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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner Seahawks and the Saint Francis U Red Flash, each sporting identical 2-3 records,  will meet in the NEC opener for both teams on Saturday, October 11 in a Noon kickoff today at Hameline Field.

All-Time Series
Wagner holds a 20-3 lead in the all-time series and the Seahawks have won the last six meetings, including last season when Wagner earned a 10-7 road victory on November 17, 2013.

About the Seahawks
Wagner rode a dominant defensive effort to blank Division II member Alderson Broaddus in what was the Seahawks' 2014 home opener.reen & White, who started the season with four straight road games followed by a Week five bye, limited the Battlers to a total of 185 yards. The Seahawk pass defense was extremely effective as AB managed only 3.8 yards per attempt. Fifth-year senior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne put an exclamation point on the victory by returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown with 6:36 remaining.
            

Undefeated (10-0) 1964 Team To Be Honored on 50th Anniversary
The 1964 team that finished the season with a perfect 10-0 mark under head coach Bob Hicks will be honored on the 50th anniversary of  its special seasn on Saturday. More than 20 former players and coaches are expected to be on hand as well as some 60 family members who will be on hard representing other '64 team members.






Evan Odeseye:  Staten Island Native, Former Red Flash, Now Seahawk
Evan Odeseye is a 6-2, 270-pound defensive lineman and local product who played at Staten Island's Curtis High School and was a key member of the 2009 squad that won the PSAL City Championship. He began his collegiate career in 2011 at Saint Francis U and after redshirting his freshman year, he appeared in 10 games during his redshirt freshman season for the Red Flash, recording 17 tackles on the season. He then decided to transfer to Wagner and, after sitting out the 2013 as per NCAA transfer rules, he as seen action this season in four games as a reserve defensive lineman for the Seahawks. On Saturday, Odeseye will compete in his second Wagner-SFU game. On October 20,, 2012, while wearing the red and white of Saint Francis U, he was credited with two assisted tackles in Wagner's 31-24 win in Loretto, PA.

Defense, Defense!
Fifth-year senior safety Daniel Mack (Miami, FL/Dade Christian/Wake Forest) led a dominant defensive effort vs. Alderson Broaddus with a team-high nine stops, and a forced fumble while junior outside linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) and senior inside linebacker Max Wassel (Totowa,, NJ/Passaic Valley) recorded eight tackles each. For Harris, who also registered two pass breakups, the eight tackles are a career high. Senior defensive tackle Al Page (Bronx, NY/Christopher Columbus/Rutgers) also wreaked havoc all evening, notching six tackles, including one for loss, while consistently gaining  penetration into the Alderson Broaddus backfield.
 
19th Season of Northeast Conference Play Kicks Off
The 19th season of NEC Football kicks off  with three games on Saturday, October 11. In addition to the Wagner-SFU contest, the NEC preseason favorite Sacred Heart Pioneers will host Robert Morris while Central Connecticut and Duquesne will clash in the #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3 in New Britain, CT. Bryant will be the lone idle team; the Bulldogs open league play by visiting Saint Francis on October 18. For the fifth consecutive season, the NEC champion will receive automatic access into the FCS playoff bracket.

NEC Goes 5-2 vs. CAA
In seven head-to-head matchups in 2014, the NEC is 5-2 vs. the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), long considered the top FCS conference in the northeast part of the nation. Defending NEC champion Sacred Heart's 10-7 win at Delaware last weekend was the lasted win over a CAA foe, one that followed huge victories by both Bryant (13-7 over Stony Brook and 13-10 over Maine) and Central Connecticut State (31-27 over Maine). The CAA has produced four national championship teams since 2003

Coach Hameline
In his 34th season as head coach at Wagner, Walt Hameline owns a 218-138-2 (.612) record and is one of just seven active FCS coaches with 200 or more career wins. November 6, 2010 was another historic day in Hameline's career, another that also involved Monmouth, as the Seahawks' 31-20 win over the Hawks' that was career victory number 200.

Long Drives
Through the first five games of the 2014 season, the Wagner offense has produced eight scoring drives of 60 yards or more, five of which have covered 75 yards or more. In addition, the Seahawks have put together four scoring drives of 13 plays or more. Here is a list of the Seahawks' longest TD drives of the season.
 
Date    Opponent                              Time of Possession   Result
8/30     at Georgetown                        
            14 plays, 80 yards                    7:12                             Touchdown
            15 plays, 67 yards                    6:58                             Touchdown
9/13     at Monmouth    
            13 plays, 63 yards                     6:27                             Field Goal
            13 plays, 95 yards                     3:56                             Touchdown
             8 plays, 75 yards                      3:29                             Touchdown
9/27     at Lafayette
            4 plays, 61 yards                       0:52                             Touchdown
10/4     ALDERSON BROADDUS
            9 plays, 75 yards                       4:41                             Touchdown
            8 plays, 86 yards                       5:00                             Touchdown
             
Running Back McKinnon Sparkles
Sophomore running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep) rushed for a game and career-high 93 yards on just seven carries and a touchdown in helping to lead the Seahawks to victory. Early in the fourth quarter, McKinnon ripped off a key 45-yard run up the left sideline that led to a one-yard touchdown plunge by junior quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/St. Joseph's/Valley Forge Military Academy), that staked Wagner to a 19-0 lead. For the game, McKinnon's 93 yards on seven carries computed to a 13.3-yard average. Late in the first quarter, McKinnon put the Green & White on the board with a 13-yard touchdown scamper that capped a crisp nine-play, 75-yard march.
 
