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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College football team will take the road for the first time in 2024 as the Seahawks travel to Lehigh on September 7, with kickoff set for noon on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
Wagner opened the 2024 season with a 46-7 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg on Saturday afternoon. Overall, the Green and White gained 431 all-purpose yards compared to Lynchburg's 139, with 179 of those yards tallied on the ground. Wagner scored on seven of its first eight offensive possessions, including touchdowns on four of its first five possessions.
Seahawks Receiving Votes
Wagner is receiving votes in the latest addition of the AFCA Coaches Poll. The Seahawks received 10 votes and are the lone Northeast Conference (NEC) team appearing in the poll. Wagner and Mercyhurst are the lone NEC teams who recorded a victory in week one.
Bonelli Dominates Again
Sophomore wideout
Jaylen Bonelli, the reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year, picked up right where he left off last season, hauling in four catches for 106 receiving yards and two first half touchdowns in the Seahawks' opener. Bonelli's 106 yards were the 15
th most by an FCS player in the country in week one.
For his efforts, Bonelli was named an NEC Prime Performer.
Firsts Since 2018
With Wagner's victory in week one, the Seahawks are 1-0 for the first time since 2018, when the Green and White opened the season with a 40-23 victory over Bowie State.
In that game, former All-American and current NFL linebacker Cam Gill was the last Seahawk to record a safety until senior
Nicholas Gadson's safety in the first quarter of Saturday's game.
Wagner's 46 points on Saturday also gave the Seahawks 40 points or more in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2018 season. In the 2023 season finale, Wagner earned a 48-21 victory over Post.
Connect Four
Wagner used four quarterbacks in the opener in junior
Damien Mazil, graduate student
Jake Cady, freshman
Jack Stevens, and senior
Tommy Brown.
Three Seahawks Record First Career Touchdowns
With sophomores
Teree McDonald and
Sekou Kamau along with freshman
Julio Tatis, three Seahawks scored their first collegiate touchdowns against VUL. Kamau averaged 10.3 yards per carry to lead the Seahawk backfield.
The Series
Saturday's game marks the second-ever match up between the two teams, who first met in 2017 in a game that Wagner won 37-20.
In 2017, quarterback Luke Massei threw for 205 yards, running backs Denzel Knight and Ryan Fulse ran for 153 and 107 yards, respectively, and the Wagner defense came up with a school-record tying five interceptions in a wild contest.
The five interceptions by the Seahawk defense matched the five that Wagner came up with at Monmouth on October 15, 2005. Keying the big-play defensive effort was strong safety David Thomas who tied a school-record with three interceptions, matching the three that Tony Smith picked off vs. Iona on October 16, 2004.
In the first-ever meeting between schools, who are separated by just 87 miles, Wagner overcame early deficits of 7-0 and 14-7 before the Seahawks reeled off 24 unanswered points, spanning the second and third quarters, in pulling away for the win.
With Knight and Fulse both eclipsing the 100-yard rushing plateau, this marked the last time that Wagner has had two backs go for 100 or more on the ground and first time since September 18, 2010 when Torian Phillips and Jeremy Martinez ran for 133 and 117 yards, respectively, in a 41-7 win over Cornell.
All-time, Wagner holds a 14-12 record vs. teams that currently comprise the Patriot League. The Patriot League opponent that Wagner has faced the most times is Fordham, with the Green & White holding an 8-6 record vs. the Rams. Wagner and Fordham met in three straight seasons between 2021-2023. Wagner also holds winning records vs. two Patriot League teams in Colgate (1-0) and Georgetown (3-2). Bucknell is the only member of the seven-team Patriot League that Wagner has never faced.
HISTORY VS. PATRIOT LEAGUE
Bucknell 0-0
Colgate 1-0
Fordham 8-6
Georgetown 3-2
Lafayette 0-4
Lehigh 0-0
Holy Cross 1-0
14-12
Masella's Milestone
Saturday's victory marked the 50
th victory for head coach
Tom Masella, who is in his fifth year at the helm on Grymes Hill. No stranger to the Patriot League, Masella was the head coach at Fordham between 2006-2011. Masella's Rams won the 2007 Patriot League title after an 8-4 season, earning him Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. Masella was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is given to the top FCS coach in the country. The Rams featured 12 all-league players that season.
Scouting The Mountain Hawks
Lehigh enters Saturday's matchup with an 0-1 record. The week two matchup against the Seahawks will mark the Mountain Hawks' home opener. Facing its first FBS opponent in six years, Lehigh suffered a 42-7 loss to Army West Point in week one. The Mountain Hawks have eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in eight consecutive games dating back to last season. The Mountain Hawks were picked sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
Up Next
The Seahawks will travel to Delaware State on September 14.
