Wagner Seahawks
Northeast
Wagner won the Northeast Conference’s automatic bid thanks to a couple huge wins over Albany and Duquesne late in the season. After losing their first three games of the year, the Seahawks turned things around and reeled off eight victories in a row. The defense continued to play very well during that stretch, but Coach Walt Hameline also got more out of his offense as the season progressed.
2012 Record: 8-3, 7-1
Coach: Walt Hameline
Big Wins: 10/27 Robert Morris (23-13), 11/3 at Albany (30-0)
Bad Losses: 9/8 at Georgetown (10-13), 9/15 Monmouth (17-38)
Strengths:
Despite the development of the offense, it is still the defense that will lead Wagner to any postseason success. This is not a flashy unit that will record a slew of sacks and force a bunch of turnovers, but they get the job done. The pressure they do get on the quarterback will come from Mike Lombardo and big hitter Theodore Clohessy. Those are the two outside linebackers in Wagner’s 3-4 defense. The line has some depth, but nobody has really stepped up and turned into a major force in the pass rushing department. However, they are pretty good at stuffing the run. The secondary is the Seahawks strength. Cornerbacks Torian Phillips, Jarrett Dieudonne and Sidiq Soulemana are extremely tough to beat. Add senior safety Pat O’Connor to the mix and it can be very tough to throw against this team. But the Seahawks will need to get into the backfield more consistently against strong quarterbacks. Even the best cornerbacks can get picked apart by a good quarterback who gets a lot of time in the pocket.
Weaknesses:
Wagner’s offense has some very good things going for it. Quarterback Nick Doscher is a smart senior who rarely throws interceptions. Wagner is not going to throw the ball around too much, but Doscher is pretty effective when they need to throw the ball. David Crawford and Anthony Carrington are pretty good receivers who can make things happen. Crawford is the possession receiver, while Carrington is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. The true strength of the offense is the ground game. Dominique Williams has rushed for over 1,000 yards during the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. The Wagner offense will try and work through Williams as much as possible, but in the playoffs the arm of Doscher will have to play a bigger role when Wagner falls behind.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Dominique Williams, RB, 1,162 yards
Passing: Nick Doscher, QB, 1,574 yards
Receiving: David Crawford, WR, 414 yards
Tackles: C.O. Prime, LB, 83
Sacks: Mike Lombardo, LB, 4.5
Interceptions: Jarrett Dieudonne, CB, 2; Sidiq Soulemana, CB, 2
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 166.80 (46th in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 155.60 (106, 8)
Total Offense: 322.40 (94, 7)
Scoring Offense: 21.90 (83, 7)
Rushing Defense: 153.80 (61, 3)
Pass Defense: 168.40 (14, 1)
Total Defense: 322.20 (25, 1)
Scoring Defense: 16.20 (6, 1)
Turnover Margin: 0.40 (33, 2)
Sacks: 1.60 (80, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 2.10 (61, 6)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
No Tournament History
*all team stats through 11/10