Linebacker Harris Keys Defensive Effort
Junior linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) was active and productive all evening, recording a career-high eight tackles, all of which were solo stops, in addition to coming up with his first career interception and two pass breakups. This was a complete, across-the-board defensive display producing its first shutout since a 30-0 win at No. 18 Albany on Nov. 4, 2012 en route to the Seahawks' NEC title run that year.
 
Punter Firestone Continues To Shine
The NEC's top punter, a 2013 First-Team All-NEC selection, a 2014 Preseason All-NEC choice, and the reigning NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, fifth-year senior A.J. Firestone (Mercersburg, PA/Mercersburg Academy) continued to be a weapon for the Seahawks in the 26-0 win over Alderson Broaddus. On Saturday night, Firestone boomed four punts for a 40.5-yard average, with a long of 49 and three punts downed inside the 20-yard line, including one that bounced out of bounds at the Battlers' one. Firestone's big night helped Wagner produce its first shutout since a 30-0 win at No. 18 Albany on Nov. 4, 2012 en route to the Seahawks' NEC title run that year.
 
Cornerback Dieudonne Enters Top 10 in Career INTs
The Green & White then put the Alderson Broaddus game away when fifth-year senior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard) picked off a Wilson Vaughn pass at the Battler 47 and scampered home with the touchdown at the 6:36 mark of the fourth quarter, fashioning the final score at 26-0. For Dieudonne, a transfer from Purdue, it was his second interception of the season and ninth of his career, which ties him with Hall of Fame linebacker Andy Fellouris for ninth place on the Seahawk career list.

First Shutout Since 2012 NEC Championship Season
The shutout was Wagner's first since November 3, 2012 when Wagner recorded a 30-0 shutout at No. 18 Albany en route to the Northeast Conference championship and eventual NCAA Division I FCS Playoff appearance.
 
Seahawks with Season-High Three Picks vs. Alderson Broaddus
The Seahawks' brilliant defensive effort was highlighted by a season-high three interceptions. In addition to Duieudonne, junior outside linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) and senior cornerback Deangelo James (Miami, FL/American Senior) also came up with picks for the Green & White.
 
Running Back By Committee
Sophomore running backs Matthias MicKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep) and Brandon Peoples (Abington Township, PA/Archbishop Wood/Milford) rushed for 93 and 87 yards respectively in the win over Alderson Broaddus while Senior running back Steve Rene (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie/Syracuse) wound up with 57 yards rushing on eight carries with a long run of 18 yards. While not attempting a pass during his fourth-quarter stint, the athletic, left-handed QB Chris Andrews rushed six times for 31 yards. All three of Wagner's leading rushers in the game ended up with career highs, led by McKinnon's 93 yards, followed by Peoples' 87 and Rene's 57.

294 Yards On Ground vs. Alderson Broaddus
The Seahawk running game broke loose for 294 yards on 53 carries (5.5 yards per carry) on Saturday night, the most rushing yards by Wagner since September 18, 2010 when the Green & White rolled up 325 yards on the ground in a 41-7 win over Cornell.

218 Wins…and Counting for Hameline
For 34th-year head Wagner head coach Walt Hameline, the victory over Alderson Broaddus improves his career record to 218-138-2 (.615), with the 218 wins ranking fifth among active FCS coaches.
 
Late Home Opener
The October 4 home debut vs. Alderson Broaddus not only took place late in the day, with the 6:00 pm start being just the second night game to ever be played at Hameline Field, it was latest calendar date that Wagner has opened a season on Grymes Hill since the 1974 campaign when the Seahawks' played their home opener on October 5. This marks the first time in Wagner history that the Seahawks have ever opened a season with four consecutive road games, having opened a season with three straight road tilts on several occasions.

ABOUT SFU
Last Week
The Flash had a bye week after defeating Virginia-Lynchburg 80-0 on Sept. 27. The Flash set a host of records in that win, including most points scored in a game, a half and a quarter. The Flash rushed for eight touchdowns, including three each from Khairi Dickson and Marcus Bagley. Dickson Leads FCS: Junior running back Khairi Dicksonheld onto his rushing lead in the FCS after his team's bye week. He has 916 yards rushing, just one yard ahead of Morgan State's Herb Walker, Jr. The NCAA rushing lead belongs to Div. III Thomas More College's Domonique Hayden. He leads the nation with 931 yards.

