2 national runners-up on 2018-19 Gold Rush schedule

NEW ORLEANS — For the third consecutive season, Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball will play a slew of games against teams that qualified for national postseason tournaments the previous year. Four of those games will be against national runners-up.
     
Third-year head coach Alfred Williams announced the 2018-19 schedule Wednesday, which will tip off the final weekend of October with a pair of games on the Virgin Islands.
     
The 2018 national postseason teams on the schedule will be:
     •  Keiser — Oct. 26 on the Virgin Islands and the first regular-season game.
     •  William Carey — Nov. 5 home, Nov. 19 road.
     •  LSU-Alexandria — Nov. 12 road, Nov. 26 home. LSUA was the NAIA Division I national runner-up last season.
     •  Clark Atlanta — Nov. 17 for homecoming. The NCAA Division II team will be coached this season by former New Orleans Hornet and University of North Carolina standout George Lynch.
     •  Campbellsville — Dec. 29 at the Cumberlands Classic in Williamsburg, Ky.
     •  Cumberlands — Dec. 30 at the Cumberlands Classic.
     •  Oakwood — Jan. 17 home, Jan. 31 road. Oakwood was the USCAA national runner-up last season.
     •  Dillard — Jan. 26 home, Feb. 16 road.
     
XULA returnees include last season's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Rayshawn Mart, and senior Jeff Dixon, the NAIA Division I leader in assists prior to the national tournament. XULA finished 24-9 in 2017-18 and shared the GCAC regular-season championship with Dillard. The Gold Rush qualified for nationals for the 11th time in the past 14 seasons.
     
"We will be improved this season in several key areas," Williams said. "Scoring ability, leadership, toughness and team chemistry. We are looking forward to building off of last year's season and taking more steps forward."
     
Campbellsville, Cumberlands and Oakwood will be first-time opponents. So will Thomas, a Georgia school that will visit XULA Dec. 18. Campbellsville and Dillard reached the round of 16 at NAIA nationals last season.
     
Half of the 30 regular-season games will be at home. The first game at the Convocation Center will be Nov. 1 against a familiar recent early-season opponent, Carver College of Atlanta.
     
Rust College of Holly Springs, Miss., joined the GCAC in July, giving the GCAC eight teams for the first time since 2014-15.
     
The GCAC Tournament will be March 1-3 in Jacksonville, Fla., followed by the NAIA Division I National Championship March 20-26 at Kansas City, Mo. 

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2018-19 Schedule Page

Xavier University of Louisiana
2018-19 Men's Basketball Schedule

Oct. 26 (Fri.):  Keiser (at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands), 7 p.m. AST
Oct. 28 (Sun.):  at Virgin Islands, 2 p.m. AST
Nov. 1 (Thu.):  CARVER, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 (Mon.):  WILLIAM CAREY, 7 p.m.
Nov. 10 (Sat.):  at Loyola (N.O.), 5 p.m.
Nov. 12 (Mon.):  at LSU-Alexandria (DH), 7 p.m.
Nov. 17 (Sat.):  CLARK ATLANTA, 1 p.m. (Homecoming)
Nov. 19 (Mon.):  at William Carey (DH), 7 p.m.
Nov. 26 (Mon.):  LSU-ALEXANDRIA, 7 p.m.
Nov. 29 (Thu.):  JARVIS CHRISTIAN, 6 p.m.
Dec. 18 (Tue.):  THOMAS, 3 p.m.
Dec. 19 (Wed.):  VIRGIN ISLANDS, 3 p.m.
Dec. 29 (Sat.):  Campbellsville (Cumberlands Classic, Williamsburg, Ky.), 6 p.m. EST
Dec. 30 (Sun.):  at Cumberlands (Cumberlands Classic), 4 p.m. EST
Jan. 7 (Mon.):  •  TOUGALOO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 (Sat.):  •  at Rust (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 14 (Mon.):  •  at Philander Smith (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 (Thu.):  OAKWOOD, 7 p.m.
Jan. 19 (Sat.):  •  EDWARD WATERS (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 21 (Mon.):  •  at Tougaloo (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 (Sat.):  •  DILLARD (DH), 5 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Jan. 28 (Mon.):  •  at SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 (Thu.):  at Oakwood, 7 p.m.
Feb. 2 (Sat.):  •  at Talladega (DH), 5 p.m.
Feb. 4 (Mon.):  •  at Edward Waters (DH), 7:30 p.m. EST
Feb. 11 (Mon.):  •  TALLADEGA (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 (Sat.):  •  at Dillard (DH), 5 p.m.
Feb. 18 (Mon.):  •  RUST (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 20 (Wed.):  •  SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 7:30 p.m.
March 1-3 (Fri.-Sun.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, Jacksonville, Fla.
March 20-26 (Wed.-Tue.):  NAIA Division I National Championship, Kansas City, Mo.

Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) Doubleheader with XULA's women
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Honors for XULA's Black, Le Guillou, Price-Spraggins

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's 3-1 record in the season-opening Mid-South Crossover Challenge volleyball tournament — including its first victory ever against a ranked opponent — were springboards to honors for the Gold Nuggets' Kayla Black, Eva Le Guillou and Vivica Price-Spraggins.
     
Black was chosen Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Attacker of the Week, and Le Guillou was named GCAC Setter of the Week. Black and Price-Spraggins were selected to the 17-member Crossover Challenge all-tournament team. All the honors were announced Tuesday.
     
Black, from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of St. Pius X High School in Houston, produced 58 kills, 48 digs, five aces and four blocks in four matches. She had kill-dig double-doubles three times, including 21 kills — a career high — 14 digs and a .400 hitting percentage Saturday in a four-set victory against NAIA No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan. The 21 kills equaled the most ever in a match by a XULA sophomore.
     
Le Guillou, a sophomore from Velizy-Villacoublay, France, twice broke her career high for assists — 44 in a three-set victory against Pikeville, then 48 against Indiana Wesleyan. Le Guillou finished the tournament with 158 assists, 38 digs, eight aces, four blocks and three kills.
     
Le Guillou served a career-high four aces against Pikeville, three in the first five points of the match. She led the Nuggets in assists and aces during the tournament.
     
The GCAC weekly honors are the fourth of Black's and Le Guillou's careers.
     
Price-Spraggins, a sophomore from Chicago and a graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School, led the Gold Nuggets with a .397 hitting percentage. She had 35 kills, 10 blocks, eight digs and the first five aces of her XULA career.
     
XULA was one of five schools with two all-tournament players. Seventeen schools competed.
     
The Gold Nuggets will play their home opener this week in the Big Easy Blastoff. XULA will play at 3 and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at its Convocation Center.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Two HBCU Classics in Alabama kickoff football season this weekend

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- It should be a big weekend of college football for four historically black colleges and universities in Alabama. There will be two HBCU classics to open the college football season.

Alabama State University will host Tuskegee University in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. in Montgomery. In the other matchup later that evening, in Huntsville, Alabama Agriculture & Mechanical will entertain Miles College at 6 p.m. in the Louis Crews Classic.

Tuskegee vs. Alabama State

Tuskegee is the defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) champion. The Golden Tigers are the preseason pick to win the SIAC West Division title. Tuskegee is led by quarterback Jamarcus Ezell and wide receiver Javarrius Cheatham on offense.

Ezell played some great football last season. He threw for 1,160 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Ezell had a big impact on the ground, too. He had 68 carries for 338 yards and two touchdowns.

CONTINUE READING

Preseason snub fuels FAMU under first-year coach Simmons

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Tallahassee native and ex-college and arena league quarterback Willie Simmons has returned to his hometown to take over the Florida A&M program.

Simmons, 37, has three years of experience as a head coach, going 21-11 at Prairie View A&M. However, his win total declined each year, from eight to seven to six in 2017.



In an interesting move as it relates to recruiting, Simmons hired legendary Miami prep coach Billy Rolle as his assistant head coach. Rolle won four state titles with three Miami schools — Northwestern, Killian and Southridge.

Simmons and his staff inherit an FAMU Rattlers team that finished 3-8 last season — eighth place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – and hasn’t beaten rival Bethune-Cookman since 2010.

In addition, the Rattlers — picked to finish fifth this season in the MEAC — did not place a single player on the league’s preseason first team.

