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Staten Island, NY - Wagner returns home to face defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Duquesne in a battle of teams who enter the contest tied for second place in the league standings with identical 2-1 marks. Overall, the Seahawks, who are coming off last week's 34-10 loss at BCS member UMass, are 4-4 on the season. The Dukes, meanwhile, are 5-3 overall following a 35-31 come-from-behind home win over Bryant.
All-Time Series
The Seahawks and Dukes will be meeting for the 12th time on the gridiron in a series that began in 1992 and Duquesne holds a lim 6-5 edge in the all-time series.
Lone Common Opponent
Bryant is the only team that both Wagner and Duquesne have faced to date. On October 22, the Seahawks dropped a 27-17 decision on the road against the Bulldogs while the Dukes are coming off of a 35-31 home comeback win over Bryant on October 22.
The CoachesÂ
Wagner
Jason Houghtaling (say it Ho-tal-ling) is in his second season as the head coach of the Seahawks and, at age 35, is the third-youngest head coach in the FCS. He took over for
Walt Hameline, who announced at the end of the 2014 season that he would be stepping down as head coach while remaining as Seahawk athletic director. Houghtaling (5-14) was the Seahawks' associate head coach and offensive coordinator when the Green & White claimed a share of the 2014 NEC title (with Sacred Heart), and overall, has spent seven years as a Wagner assistant. In his final three seasons as offensive coordinator (2011, 2012, 2014), the Seahawks amassed a 16-6 NEC record with league titles in two of those three years. In 2014, the Seahawks' offense ranked No. 4 nationally in time of possession and did not commit a turnover in the final three games of the season. Houghtaling served as offensive coordinator at Cornell in 2013 before returning to Grymes Hill as associate head coach/offensive coordinator.
Duquesne
Three Northeast Conference titles in the past five seasons and the University's first trip to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2015 highlight the resume of 12th year Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt, whose record with the Dukes stands at 77-57 (.575). Schmitt, who played an important role in the development of the Duquesne football program as an assistant from 1985-87 and again from 1992-99 saw three players sign free agent contracts with NFL teams last season and was also named a finalist for the 2015 STATS FCS Coach of the Year award. The Pittsburgh native, who returned to the DU campus after spending five years as head coach at his alma mater, Westminster College, in New Wilmington, Pa., has overseen the program's move to the Northeast Conference and the ensuing adoption of athletics-based aid in February of 2008.
QB Alex Thomson Passes for Most Yards in a DecadeWagner junior
Alex Thomson ( Keyport, NJ / Keyport) threw for 295 yards, the highest output by a Seahawk quarterback in 10 years, at UMass on Saturday. Thomson's career-high 295 yards passing are the most by a Seahawk since Matt Abbey threw for 305 yards vs. Sacred Heart on September 30, 2006. Abbey's passing day also marks the last time a Wagner QB has had a 300-yard passing day. For the season, Thomson has completed 130-of-234 passes (55.6) for 1,697 yards with 11 TDs and just three interceptions.
Greg Senat: Two-Sport Athlete
A three-year member of the Wagner men's basketball team, who contributed to Wagner's 2016 NEC regular season basketball championship team, Greg
Senat (Elmont, NY / Elmont / Marianapolis Prep [CT]) Â joined the Seahawk football team in March, 2016 and has started the first two games of the season at right tackle. A power forward on the hardwood, the 6-8, 280-pound Senat competed at tight end for two years during his high school career. A three-sport athlete, who also competed in lacrosse, in addition to basketball and football at Elmont HS, Senat was a member of the Spartans' jayvee football team as a sophomore in 2009 before being elevated to the varsity as a junior in 2010. He then transferred to Marianapolis Prep in 2010 where he focused solely on basketball.
Senat's Height, Leaping Ability Pay DividendsSenior offensive lineman
Greg Senat (Elmont, NY / Elmont / Marianapolis Prep [CT]), a two-sport athlete who doubles as a power forward on the Seahawk basketball team, used his 6-8 height and leaping ability to deliver a key special teams play, partially blocking a first-half field goal attempt in the 25-21 comeback win at Central Connecticut (10/15).
Kicker James Cooper Named NEC Special Teams Player of the WeekWagner senior placekicker
James Cooper (Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional), the Northeast Conference (NEC) Special Teams Player of the Week back on October 3, continues to impress. For the season, Cooper leads the NEC in field goal accuracy with a success rate of .786, as the strong-legged kicker has converted 11-of-14 field goal attempts. The 11 field goals are T-5th on the Wagner single-season list. On field goal attempts in the 30-39-yard range, Cooper is a perfect 9-of-9. His 52-yard field goal in Wagner's 45-20 win over Sacred Heart on October 1 was the longest by a Seahawk since October 9, 2010, when David Lopez nailed a 54-yarder which forged a 13-13 with Georgetown as regulation time expired en route to a 22-16, double-overtime win over the Hoyas. Cooper's boot also marked the first from beyond 50 yards by a Seahawk since Lopez nailed a 51-yarder on November 17, 2012 vs. Duquesne.
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