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Fairfield, CT - The Wagner College football team will take the road for the third consecutive week to open the 2023 season, as the Seahawks take on Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference (NEC) opener for both teams on Saturday at 1:00 pm on NECFrontRow.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Seahawks battled FBS member before falling 24-0 on Saturday in a game that was delayed multiple times due to lightning.
 
Block Party
 
The Seahawks blocked a field goal at Navy, marking the second straight week with a blocked kick. Wagner is tied with Jackson State and New Hampshire for the most blocked kicks in the country at the FCS level.

Two games played - two blocked kicks! No team in the @NCAA_FCS has more blocked kicks on the season. #LetsFly pic.twitter.com/1xto4JOcX3

— Wagner College Football (@Wagner_Football) September 12, 2023

 
Gioia Leads The Way
 
Graduate student John Gioia led the Seahawks with nine total stops at Navy. Gioia, who has led Wagner in tackles in both games this season, is tied for 28^th in the country with 10 tackles per game.
 
The defensive captain was Wagner's leading returning tackler coming into the season and has 20 total tackles in two games.
 
The Series
 
Saturday's game will be the 25^th all-time meeting between these longtime Northeast Conference (NEC) rivals in what has been a close, competitive series these past two decades. The Pioneers lead the overall series 13-11. The last Seahawk win over the Pioneers came in the 2017 season finale, with Wagner earning a 28-15 win.
 
Didio Continues To Impress
 
First-year Seahawk Mark Didio continues to make an impact in the passing game for the Seahawks. Didio, a transfer from UConn, caught eight passes for 57 yards at Navy. Didio leads the NEC and is tied for 12^th in the country at 6.5 receptions per game.
 
Wagner – Sacred Heart Connection
 
Seahawk offensive coordinator Stephen Matos coached tight ends at Sacred Heart during the 2018-19 season. Matos arrived on Grymes Hill this spring after most recently serving as a senior offensive analyst for head coach Lance Leipold at Kansas.
 
Prior to his time with the Jayhawks, Matos worked under Leipold at Buffalo, where he worked as an offensive line and defensive line graduate assistant.
 
Playing Ahead Of The Chains
 
The Wagner offense is allowing the fewest tackles for loss in the NEC. The Seahawks allow four tackles for loss per contest, good for 23^rd in the country.
 
Palmer-Smith Moves The Ball
 
Sophomore running back Zachary Palmer-Smith has been the bright spot in Wagner's rushing attack. Palmer-Smith leads the Northeast Conference at 5.14 yards per carry, which is also good for 36^th nationally.
 
Two weeks into the season, Palmer-Smith leads the Seahawks with 113 yards rushing.
 
Conference Opener
 
Saturday's game marks the conference opener for both teams. The last Wagner victory in a conference opener was in 2019, when the Seahawks earned a 24-14 victory over LIU at Hameline Field.
 
Wagner has faced Sacred Heart twice in its NEC opener since 2016. In 2018, Sacred Heart picked up a 41-14 victory, with Wagner taking a 45-20 win two years earlier.
 
Scouting The Pioneers
 
Sacred Heart enters Saturday's game with an 0-2 record. The Pioneers lost to Lafayette to open the 2023 season before falling 27-10 against Georgetown in week two. The Pioneers were picked to finish third in the NEC preseason coaches poll.
 
Sacred Heart running back Malik Grant earned preseason All-America honors and was selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 list.
 
The Schedule
 
This year's home opener will take place on September 23, when Wagner hosts Merrimack at Hameline Field.
 
The penultimate non-conference game of the season will take place on September 30, when the Seahawks travel to Rutgers for the second consecutive season.
 
Following a bye week, the Seahawks will play five straight conference games. After a road contest at Saint Francis U, Wagner will host three straight home games against CCSU (10/21), Stonehill (10/28), and Duquesne (11/4), before traveling to LIU on November 11 for the final conference contest of the season.
 
The Seahawks will round out the 2023 season against Post University on November 18 at Hameline Field.
 
Wagner On National TV
 
Wagner's matchup at Saint Francis U will air on CBS Sports Network as part of the NEC's tv package.
 
The Seahawks and Red Flash will now play on Thursday, October 12, with kickoff set for 7:00 pm.
 
This marks the NEC's first-ever nationally televised linear football game. Wagner's game at Navy on September 9 will also air on CBSSN.