Photo by Dave Saffran
WATCH | LIVE STATS | Game Notes
Loretto, PA - The Wagner College football team will look for its first win of the season on Saturday, September 18, when the Seahawks travel to Loretto, PA, to take on the Saint Francis U Red Flash. The game will be televised on ESPN3 as the Northeast Conference's (NEC) Game of the Week.
Comeback Falls Just Short
The Seahawks nearly erased an eight-point fourth quarter deficit, but could not complete the comeback, falling 21-19 against Central Connecticut last Saturday afternoon in front of 2,271 fans at Hameline Field.
Trailing 21-13 with less than six minutes to play, the Seahawks' offense orchestrated a six-play, 60-yard drive that included multiple big gains by quarterback
Jaalon Frazier and freshman running back
Rickey Spruill. With 5:34 to play, Frazier found junior
Jayvin Little for an 18-yard strike, but the two-point conversion attempt failed to make it 21-19.
Wagner outgained the Blue Devils by 346-203 yards but also had an advantage in first downs (19-14), time of possession (33:41 – 26:19), and did not allow the Blue Devils to convert a single third down (0-11) on the day.
Applying Pressure
Last Saturday, the Wagner defense racked up five sacks and 10 tackles for loss, with sophomore
Andre Crawley leading the way with two sacks, while seniors
Titus Leo and
Tre Vallar along with
Lennox Lamar finished with one sack apiece.
For his efforts, Crawley was named an NEC PrimePerformer.
Through two games, the Seahawks and Red Flash are tied for the league lead with five sacks apiece.
Taking Care of the Football
Through two weeks of the season, Wagner is one of just 32 teams across FCS football that has not thrown an interception. The Seahawks won the turnover battle in the season-opener against Buffalo and tied the Blue Devils with one turnover apiece last Saturday. Through four games under
Tom Masella, the Seahawks have only lost the turnover battle once.
Young Talent Making An Impact
With players like Crawley or wide receiver Naeim Simmons, coach Masella is leaning on his young players to make an impact on the team. Overall, the Seahawk depth chart features double-digit starters who are either freshmen or sophomores and are thus getting their first taste of a full college football season this fall.
Scouting The Red Flash
Saint Francis U comes into Saturday's matchup with an 0-2 record after losses to FBS member Eastern Michigan and Top-10 FCS opponent Delaware. The Red Flash did not play during the spring season, but SFU's roster features multiple athletic playmakers on offense and defense as well as an experienced group of special teams players.
The Series
Saturday's game will be the 30
th meeting between Wagner and SFU, with the Seahawks holding a 22-7 advantage in the all-time series. Wagner has won eight of the last 12 meetings including seven straight between 2008 and 2014. In 2016, the Seahawks were the only team to defeat eventual NEC Champion SFU. In 2018, senior wide receiver
D'Erren Wilson tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end
Chris Woodard with six seconds left to play to complete a nine-play, 65-yard drive, lifting Wagner to a remarkably improbable and exhilarating 23-22 comeback victory over Saint Francis U in a game that the Seahawks led most of the way.
The Schedule
Following Wagner's trip to Saint Francis U on Saturday, September 18, the Seahawks will travel to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to take on Temple University on September 25 for Wagner's second FBS game of the season. This marks the first-ever meeting between the Seahawks and Owls.
On October 2, Wagner is scheduled to host Delaware State for this fall's homecoming game. The final non-conference game of the season will be played on October 9, when the Seahawks travel across New York City to take on Fordham.
Five conference games will round out the 2021 schedule, with home contests against Bryant (October 23), Merrimack (November 6), and Duquesne (November 20), as well as road matchups at LIU (October 30) and Sacred Heart (November 13).