Ten Rattlers made the second or third team, but that was seen as a lack of respect by FAMU players.

“Seeing that they put me on third-team just adds fuel to my fire,” FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley told reporters at the recent MEAC Media Day event in Norfolk, Virginia. “It motivates me harder.”

CONTINUE READING

Football 2018: Previewing S.C. colleges -- Allen University

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Football returns to Allen University in 2018.

The Yellow Jackets will be led by head coach Teddy Keeton.

Keaton has more than 15 years of experience in coaching with a record of 54-26. He has been AIFL Coach of the Year 2007, Lakeland Thunderbolts; Atlanta South Division Champions 2006 and 2007; American Indoor Football Champions, 2007 Lakeland Thunderbolts; Pacific Central Division Champions 2008.

Allen will play its home games at W.C. Hawkins Stadium at Irmo High School.

The season opener will be at home at 3 p.m. Sept. 1 against Columbus State.

CONTINUE READING

Bethune-Cookman could take a step back following successful 2017 campaign

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats needed a “closer” last season as two blown fourth-quarter leads prevented what would’ve been an undefeated season within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

As it stood, the Wildcats finished 2017 with a 7-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the MEAC after losing 26-24 at Howard and 24-20 at league champion North Carolina Central.

In the Howard game, the Wildcats allowed the winning touchdown with just 39 seconds left as Caylin Newton — Cam’s little brother — ran 5 yards for the winning score.

Against North Carolina Central, the Wildcats led 20-14 lead after three quarters and had a chance to win at the end but had a pass batted away in the end zone on the game’s final play.

This year, which will be the fourth under coach Terry Sims, the Wildcats are hoping to improve from second place to first in the league while extending their dominance over rival Florida A&M to eight straight years.

However, it’s possible the Wildcats could take a step back. They are picked to finish just fourth in the league, and the reason is the talent they lost from last season.

Quarterback Larry Brihm completed 62.2 percent of his passes last season, producing a 12-4 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio. He is now playing in the Canadian Football League.



CONTINUE READING 

N.C. Central, Prairie View A&M are both playing for new coaches in MEAC/SWAC Challenge

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The MEAC/SWAC Challenge, now in its 14th year, will be played in its new home in Atlanta on Sunday. The early-season matchup, which features a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) against a foe from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), will make Atlanta its home until 2020.

The game Sunday at Pete Petit Field at Georgia State Stadium will be between Prairie View A&M of the SWAC and North Carolina Central of the MEAC and will serve as an appetizer to the season-ending Celebration Bowl, also in Atlanta.



The N.C. Central Eagles open their 2018 campaign with new head coach Granville Eastman, who worked under former head coach Jerry Mack as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach for four seasons. Mack is now the offensive coordinator at Rice University.

Under Eastman, the defense was one of the best in the MEAC. It’s led by one of the best players in historically black college and university (HBCU) football, Davanta Reynolds, the preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. On Sunday, he’ll be facing a Prairie View A&M offense that proved last week that it could score, putting up 28 points against FBS opponent Rice University before losing 31-28 on a last-second field goal by the Owls.

It’s likely that Reynolds will be matched up against Prairie View Panthers receiver Tristen Wallace, an Oregon transfer who had five catches for 147 yards and a touchdown versus Rice. Quarterback Jalen Morton completed 16 of 28 passes for 244 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

CONTINUE READING

UAPB Opens New Football Field

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff received a donation of $2.5 million last May to help with athletic facility upgrades.

And today, the university welcomed the public to Simmons Bank Field to see all the upgrades.

The project focused on a brand new turf field and a brand new scoreboard, now one of the biggest in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Head Football Coach Cedric Thomas says it's not just a big deal for his team but fans as well.

"Just a sense of pride, you know an opportunity to have, you know, things that look nice and recruiting tools and just give people a sense of pride and relates to the things that they have. Just to be able to come out on rainy days and not have to practice in the gym but from a community standpoint, you know, it gives you that much to stick your chest out and be prideful knowing that you've got good things," Coach Thomas said.

