2013 Schedule - PDF

2013 Schedule Release - PDF

Staten Island, NY - The defending Northeast Conference (NEC) Wagner College football team is proud to unveil its 2013 schedule, an 11-game slate that features six conference and five non-conference tilts, highlighted by a September 14 game at Syracuse in the famed 50,000-seat Carrier Dome.
 
This will be the second consecutive season that Wagner will face a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program. Wagner played at Florida Atlantic in the 2012 season opener, dropping a hard-fought 7-3 decision on August 31. The Wagner-Syracuse game will also mark the first time an NEC program will meet a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) member as the Orange make their debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2013.
 
When the Seahawks and Orange meet, this will also mark just the third time an NEC team will face an FBS program. In addition to last season's Wagner-Florida Atlantic game, the only previous time that an NEC school stepped up in class to meet an FBS foe was on September 22, 2007 when Central Connecticut came out on the short end of a 51-14 decision at Western Michigan.

The Seahawks' 2013 season opener will take place on August 31 when Patriot League member Georgetown visits Hameline Field. In week two, Wagner will host Division II Merrimack, a consistent contender in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10). In 2006, the Warriors claimed the NE-10 Title.
 
After the following week's September 14 contest at Syracuse, the Seahawks face another stiff test, traveling to Delaware on September 21. The Fightin' Blue Hens have made three appearances in the FCS Championship game in the last decade, capturing the national title in 2003. Wagner's final non-conference matchup will take place on November 9 when former NEC rival Monmouth invades Staten Island on Senior Day. The Hawks, who will become members of the Big South Conference in 2014, will compete as an independent in 2013.
 
Wagner will host three NEC contests at Hameline Field; vs. Bryant on Homecoming (9/28), Robert Morris (10/26) and Central Connecticut (11/2). The Seahawks' will also play three NEC road games, at Sacred Heart (10/5), Duquesne (10/12), and Saint Francis U (11/16).
 
The extraordinary 2012 season featured a nine-game winning streak, the school's first NEC Football Title, a 31-20 NCAA FCS Playoff win over No. 24 Colgate, followed by a gallant effort in a 29-19 defeat at No. 4 Eastern Washington.

Wagner finished the campaign with a 9-4 record, highlighted by a 7-1 NEC mark that featured a rousing 30-0 win at No.18 Albany, a score that made all followers and fans of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) take notice.  Following the magical season, the Seahawks became the first NEC team ever ranked in the Top 25 of both major FCS polls, finishing 21^st in The Sports Network Poll and 22^nd in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Walt Hameline, who has amassed a record of 213-127-2 (.626) 32 seasons, was named the 2012 FCS National Coach of the Year by the College Football News and the College Sports Journal. He was also tabbed the 2012 NEC Coach of the Year, in addition to being inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.­­­­
 
“This is a competitive schedule and an exciting one for our kids,” said Hameline. “First and foremost, our objective will be to again make our mark in the NEC and compete for a championship. There's good talent returning throughout the league, so that will be a challenge. As for the non-league schedule, obviously Syracuse jumps out at you, but it all starts with Georgetown, a team that beat us last year. We also need to be prepared for Merrimack the next week as that program has done a nice job up there for a long time.
 
"Then it's Syracuse. That's obviously an exciting game for our whole program and we're hoping many of our fans will be able to make the drive,"Hameline added. "I think playing in the Dome will be a terrific experience for our players. The next week we go down to face a team that's been a household name forever at the FCS level in Delaware, a terrific program under a first-year coach. Syracuse and Delaware - big challenges and maybe the best one-two punch we've ever faced. Our final non-conference game is vs. Monmouth. It will be strange playing them in a non-league game but it's a local rivalry and a game we'll look forward to.”
 
Tom Masella, the former standout Wagner defensive back ('81) and two-time NEC Champion head coach at Central Connecticut, has added the duties of offensive coordinator to his responsibilities as assistant head/ QB coach. Masella will inherit eight starters on the offensive side of the ball.
 
Malik Hall, regarded by many as one of the bright, young minds in the game, returns at defensive coordinator after  guiding an attacking, aggressive defense that was ranked No. 1 in the NEC in 2012. Wagner returns five starters on this side of the ball. Junior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/ Purdue) returns and will anchor the secondary after earning First-Team All-NEC honors last season. An emerging star on the Seahawk defense is sophomore Daevonte Barnett (Riviera Beach, FL/ J.T. Dwyer) who earned CSJ Freshman All-American honors after recording 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
 
One Seahawk returnee who has shown plenty in his time at Wagner is also one of the nation's best, namely fifth-year senior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy). The strong, agile 5-9, 205-pounder rushed for 1,328 yards last season, placing him seventh on the school's all-time single-season list, in addition to rushing for 13 touchdowns.
 
A First-Team All-NEC choice last season, Williams was also one of five running backs named to the 2012 College Sports Journal All-America Team. He was also the only NEC player named to the 2012 CSJ All-America Team. His 105.6 yards per game in 2012 rushing ranked third in the NEC through the end of the regular season, as did his 133.3 all-purpose yards per game. Nationally, Williams' 102.54-yard average (NCAA computes stats based on entire season) ranked 25th.

Williams will enter the 2013 season ranked fourth in the Seahawk all-time annals 3,338 yards. The three people ahead of him on the Wagner all-time rushing list are Rick Sarille, the No. 1 all-time rusher with 5,290 yards, followed by Terry Underwood, who gained 5,010 yards from 1985-88, and Alonzo Patterson, who rumbled for 4,177 yards from 1979-1982. Williams is also fifth in all-time scoring with 234 career points.
 
While Williams is entrenched at the halfback spot, there will be several key position battles, including the competition to determine who will replace record-setting quarterback Nick Doscher. The Staten Island, NY native was a two-time All-NEC choice and a fixture behind center the past four years.
 
The quarterback candidates are many and led by redshirt-junior Matt Misley (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge), senior Kramer Berg (Plymouth, MN / Wayzata/ Rochester Community & Technical), redshirt freshman Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/ St. Joseph's (NJ)/Valley Forge (PA) and redshirt junior Marshyl Rothman (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian/ Murray St).
 
The Seahawks are also excited that placekicker David Lopez, second-team All-NEC selection in 2010, will return as a fifth-year senior.