Staten Island, N.Y. - UAlbany meets Wagner in Northeast Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Wagner College Stadium. Kickoff is 12:00 p.m. The game is part of the NEC television package and can be seen on Fox College Sports and ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the game on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM, with Rodger Wyland and Zach Bye providing the coverage.
Wagner (1-6, NEC 1-3) had opened the season with a 10-point conference win, but injuries have been an issue in the team's recent struggles. Walt Hameline has 201 career wins and is eighth among active FCS coaches in that category. QB Nick Doscher, who has been battling a shoulder injury, returned to the lineup last week. Doscher has passed for 703 yards and five touchdowns and run for 200 yards and three scores. Doscher, who was in the Kansas City Royals' farm system, is second in total yards (5,741) and fourth in passing yards (4,100) on WC's career charts. RB Dominique Williams is tied for 14th among the nation's rushing leaders at 104.7 yards per game, plus is 18th in all-purpose yards (143.9 ypg). TE Joe Sidaras (6-4, 235), a converted quarterback, has 16 receptions for 233 yards.
Wagner's defense is tied for 17th nationally in turnover margin (+1.0 per game) and has 18 takeaways. ILB C.O. Prime and SS Jeremiah Brown are the leading tacklers with 52 apiece. OLB Julian Stanford (6-2, 225) earned second-team all-conference honors as a junior. He has 35 tackles, including 11.5 for losses, and 4.5 sacks. The Seahawks have nine Division I FBS transfers on the roster. CB Jarrett Dieudonne, who started his career at Purdue, was the NEC rookie of the week for his efforts on Oct. 8. He has 40 tackles, five pass break-ups and three forced fumbles. Arkansas State transfer Mike Lombardo, a junior linebacker, has made 50 tackles. CB Torian Phillips adds 27 tackles with two interceptions and three PBUs. The Syracuse transfer moved to defense from tailback.
UAlbany (5-2, NEC 4-0) remained in first place in the NEC standings following a 63-35 victory over Central Connecticut State on Oct. 22. The Great Danes, who toppled the 500-yard mark in total offense, have won five in a row for the first time in two years. Quarterback Dan Di Lella earned conference player of the week honors for a second time this season by setting a school record with five touchdown passes and running 20 yards for another score. The Great Danes reached the end zone on nine of 11 possessions.
Jon Morgan and Dave Plungas, a pair of junior inside linebackers, are the team's leading tacklers with 55 and 54, respectively. The Great Danes have two young defenders who are improving each week. Kyle Jordan, a redshirt freshman, has 38 tackles from his outside linebacker position. Defensive end Andrew Smith turned in his best effort as a collegian last week with seven tackles and a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Paw Prints: UAlbany and Wagner are meeting for the 15th time ... the Great Danes won a tight-fisted 24-14 battle at University Field last year ... QB Dan Di Lella, who set the program's FCS standard with 358 total yards last week, has 16 touchdown passes, the second-best single-season total in program history ... the Great Danes are fourth nationally among the FCS leaders in scoring (37.6 ppg) and ninth in total offense (448.9 ypg) ... TB Andrew Smith has accounted for 100 or more all-purpose yards in five consecutive games ... Staten Island natives Justin Hassan and Dean Mercuris are returning to their home area where they were high school football standouts ... Hassan, a free safety, became the sixth active UAlbany defender to register 100 career tackles (101) one week ago ... Saturday's game can also be seen on DirecTV channel 617 and on a tape-delay basis in the Capital Region (Time Warner Cable Sports, 5:00 p.m.).