CONTINUE READING

Buffalo Bulls Open 2018 Campaign vs. Delaware State on Saturday Night

Buffalo (0-0, 0-0 MAC) vs. Delaware State (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)

September 1, 2018
UB Stadium - 6:00 pm

GAME NOTES
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE AUDIO
LIVE STATS

Bulls on the Air

Radio

Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280

Television

ESPN3

Storylines

• This is the second-ever meeting between UB and Delaware State. The Bulls won the only other meeting, 40-30, at UB Stadium on Sept. 13, 1997.

• The Bulls return 14 starters from a season ago, including eight on offense.

• The Bulls are 4-1 all-time against teams from the MEAC. Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, Buffalo is 2-0 with wins over Morgan State in 2012 and Norfolk State in 2014.

• Five of Buffalo's offensive starters are on preseason watch lists for national awards - QB Tyree Jackson (Davey O'Brien, Johnny Unitas), WR Anthony Johnson (Maxwell, Biletnikoff), RB Emmanuel Reed (Doak Walker), TE Tyler Mabry (John Mackey), C James O'Hagan (Rimington)

• Buffalo linebacker Khalil Hodge totaled 277 tackles over the last two seasons - more than any other player in college football.

• Anthony Johnson is the top returning wide receiver in the nation - after averaging 113 receiving yards per game last season. He is a 2018 preseason All-American.

• The Bulls have won seven of their last eight home openers.

• The Bulls enter the 2018 season on a three-game winning streak after winning the final three games of the 2017 campaign.

• Buffalo is predicted to finish second in Mid-American Conference East Division.

• The Bulls are kicking off their 106th season of football.

 

Bulls Open 2018 Campaign vs. Delaware StateThe University at Buffalo football team will kick off the 2018 season against Delaware State on Saturday night at UB Stadium. 

The Bulls are coming off a season in which they went 6-6 overall and 4-4 in MAC play.   

Buffalo returns 14 starters, including eight on the offensive side of the ball. The Bulls were picked second in the MAC East Division preseason poll. 

Delaware State is coming off a 2-9 season. The Hornets were picked 10th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll.

Buffalo leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Bulls won the only other meeting, 40-30, at UB Stadium on Sept. 13, 1997.

T3
2018 will be Tyree Jackson's third season as the Bulls' starting quarterback. The junior signal-caller threw for 2,096 yards and 12 touchdowns to only three interceptions in 2017. He also added 197 yards rushing and four scores. The Academic All-MAC selection averaged 341 yards passing and threw nine touchdowns over the final four games of the 2017 season. 

Jackson is on the preseason watch lists for the Davey O'Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

AJ is OK
Not many players in school history made a bigger impact in their first season with the UB football program than wide receiver Anthony Johnson did in 2017.

The JUCO transfer had 76 catches for 1,356 yards and a school-record 14 touchdowns last season. He ranked second in the nation in receiving yards per game (113.0) and third in receiving touchdowns (14). The All-MAC First Team selection had six games of 140 or more receiving yards which was tops in the country.

Johnson's 1,356 receiving yards were the second most in school history for a single season. He was second only to Naaman Roosevelt who had 1,402 yards in 2008. However, Johnson had 28 fewer catches than Roosevelt. Johnson averaged 17.8 yards per catch compared to 13.5 yards per catch for Roosevelt.

Johnson had 21 catches for 468 yards and eight touchdowns over the final three games of the 2017 season.

Johnson was named a second-team AP Preseason All-American, becoming the first player in school history to earn the distinction.

Hodge Ball
No player in college football had more tackles than UB linebacker Khalil Hodge over the last two seasons. Hodge totaled 277 tackles over the last two years, including a career-best 154 stops in 2017. It was the most tackles by a UB player in the program's FBS era (since 1999). Hodge ranked second in the nation in tackles in 2017.

Watch Out
The Bulls placed a program-record six players on nine different NCFAA award preseason watch lists. Bulls appeared on more preseason watch lists than any other school in the Mid-American Conference. The previous high was four players on eight different watch lists prior to the 2013 campaign.

Buffalo Players on NCFAA Watch Lists
Khalil Hodge - Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Nagurski Award
Anthony Johnson - Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award
Tyree Jackson- Davey O'Brien Award
Emmanuel Reed - Doak Walker Award
Tyler Mabry - John Mackey Award
James O'Hagan - Rimington Trophy

Air AttackBuffalo led the MAC in passing yards a season ago, averaging 290.8 yards per game. With its starting quarterback and top receivers returning, the Bulls should be able to air it out again in 2018.

