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Boca Raton, FL -  The Wagner College football team will travel to FAU for the first of two games against FBS opponents this season, with kickoff set for 6:00 pm on Saturday, September 28 on ESPN+.
 
Wagner vs FBS Competition
 
Wagner will play two FBS opponents for the seventh time in program history in 2024. In 2015, the Seahawks played at Rice and at BYU while in 2016 the Green & White traveled to UMass and Boston College. In 2019, Wagner faced UConn and Florida Atlantic. During the 2021 fall season, Wagner took on Buffalo and Temple. In 2022, Wagner faced off against Rutgers and Syracuse before taking on Navy and Rutgers in 2023.
 
The Seahawks nearly pulled off their first upset of an FBS opponent in the 2019 opener against UConn, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Huskies before falling 24-21. Thanks to an interception return for a touchdown by defensive back Myron Morris and two rushing touchdowns by Dymitri McKenzie, the Seahawks were within striking distance late in the fourth quarter but fell short in the final minutes.
 
In their first-ever meeting against an 85-scholarship opponent, the 2012 Seahawks dropped a hard-fought 7-3 contest at FAU in Boca Raton. That 2012 Wagner team opened the season 0-3, before reeling off nine straight wins en route to the program's first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) championship and an ensuing NCAA FCS first-round playoff win over Colgate.

Last Time Out
 
Wagner turned a fourth quarter interception into a touchdown to get within one possession with four minutes to play, but it wasn't enough, as Robert Morris hung on for the 21-14 victory on Saturday at Hameline Field.
 
Sophomore Jouvenson Romulus opened the door for a Wagner comeback with a red zone interception. On the next offensive possession, graduate student Jake Cady led the Seahawks down the field, culminating in a fourth down conversion touchdown to sophomore Teree McDonald.
 
Both teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, before the Colonials ran out the clock to earn the win.
 
Robb and Lia Trophy Tradition Continues
 
At the conclusion of last Saturday's contest, 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.
 
Reilly Leads The Way
 
Graduate student captain and Lia Trophy winner Justin Reilly is Wagner's leading tackler with 21 stops on the season and recorded a season-high 10 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss against Robert Morris.
 
For his efforts, Reilly was named an NEC Prime Performer.
 
Wagner In The National Rankings
 
Despite the loss against Robert Morris on Saturday, Wagner continues to be well-represented among the national rankings.
 
The Seahawks are ninth in the country in total defense (270.5 ypg.) and eighth nationally in red zone defense (60%).
 
Through the air, the Seahawks rank 21^st with four interceptions and 14^th with 159.5 passing yards allowed per game. Wagner's defense ranks 31^st in the country on third down, allowing a conversion percentage of 34%.
 
Offensively, Wagner is second in the Northeast Conference (NEC) with 187.5 passing yards per game and 41^st nationally with 12.30 yards per completion. With 148.3 yards on the ground per game, the Seahawks are also second in the NEC.
 
With 335.8 yards of total offense per contest, Wagner is second in the NEC.
 
Aerial Attack
 
Wagner has at least two touchdown passes in every game this season. Sophomore Jaylen Bonelli ranks 12^th in the country with 338 receiving yards and is tied for fourth nationally with four receiving touchdowns.
 
Despite only having two starts on the season, graduate student quarterback Jake Cady ranks 12^th in the country with seven passing touchdowns and 18^th in passing efficiency (154.9).
 
The Series
 
Saturday's game marks the third all-time meeting between the Seahawks and Owls. In 2012, Wagner delivered an impressive defensive effort and Wagner all-time great running back Dominique Williams ran for 117 yards but it was not enough as Florida Atlantic escaped with a 7-3 victory. Wagner, which led 3-0 after three quarters before the Owls struck for an early fourth-quarter score, was playing its first-ever FBS opponent.
 
In 2019, wide receiver Joshua DeCambre caught eight passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, but FAU came away with the 42-7 victory.
 
Scouting The Owls
 
FAU enters Saturday's matchup with a 1-3 record. After earning a 38-20 victory over FIU, the Owls most recently suffered a 48-14 defeat at UConn. Saturday's game marks the Owls' lone contest against FCS opposition.
 
The Emergence Of Teree McDonald
 
Sophomore wide receiver Teree McDonald found the end zone for the third time in four games on Saturday, which is second on the team.
 
After not recording a reception in 2023, McDonald has caught at least two passes in every game this season and is third on the team with 104 receiving yards.
 
Spreading The Wealth
 
Four weeks into the season, five different Seahawks have a touchdown reception. This is already just one shy of last year's total of six different receivers who caught a touchdown.
 
The Defensive Key
 
The Seahawks recorded two interceptions in week three at Delaware State, as sophomore Zachary Ricci and junior Jordan Johnson both picked off Delaware State quarterback Marqui Adams.
 
Wagner is 6-3 in the last two seasons when recording at least one interception in a game and 3-0 when recording two or more interceptions.
 
Next Up
 
Wagner will return to NEC play at Stonehill on October 5 at 1:00 pm.