Dickson on the Payton Watch List
Khairi Dickson joined The Sports Network's 20-member Walter Payton Award watch list during the bye week. The award is given to the Most Outstanding Player at the FCS level. Dickson is the second Red Flash running back in two years to make the watch list. Kyle Harbridge made the list last season.

Wagner was the Last
The Red Flash has scored 21 points or more in six consecutive games dating back to the final game of the 2013 season. The last team to hold the Flash offense below that mark? Wagner in last November's 10-7 victory over SFU at DeGol Field. The Flash will look to extend that streak to seven straight games against Wagner this weekend to match its longest streak since a seven-game span during the 2004-05 seasons.

SFU Head Coach Chris Villarrial
Former National Football League All-Pro Offensive Lineman Chris Villarrial was named the 25th head coach of the Saint Francis University football program on December 20, 2009. After serving one year as the offensive coordinator under predecessor Dave Opfar, Villarrial will enter his fifth season at the helm of the Saint Francis football program.The Red Flash continued its ascent in 2013, matching its 2012 win total with five. The 10 wins over the past two seasons are the most in a two-year stretch for the program since joining the FCS in 1993. The Red Flash also finished at the .500 mark in the conference for the second-consecutive year, also a first since joining the Northeast Conference in 1996. The Red Flash earned its first-ever victory at NEC foe Bryant, defeating the Bulldogs, 23-20, in November. That Bryant victory started a three-game stretch to close the regular season in which the Red Flash defense held its opponents to less than 21 points in each game.

Last Time:
Wagner 10, SFU 7
Nov. 17, 2014
Loretto, PA – Wagner football closed the 2013 season on a high note, snapping a four-game losing streak behind a dominant defensive effort and 238 yards rushing, as the Seahawks earned a 10-7 win at Saint Francis U in a game seen live on ESPN 3. With the victory, Wagner finished with an overall record of 3-8 and a 2-5 mark in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Red Flash, which entered the game harboring NEC title hopes, fall to 4-6, 2-3 in league play with one game remaining. Redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/St. Joseph's/Valley Forge) (pictured at right) ran for a career-high 127 yards on 25 carries while fifth-year senior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton/Milford Academy) added 95 yards on 24 carries in his final game as a Seahawk. Andrews, who went the whole way behind center, also completed 10-of-12 passes for 63 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass to fifth-year senior wide receiver Tyree Watkins (Camden. NJ/Camden/Duke) with 6:32 left in the first half. Andrews' one-yard flip to Watkins put the Seahawks up for good at 10-7 and completed the day's scoring. Saint Francis U running back Kyle Harbridge, who entered the game ranked eighth all-time NEC rushing yards, opened the day's scoring with a 43-yard touchdown dash on fourth-and-one with 9:13 to go in the first quarter, which capped a five-play, 65-yard drive. The Seahawks answered with an eight-play, 66-yard drive that was culminated with a 26-yard field goal by fifth-year senior David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage). Lopez' boot made it a 7-3 game with 5:04 left in the first quarter. Lopez' first-quarter boot was historic in that it was his 44th career made field goal, as he ends his career tied with former Seahawk great Piotr Czech (2004-07) for the No. 1 spot on both the NEC and the Wagner all-time list. A balanced defensive effort was keyed by five different Seahawks who came up with five tackles apiece in linebackers Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/Brockton/Suffield Academy/UMass), Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) and Yamir Ortiz (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley), along with defensive backs Jarrett Dieudonne (Ft. Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/Purdue) and Blake Bascom (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe). The suffocating Seahawk defense limited SFU to 144 total yards and six first downs, which are the least allowed by Wagner in each of these categories all season. Wagner also held SFU to just 74 passing yards, a season-low allowed by the Seahawks, as QB Max Ward  was hurried into  7-for-13 passing day for just 49 yards. Wagner matched its season-high of four sacks, a figure first attained vs. Robert Morris (10/26). Hilliard paced the Seahawks with two sacks while fifth-year senior defensive end Lawrence Williams (Philadelphia, PA/George Washington/Milford Academy) and sophomore defensive end Mike Mentor (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen/Fork Union) recorded one each. For the game, Wagner out-gained SFU 301-144. Wagner held a 202-87 edge in total yards while taking a 10-7 lead into halftime. During the scoreless second half, the teams combined for just 179 yards with the Seahawks out-gaining the Red Flash 122-57. Each team crossed the 50-yard line just one time each in the second half. Wagner's deepest penetration was to the SFU 37 early in the third-quarter while the Red Flash reached the Seahawk 46 in its one trip across the 50-yard line. The 238 rushing yards were a season-high for the Seahawks and the most since Nov. 24, 2012 when Wagner totaled 245 yards on the ground en route to its 31-20 win over Colgate in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The teams combined for 17 punts this afternoon, with SFU punter Zack Draber punting the ball 10 times for a 44.0 average while redshirt junior A.J. Firestone(M ercersburg, PA/Mercersburg) booted the ball seven times for a 44.6-yard average which is the best single-game average by a Seahawk this season. Firestone also had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line, including a clutch 44-yard effort in the final 90 seconds that pinned the Red Flash back on their own 12-yard line.

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