The Bulls return nine of the 13 players who recorded a catch last season, including four of their top six receivers. Anthony Johnson (76/1,356), K.J. Osborn (35/493), Tyler Mabry (32/548) and Antonio Nunn (15/301) all return this season.

Nine Bulls Named to Athlon Preseason All-MAC Team
Athlon Sports released its preseason All-Mid-American Conference football team and nine University at Buffalo players were named to the squad. The list was headlined by three first-team selections, wide receiver Anthony Johnson, tight end Tyler Mabry and linebacker Khalil Hodge.

Center James O'Hagan and defensive end Chuck Harris were named to the second team.

The third team included quarterback Tyree Jackson and cornerback Cameron Lewis.

Offensive lineman Evin Ksiezarczyk and running back Johnathan Hawkins (as an all-purpose player) were named to the fourth team.

Mitch Perfect
Kicker Adam Mitcheson enters his final season just five made field goals shy of the school record for career field goals made at UB. The senior kicker has made 39 field goals over his career. He is currently second all time, trailing A.J. Principe (07-10) who made 44 field goals over his career.

Mitcheson is also on pace to break the school record for career scoring. The Pittsburgh native currently fourth in career scoring with 206 points. Principe holds the school record with 265 career points.

Safety Dance
With the graduation of both Tim Roberts and Ryan Williamson, the Bulls will need to replace both starting safeties in 2018.

Among the candidates for the starting job are Brandon Williams, Tyrone Hill and Joey Banks.

The depth at cornerback has afforded the coaching staff the ability to move Williams from corner to safety and he will likely be one of the starters. The   senior started eight games at corner last season and had 43 tackles, an interception and four pass breakups.       

Hill has had a strong camp and is becoming a serious contender for the starting safety job. A sophomore, Hill played in four games last season.

Also likely to challenge for the starting role is newcomer Banks. He is a JUCO transfer from the City College of San Francisco where he had 67 tackles, including seven tackles for loss last season.

Reed All About it
Emmanuel Reed had a breakout season for the Bulls in 2017 and looks to build on it this year. The junior running back rushed for 840 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Reed had five 100-yard games in 2017, including a 144-yard, three-touchdown performance against Kent State which earned him MAC East Player of the Week honors.  The Florida native was named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back.

Bulls Add Three Grad Transfers
Three graduate transfers from Power 5 programs joined the Bulls prior to the 2018 season. Wide receiver George Rushing, safety Ashton White and offensive lineman Trey Derouen all joined the squad.

Rushing came from Wisconsin where he played in 39 games and made one start. He recorded 18 receptions for 208 yards in his career.

White came from Notre Dame. He played in six games in 2016 and had a pair of tackles.

Derouen transferred to Buffalo from South Carolina. He appeared in one game as a redshirt freshman in 2016.

Rushing will have one year of elibility, while White and Derouen will have two.

Bulls vs. the FCS
This is the 10th straight season the Bulls will play an FCS program since adding them to the schedule in 2009. Over that stretch, Buffalo has posted a record of 9-1 against teams from the FCS. UB's only loss was a 22-16 defeat to Albany in the opener of the 2016 season.

It's All Relative
The UB football team features a pair of players related to two of the top five picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. Senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson is the cousin of top pick Jadeveon Clowney. Junior defensive end defensive end Ledarius Mack is the younger brother of former UB All-American and fifth pick Khalil Mack.

Murchie Family Fieldhouse Nears Completion
Thanks to a record gift by the Murchie family, the Murchie Family Fieldhouse is on schedule to open this spring. The 92,000-square-foot indoor practice facility will be situated just beyond the north end zone of UB Stadium on the university's North Campus.

The multi-use facility will not only house a full-size football field, but will also feature 6,000 feet of rubber track for sprint practice as well as long/triple jump and pole vault pits. It will also have motorized suspended softball hitting tunnels.

