season opener and before dropping its season finale.
WAGNER'S INCREDIBLE STREAK WITHOUT A TURNOVER CONTINUES
Against Albany, Wagner continued an incredible string as the Seahawks have not committed a single turnover during their entire six-game winning streak. The last turnover committed by the Green & White was way back on September 15 vs. Monmouth with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter when the Hawks picked off a pass thrown by junior QB Kramer Berg (Plymouth, MN/ Wayzata/ Rochester CC). The 38-17 loss to Monmouth put Wagner in a 0-3 hole to start to the season. But Wagner righted the ship in week four with a win at Central Connecticut (31-13), before going on to beat Bryant (31-21), Sacred Heart (12-3), Saint Francis (PA) 31-24 and Robert Morris (23-13).
DOSCHER HAS NOW THROWN 143 PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
Senior QB Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) played yet another interception-free game against Albany. His 15 attempts today makes it 143 consecutive passes without an interception over a span of 8.5 games (19 consecutive quarters). Incredibly, Doscher has not thrown an interception since the season opener at Florida Atlantic on August 31. With Wagner leading 3-0 in what would in an eventual 7-3 loss, Doscher was picked off in the end zone on a third-and-goal with 3:42 remaining in the first half against the Owls. It was his 10th pass attempt of the game.
DOSCHER 8-1 TD/INT RATIO
Quarterback Nick Doscher's two TD passes vs. Albany give him eight for the season while his lone interception remains a second-quarter pick at Florida Atlantic in the season opener on September 3.
10th 200-YARD PASSING GAME OF DOSCHER'S CARER, SECOND-HIGHEST PASSING TOTAL
Quarterback Nick Doscher's 253-yard passing day vs. Albany marked the 10th 200-plus yard game of his career and is the second-most yards he has thrown in a single game as a Seahawk, bettered only by his 261-yard effort vs. Bryant on October 2, 2010. It was also his third 200-yard-plus passing day of the season, and second in a row, as he had a 228-yard effort in the 23-13 Homecoming Day win over Robert Morris on October 27. For his career.
88-YARD TD PASS TO CARRINGTON MATCHES DOSCHER'S CAREER LONG
QB Nick Doscher's 88-yard second quarter touchdown pass to sophomore WR Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/ Toms River) equaled the longest pass (and TD pass) of his career. On September 18, 2010, Doscher hooked up with WR Justin Matthews on an 88-yard TD in a win over Cornell.
WILLIAMS OVER 100…AGAIN
Junior RB Dominique Williams, following his 25-carry, 103-yard effort vs. Albany, has now hit the century mark in 18 of 28 games in his career.
SECOND TIME SEAHAWKS COP SIX NEC WINS
This marks the second time that Wagner has won six NEC games in a season as it matches the win total produced by the 2000 tea m which posted a conference record of 6-2 (6-5 overall).
MOST TOTAL WINS IN THREE YEARS
The six wins are the most compiled by a Wagner team overall since 2009 when the Seahawks went 6-5.
SECOND WIN ALL-TIME VS. ALBANY
The victory was the second for the Seahawks in 17 tries against Albany and breaks an 11-game losing streak vs. the Great Danes. The only other time that Wagner defeated Albany was on September 23, 2000 when the Green & White out-lasted the Great Danes in a 38-30 shoot-out in a game that was also held on the road.
HAMELINE AT 210 WINS…AND COUNTING
Satuurday's win was the 210th (eighth among active FCS coaches) in the 32-year career of head coach Walt Hameline. His counterpart, Bob Ford, is the FCS active leader in wins with 252.
ALBANY ABSORBS FIRST SHUTOUT SINCE 2010
Wagner handed Albany its first shutout since October 16, 2010 when the Great Danes lost at Robert Morris 35-0.
FIRST HOME SHUTOUT FOR ALBANY SINCE 2006
The last time that Albany suffered a home shutout was on November 11, 2006 when the Great Danes dropped a 19-0 decision to Monmouth.
WAGNER RECORDS FIRST SHUTOUT SINCE 2007
The 30-0 win over Albany came five years to the day when Wagner recorded its last shutout, a 28-0 vanquishing of La Salle on November 3, 2007.
WAGNER'S FIRST NEC SHUTOUT SINCE 2001
The 30-0 blanking of Albany represented the Seahawks' first shutout over an NEC opponent since Oct. 19, 2002 when Wagner posted a 7-0 win over Saint Francis (PA). This marked the second consecutive shutout for Wagner that year as the Seahawks blanked Robert Morris 29-0 in their previous game on October 12, 2002.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
The 30-point margin of victory vs. Albany was the most lop-sided win recorded by the Seahawks since a 41-7 victory over Cornell (September 18, 2010).
MARGIN OF VICTORY IN NEC GAME
The 30-point margin of victory vs. Albany was the widest by a Wagner team in NEC play since October 20, 2001 when the Seahawks defeated Saint Francis (PA) 31-7.
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