Pictured Above: Senior linebacker Stephon Font-Toomer (photo by Dave Saffran)Staten Island, NY – The Wagner Seahawks (0-8, 0-3 NEC) return to the friendly confines of Hameline Field, after being on the road for four straight games, when they host Northeast Conference (NEC) rival Bryant (4-4, 2-1 NEC) on Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. in a contest that will be carried on ESPN 3 as part of the league's Game of the Week package.
#NECFB on ESPN 3 Behind the microphone will be New York Giants Radio Network announcer Paul Dottino, who's in his 13th consecutive season as the conference's lead play-by-play announcer, along with color analyst Kevin Gilbride, the former NFL head coach, who helped lead the Giants to a pair of Super Bowl Championships as offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2011. Handling the sideline reporting duties will be John Cabral.
The Series
This is the eighth all-time meeting between the schools and Bulldogs lead the series 4-3. In games played on Staten Island, the Seahawks are 2-2 vs. the Bulldogs
The Last Time These Teams Met
Smithfield, RI (Nov. 22, 2014) - The Wagner defense came up with four interceptions, junior quarterback
Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/Valley Forge Military Academy) ran for 95 yards, while passing for another 140, and sophomore running back
Brandon Peoples (Abington Township, PA/Archbishop Wood) ran for two scores as the Seahawks claimed a share of the 2014 NEC Title with a thrilling 23-20 win at Bryant. With the victory, Wagner completed the 2014 season with a final overall record of 7-4, winning six of their final seven games, including the last three, to finish with a 5-1 mark in the NEC. The only blemish on the Seahawks' conference record was a 23-7 home loss to Sacred Heart on November 1.
Last Time Out Pittsburgh, PA (Oct. 31, 2015) - Wagner took an early 7-0 lead and received a career-high 136 yards rushing from senior running back
Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard), but could not overcome three turnovers and an injury to sophomore quarterback
Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ/Keyport), in dropping a 35-17 decision at Rooney Field. In a close, competitive first half, the Seahawks had their running game going and, combined with a spirited defensive effort, trailed by just a 14-10 count at halftime. However, late in the second quarter, Thomson was shaken up and did not return. With senior quarterback
Chris Andrews unavailable due to a leg injury sustained last week at BYU, and regular third-string quarterback, freshman
Vin Aranda (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell/Milford Academy) having suffered a season-ending leg injury earlier this month, Wagner turned to
Tyler Loftus (Ashtabula, OH/Lakeside), who had never before taken a career snap. The sophomore completed 4-of-12 passes for 21 yards and led the Seahawks on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive but Duquesne wound up outscoring Wagner 21-7 in the second half en route to victory.
Best Rushing Game of Season Wagner ended up with a season-high 205 yards rushing vs. Duquesne on a season-high 53 carries in the game. The Seahawks also ran a season-high 75 plays from scrimmage, held a decided 35:35-24:25 edge in time of possession, and led in first downs, 15-14.
The Coaches
Jason Houghtaling (say it Ho-tal-ling) is in his first season as the head coach of the Seahawks, taking over for 34-year head coach
Walt Hameline, who announced last November that he would be stepping down while remaining as Seahawk athletic director. Houghtaling, a 2004 Binghamton graduate who began his collegiate career at Lafayette, was the Seahawks' associate head coach and offensive coordinator last season and has spent seven years as a Wagner assistant. In his last three years as offensive coordinator, the Seahawks amassed a 16-6 NEC record with league titles in two of the last three seasons. In 2014, the Seahawks' offense ranked No. 4 nationally in time of possession and did not commit a turnover in the last three games of the season.
Marty Fine is in his 12th season at the helm of the Bulldog football team and has amassed a record of 74-54 in that time. His teams have won seven games five times and eight games on three occasions (2006, 2007, 2014). Fine was also responsible for guiding the Black and Gold through the transition to the Division I level, beginning in the 2008 season. In seven seasons at the DI level, Fine's teams have won seven games four times and have finished with a .500 or better record all six years as a member of the NEC.
During last week's game at Duquesne, the
Seahawks wore pink ribbons on their uniform in honor of junior punter
Bryan Rafano's mother and in honor of it being the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As profiled in this
story on wagnerathletics.com, Rafano's mother, Donna, is in the midst of her second bout with breast cancer.
Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@WagnerAthletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @Wagner_Football for all the latest news pertaining to Wagner Football and first-year head coach Jason Houghtaling @HossWagner #CHAOSonthehill. Seahawk athletics can also be followed on Instagram (@wagnerathletics)