10-Year Anniversary of MAC Championship
The 2018 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the Bulls' 2008 MAC Championship - UB's first and only football conference title. After a 7-5 regular season, the Bulls stunned 12th-ranked Ball State, 42-24, in the title game. Buffalo went on to play Connecticut in the International Bowl - its first-ever bowl game.

On The Airwaves
Again this season, University at Buffalo football can be heard locally on ESPN 1520, a 50,000-watt station with one of the strongest signals in the nation. The Bulls can also be heard on 1280 AM in Rochester. 

Calling all the play-by-play action of Bulls football for his 19th year, and 11th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his second season as analyst. Brad Riter also returns as game host.

Again this season, the UB Football postgame show will take place at Santora's on Millersport with host Bob Gaughan.

Peck will  host the UB Football Insider with Lance Leipold on Monday nights at 5:00 pm. The show air on ESPN 1520 and will be taped at the Santora's Millersport location.

UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO BULLS ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Wagner Football Hosts Bowie State In Season Opener On Thursday At 6:00 PM

Bowie State Bulldogs at Wagner College Seahawks August 30, 2018 | Staten Island, NY | 6:00 PM  Hameline Field (3,300)
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STATEN ISLAND, New York -- The Wagner College football program opens its 88th season of intercollegiate football by hosting the Bowie State University Bulldogs under the lights at Hameline Field on Thursday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m.

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WAGNER-BOWIE STATE: THE SERIES
This is the first-ever meeting between the Seahawks and the the Division II Bulldogs and the first time that Wagner will face a team from the 12-member Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Bowie State compiled an impressive 9-2 overall mark (6-1 in CIAA play) in 2017, hosted its first-ever Division II playoff game, and ranked No. 23 in the final Division II Top-25 Poll.

ABOUT WAGNER
The 2018 Seahawks return 17 of 22 overall starters, including 10 of 11 returnees on the defensive side of the ball and seven of 11 on offense. All told, Wagner returns 62 letterwinners from last season's 4-7 team, and welcomes 58 newcomers. At quarterback, preseason camp featured a three-way battle for the starting spot between the incumbent senior Luke Massei (58.4% accuracy, 1,371 yards, 7 touchdowns) as well as a pair of fifth-year graduate students in Graham Lindman, a former walk-on at Ole Miss of the SEC, and T.J. Linta, a starter the last two seasons at Ivy League member Brown University. At the end of preseason competition, it was determined that Massei had won the job and will make his ninth career start vs, Bowie State.

The Seahawks return 2017's fourth-leading FCS rusher in senior Ryan Fulse, who rushed for 1,306 yards a year ago. The Fort Meade, FL native has been well-honored in the preseason. The 5-11, 195-pound Fulse has been named the NEC and Phil Steele NEC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. In addition to earning a spot on each of these respective preseason teams, Fulse is also a Second-Team Preseason All-American by Lindy's Magazine and, most recently, was tabbed as the NEC's lone representative on the prestigious 36-member College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) National Performer of the Year Trophy Watch list. Senior left guard Brady Hudik, with 22 consecutive starts under his belt, anchors an offensive line unit that looks to replace Greg Senat, a sixth-round NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, and Matt Diaz, who signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans in the offense.

In the pass game, the Green & White return their leading receiver in senior wideout D'Erren Wilson (33 catches, 392 yards) along with Second-Team All-NEC tight end Chris Woodard (22 catches, 210 yards). Defensively, Wagner is expected to be led by an experienced and talented four-man linebacking crew, headed by senior ILB Quintin Hampton, a two-time All-NEC Second-Team choice. Forming a potent one-two punch at ILB with Hampton is redshirt junior Santoni Graham (134 career tackles. At outside linebacker, Wagner features a pair of potential All-League performers in junior Cam Gill (53 tackles, team-high 11 sacks) and junior Allaah Sessions (51 tackles, four sacks). Senior Charbel Dabire is Wagner's most productive returner on the defensive line (22 tackles, 5 TFLs), while senior Sterling Lowry leads the Seahawk secondary with 63 career stops.

