Opponent preview: Everything to know about Wagner
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After pulling out a victory in the final minute for the second straight week, Syracuse faces Wagner on Saturday in game three of its four-game homestand. The Orange are 4-0 for the first time since 2018, and a win this weekend would make them 5-0 for the first time since 1987, giving head coach Dino Babers his best record through five games as a head coach.
Wagner is SU’s annual Football Championship Series opponent, sitting at 0-3 on the season after a 20-point loss to Saint Francis last weekend. The Seahawks traveled to Rutgers three weeks ago and lost 66-7. Head coach Tom Massella has yet to win a game in his two-plus seasons as head coach, and Wagner hasn’t won since beating Long Island University in September 2019. Saturday’s game should be nothing more than a tune-up for the Orange, now ranked No. 25 in the coaches poll and seemingly on a roll heading into the final seven games of the season.
Here’s everything to know about the Seahawks ahead of Saturday’s contest:
All-time series
Syracuse leads, 2-0.
Last time they played
Wagner last traveled to central New York in September 2018, when Syracuse picked up an easy 62-10 win. It came a week after SU pulled out a 13-point win at Western Michigan to open the season 4-0. The Orange ultimately finished 10-3 and ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll, their best season in 17 years.
Quarterback Eric Dungey tied a school record with five touchdown passes despite not playing in the fourth quarter with the game already out of hand. Dungey completed 23-of-32 passes for 218 yards, and five different receivers pulled in touchdown tosses from him. Running back Dontae Strickland added two rushing touchdowns and SU tied a school record with 45 first-half points. Andre Cisco also picked off two passes in the first quarter.
Wagner got off to a tough start, with Luke Massei throwing an interception on the third snap of the game and Dungey finding Sean Riley for a 16-yard touchdown seven plays later. Cisco picked off another pass on the next Wagner drive. Strickland’s touchdown put Syracuse up 14-0 after the extra point just over five minutes into the game. Babers called it the Orange’s “most complete game” since he arrived as head coach two years prior.
The Seahawks report
Wagner has been outscored 93-14 over its past two games. Quarterback Nick Kargman leads the offense, throwing for 457 yards on 35-of-77 passing (45.5%). Kargman’s go-to target is Naiem Simmons, who’s brought in 13 receptions for 235 yards including a 55-yard catch against Fordham. Garrett Williams will likely get the one-on-one matchup with Simmons after covering Purdue and Virginia’s top receivers, respectively.
Linebacker Tre Valler leads the Seahawks’ defense with 20 total tackles. Wagner has only notched two sacks and two interceptions this season, proving a general inability to produce turnovers and position the offense for better success.
Emma Kelly | Design Editor
Massella came to Wagner in 2020 after serving as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach at Bryant the year before. Massella also had assistant coaching stops at UMass, Connecticut and Louisiana Tech, among other places.
“This is a tricky game for us,” Babers said on Monday. “And our team has to really stay locked in, I know that Tom is going to have this team ready to go… So hope the guys are listening, that they stay locked in and focus and we’re gonna do everything in our power to make sure that they do.”
How Syracuse beats Wagner
The better question is how many points the Orange will score on Saturday. Rutgers was a 51-point favorite when it played Wagner and ended up winning by 59 points. The Scarlet Knights are averaging just 22 points outside of that game, while Syracuse has averaged over 33 per game. SU’s offense rolled against Louisville and UConn, and things should go the same against Wagner, which gives up 500 yards per game.
The final outcome of this game should be out of question within the first half. Babers should empty out some of his bench to give guys like Carlos Del-Rio Wilson, Dan Villari and LeQuint Allen more reps. Expect to see Garrett Shrader throw a few deep balls — a part of the offense that has mostly been missing through four games — to receivers like Damien Alford, D’Marcus Adams and Oronde Gadsden II and for Syracuse’s offense to put on an impressive showing to send it to 5-0.
Stat to know: 23
That’s the number of consecutive losses the Seahawks have registered after their loss last week, dating back to 2019. Wagner’s struggles on the field date much further back, as it hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 when it went 6-5. Out of the various FCS teams Syracuse has faced over recent years, this year’s Wagner’s squad likely presents SU with the easiest team to beat.
Player to watch: Naiem Simmons, wide receiver, No. 1
Simmons, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is Wagner’s most explosive offensive weapon. He led the Seahawks in receptions (22) and yards (271) last season, earning all-conference honors. Simmons is already close to eclipsing his receiving yardage from last season and has had several explosive plays through the air.