Wagner College Athletics

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Football Hosts Ivy League Member Columbia On Saturday

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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College football team will take on Ivy League member Columbia on Saturday, October 12, with kickoff set for noon.

Last Time Out 

Behind 262 yards on the ground and three first half touchdown passes by graduate student quarterback Jake Cady, Wagner earned a convincing 28-7 road victory at Stonehill on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the victory, Wagner evened its record in Northeast Conference (NEC) play at 1-1.

Reilly Earns Weekly Honor

Graduate student linebacker Justin Reilly was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. 

Reilly once again led the charge with 12 total stops, including a sack, in Wagner's 28-7 win over Stonehill on Saturday.

This marks the second consecutive week a Seahawk has won an NEC weekly honor, after senior Joshua Brown earned NEC Special Teams Player of the Week last week.

On the season, Reilly is fifth in the NEC with 6.7 total tackles per game while leading Wagner with 40 total stops. 

Running Wild

As a team, Wagner's 262 yards on the ground were the most rushing yards by the Seahawks since 2021, when the Green and White racked up 367 yards on the ground against Merrimack.

Individually, senior Rickey Spruill earned NEC Prime Performer honors after his second 100-yard performance of the season. Spruill led Wagner's ground game with 103 yards while scoring two total touchdowns, including a 48-yard scamper to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Spruill is second in the NEC with 422 yards rushing, which ranks 40th nationally. 

Additionally, graduate student Andre Hines Jr. added 71 yards in his successful Seahawk debut to give the Green and White a powerful trio in the backfield in Spruill, Hines, and sophomore Sekou Kamau.

Cady Leads The Way

Graduate student quarterback Jake Cady shined against Stonehill with three passing touchdowns in the first half against the Skyhawks, which earned him NEC Prime Performer honors.

Cady is 10th in the country with 11 passing touchdowns, which leads the NEC. Cady is also 13th in the nation in points responsible for per game (14.4), and 19th nationally in passing yards per completion (13.68). 

Wagner has at least two touchdown passes in every game against non-FBS competition this season. Sophomore Jaylen Bonelli ranks 33rd in the country with 383 receiving yards and is tied for 16th nationally with four receiving touchdowns. 

Taking The Ball Away

Redshirt senior Christian Davis recorded an interception for the second consecutive game in Wagner's victory against Stonehill and now has a team-leading three picks on the season, which is tied for eighth in the country.

As a team, Wagner has intercepted seven passes on the season, which is 11th in the country and leads the NEC. 

The Seahawks' red zone defense ranks 17th in the nation at 69.6%.
 
Wagner is 7-4 in the last two seasons when recording at least one interception in a game and 3-0 against FCS opposition when recording two or more interceptions.

Defense Standing Strong

Wagner is 17th nationally in total defense at 307.7 yards per game. Allowing 172.5 yards per game through the air, the Seahawks are 18th nationally in pass defense. 

At 22 points per game, Wagner leads the NEC and is 22nd nationally in scoring defense.

The Series

The Seahawks and Lions will meet for the fifth time ever on Saturday, with Columbia having won all four previous matchups. 
 
Wagner's lone win against an Ivy League opponent came on September 11, 2010, when the Green & White earned a 41-7 home win over Cornell. 
 
Wagner College and Wien Stadium, located in upper Manhattan, are separated by just 29 miles and travel time between the schools is estimated at 47 minutes. Columbia has been playing football since 1870 while Wagner took up the sport in 1927. 

The Key 

In all three victories this season, Wagner has scored on its first possession, has had more than 300 yards of total offense, and allowed 10 points or less on defense. All three victories have either had Jaylen Bonelli or Rickey Spruill eclipse the century mark in yardage.

Opportunity Awaits

A win on Saturday would give Wagner its fourth victory of the season during the month of October for the first time since 2016.

Scouting The Lions

Columbia enters Saturday's matchup with a 2-1 record and 1-0 mark in Ivy League play, after most recently defeating Princeton 34-17.

Saturday's contest marks the final non-conference game for the Lions.

Martin Provides A Spark

One of the most prolific kick returners in the country, junior Sam Martin ranks 20th nationally with 279 combined kick return yards. Martin opened the second half against Stonehill with a 57-yard return. 

Spreading The Wealth

Six weeks into the season, eight different Seahawks have a touchdown reception, which is already more than last season's total of six different receivers with at least one touchdown. 

Against Stonehill, sophomore Jeremiah Colclough and graduate student Christian Tait hauled in their first touchdowns at Wagner.

Robb and Lia Trophy Tradition Continues

At the conclusion of the Seahawks' game against Robert Morris, Wagner continued its tradition of handing out two homecoming awards. Graduate student Jake Cady received the James Robb Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the offensive MVP of the game, and graduate student Justin Reilly received the Nick Lia Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the defensive MVP of the game.

Cady threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Reilly recorded a team-high ten tackles.

Established in 1949, the Robb Trophy was named in memory of James Robb, a Seahawk gridiron star who was killed in action during World War II. It was presented to Wagner's outstanding individual player in the annual Homecoming game until 1969. In that season, the Lia Trophy was introduced in honor of another Wagner football player, Nick Lia, who was killed in the Vietnam War. An outstanding defensive player and team captain, the Staten Island native was a graduate of Curtis High School. Today, the Robb Trophy goes to the offensive MVP, with the game's defensive MVP taking home the Lia Trophy.
 
Head Coach Tom Masella won the Lia Trophy in 1979.

Next Up

Wagner will return to NEC action next Saturday, October 19, when the Seahawks take on Saint Francis U at noon at Hameline Field. 
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Players Mentioned

Joshua Brown

#18 Joshua Brown

P
6' 2"
Sophomore
Christian Davis

#20 Christian Davis

DB
5' 11"
Junior
Justin Reilly

#45 Justin Reilly

DB
6' 1"
Junior
Rickey Spruill

#36 Rickey Spruill

RB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Jaylen Bonelli

#2 Jaylen Bonelli

WR
5' 11"
Sophomore
Jeremiah Colclough

#4 Jeremiah Colclough

WR
5' 9"
Sophomore
Sekou Kamau

#0 Sekou Kamau

RB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Andre Hines Jr

#5 Andre Hines Jr

RB
6' 2"
Graduate Student
Jake Cady

#9 Jake Cady

QB
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Sam Martin

#3 Sam Martin

DB
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Joshua Brown

#18 Joshua Brown

6' 2"
Sophomore
P
Christian Davis

#20 Christian Davis

5' 11"
Junior
DB
Justin Reilly

#45 Justin Reilly

6' 1"
Junior
DB
Rickey Spruill

#36 Rickey Spruill

5' 10"
Sophomore
RB
Jaylen Bonelli

#2 Jaylen Bonelli

5' 11"
Sophomore
WR
Jeremiah Colclough

#4 Jeremiah Colclough

5' 9"
Sophomore
WR
Sekou Kamau

#0 Sekou Kamau

6' 0"
Sophomore
RB
Andre Hines Jr

#5 Andre Hines Jr

6' 2"
Graduate Student
RB
Jake Cady

#9 Jake Cady

6' 3"
Graduate Student
QB
Sam Martin

#3 Sam Martin

5' 11"
Junior
DB

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