SEAHAWKS NAME FIVE CAPTAINS
The five Seahawk captains this season will include running back Ryan Fulse, offensive lineman Brady Hudik, defensive lineman Charbel Dabire, linebacker Santoni Graham, and defensive back Sterling Lowry. "These five young men are proven leaders and productive performers, each of whom have earned the respect of their teammates and coaches alike," said Wagner fourth-year head coach Jason Houghtaling. All five captains are members of the senior class, though Graham, who has one season of eligibility remaining following the 2018 season, is listed as a redshirt-junior. For Graham and Lowry, this marks the second straight season that they will serve as team captains.

WAGNER HEAD COACH JASON HOUGHTALING
Former Wagner associate head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Houghtaling (hO - Tail- Ling), was elevated to head football coach on November 25, 2014 and enters his fourth season at the helm of the Seahawk program in 2018. In his three seasons on Grymes Hill, Houghtaling is 7-11 in NEC play an 11-22 overall, highlighted by a 6-5 season in 2016, which included a 4-2 mark in the Northeast Conference (NEC). That season, the Seahawks had the distinction of being the only NEC team to defeat eventual NEC Champion Saint Francis U.

Under Houghtaling's tutelage, offensive lineman Greg Senat developed into a sixth-round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft when he went in the sixth round to the Baltimore Ravens, becoming just the third Seahawk in program history to be drafted by the NFL. Houghtaling took over for Walt Hameline, who served in the dual role as Seahawk athletic director and head football coach for 34 years, before announcing that he is stepping down from his role as head coach. Hameline remains as Wagner's athletic director. Prior to his appointment as head coach, Houghtaling spent seven seasons on the Wagner sidelines, serving as offensive coordinator during Wagner's 2012 and 2014 Northeast Conference (NEC) title runs, while in-between, spending the 2013 season as offensive coordinator at Cornell.

BOWIE STATE HEAD COACH DAMON WILSON
Damon Wilson enters his 10th year at the helm of the Bowie State University football program. Wilson, who was an all-conference tight end for the Bulldogs (1998), did his first tour of duty as an assistant coach from 1999-2003. As the Assistant Head Coach (Running Backs and Special Teams Coordinator) during those years, BSU's special teams and running game consistently ranked at the top of the conference. During Wilson's first run at Bowie State, the Bulldogs combined an overall record of 26-24 and they were able to bring home a CIAA Eastern Division Championship in 2002.

ABOUT BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
Bowie State University is a public university with an undergraduate enrollment of 4,711, located on 355½ acres in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, north of the suburban city of Bowie. Founded in 1865, Bowie State, which is part of the University System of Maryland, is Maryland's oldest historically black university and one of the 10 oldest in the nation. The Bulldogs' athletic teams compete in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bowie State compiled an impressive 9-2 overall mark (6-1 in CIAA play) in 2017 and hosted its first-ever Division II playoff game, where the Bulldogs lost to Delta State by a 45-35 count. Ranked No. 23 in the final Division II Poll. Bowie State return 45 lettermen and 12 starters from a team that statistically: ranked 1st in NCAA Division II in Total Offense (566.3), 1st in NCAA Scoring Offense (54.5), 1st in NCAA Passing Efficiency Defense (87.41), 4th in NCAA Passing Offense (336.8), 4th in NCAA Team Passing Efficiency (173.03), 4th in NCAA Passing Yards Allowed (144.8) and tied for 2nd in NCAA 4th Down Conversion Percentage (0.733). Bowie State led the CIAA in Points (599), Total Yards (6,229), First Downs Per Game (29.6), Pass Defense and Rushing Defense and ranked second in conference Rushing Yards per Game (229.5) and Red Zone Percentage (62-of-67) 93 percent. On an individual basis, quarterback Amir Hall led the NCAA Division II in Points Responsible For (294), ranked 2nd in Total Offense (356.8), 4th in Passing Yards per Game (319.9) and 5th in Passing Yards (3,519). In terms of CIAA statistics, Hall led the league in Passing Yards Per Game (319.9) and Passing TD's (41).

CIAA Members 
Bowie State 
Chowan
Elizabeth City State  
Fayetteville State
Johnson C. Smith  
Lincoln (Pa.)  
Livingstone  
Shaw  
St. Augustine's  
Virginia State
Virginia Union

WAGNER COLLEGE SEAHAWKS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS