Flash Points:

• Saint Francis football meets Wagner for its final game of the regular season.
• The Red Flash and Seahawks kick off at Noon at Hameline Field on NEC Front Row.
• Wagner is 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the NEC after a 40-5 win over Robert Morris last week.
• The Wagner offense features two very good running backs, Denzel Knight and Matthias McKinnon.
• The Seahawks defense is 19th in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing only 20.8 points per game.

Wagner | Hameline Field | Noon | NEC Front Row
 
Wagner Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team wraps up the regular season at Wagner on Saturday.  The Red Flash and Seahawks are scheduled for a Noon kickoff at Hameline Field, with a livestream on NEC Front Row.  Meet the Seahawks in this week's scouting report.
 
Jason Houghtaling is in his second year as head coach of the Seahawks.  He is 6-14 through two seasons.
 
Wagner improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the NEC with its 40-5 win over Robert Morris last Saturday.  After RMU took a 3-0 lead, the Seahawks scored 33 unanswered points on their way to the victory.  Wagner totaled 428 total yards, including 258 passing and 170 rushing.  Quarterback Alex Thompson threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns.  Running back Matthias McKinnon had 86 yards and a score on 22 rushes, while Denzel Knight had 43 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run, on six carries.  John Williams caught four passes for 110 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.  Fullback Lucas DePofi caught a one-yard touchdown pass.
 
The Wagner defense held Robert Morris to just 168 total yards and nine first downs.  RMU had 147 passing and 21 rushing yards.  Wagner recorded three interceptions, including a 43-yard pick-six by linebacker Santoni Graham.  The Seahawks also recovered two fumbles.  Safeties Tim Hayes and Jesse Flaherty each had an interception, while Najee Harris and Kendle Bramble each recovered fumbles.  Linebacker Allaah Sessions had three tackles, including a sack, and fellow linebacker Randall May led Wagner with four tackles, including two for loss.
 
Wagner averages 25.6 points, ranking fifth in the NEC, and 374 yards, good for third in the conference.  The Seahawks average 220.5 passing yards, ranking fourth, and 153.5 rushing yards, ranking third.
 
Quarterback Alex Thomson, a junior in his second year as Wagner's starter, has completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 2,173 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.  He also has three rushing touchdowns.
 
In the backfield, Wagner has two key weapons.  Six-foot-two, 220-pound junior Denzel Knight leads the team with 687 yards on 100 carries, including six touchdowns.  He also has 15 catches for 77 yards and a score.  Knight is seventh in the FCS with a 6.87 yards per carry average.  Senior Matthias McKinnon, six-foot, 210 pounds, has 572 yards and seven touchdowns on 135 carries.  He has 11 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown.
At receiver, six-foot-six, 220-pound junior John Williams ranks fourth in the FCS with a 21.3 yards per catch average.  On the year, he has a total of 28 catches for 596 yards and four touchdowns.  Andre Yevchinecz, a 5-foot-10 senior, has 299 yards and a touchdown on 19 catches, while senior Brandon Peoples, 5-foot-11, has 15 receptions for 119 yards and a score.  Tight end Ryan Owens, a six-foot-four graduate student, has 23 catches for 283 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Wagner offensive line includes two seniors, a junior and two sophomores.  Senior left tackle Matt Diaz, sophomore left guard Brady Hudik, junior right guard Titus Richards and senior right tackle Greg Senat have started in all 10 games so far, while sophomore center Daniel Clifford has played in all 10 games, starting eight.  Diaz was a Preseason All-NEC selection, while Senat is also a member of Wagner's men's basketball team.
 
Wagner uses a 3-4 system on the defensive side.  The Seahawks rank 19th in the FCS, allowing 20.8 points per game, and 26th in total defense, giving up 339.4 yards per game.  Wagner allows 208.7 passing yards and 130.7 rushing yards, ranking 43rd and 29th in the nation, respectively.  Wagner has forced 16 turnovers, including 12 interceptions, and recorded 16 sacks.
 
Senior defensive tackle Kiser Terry leads the defensive line with 37 tackles, including 19 solo and three for loss.  He has also forced a fumble this year.  Junior end Jordan Baskerville has 30 tackles, with 17 solo, 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.  Nose tackle Christian Gore, a senior, has 19 tackles, with 11 solo, three for loss and two sacks. 
 
Three of Wagner's top five tackles lineup at linebacker.  Sophomore inside linebacker Santoni Graham leads the team with 77 tackles, with 51 solo, nine for loss, two sacks and his 43-yard pick-six.  Quinton Hampton, also a sophomore inside linebacker, has 72 stops, including 51 solo, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery.  On the outside, senior Najee Harris has 41 stops with 32 solo, 4.5 for loss and a sack, while senior D.J. Paul has 33 tackles, with 15 solo, two for loss and a sack.  Junior Randall May also sees time at inside linebacker, with 40 tackles, seven for loss, and a sack. 
 
Senior strong safety Tim Hayes has a team-best four interceptions, to go with 29 tackles and seven pass breakups, to lead the secondary.  Corner Tiquan Garner, a senior, has 54 tackles, with three for loss, a sack and seven pass breakups, while junior free safety Jesse Flaherty has recorded 52 tackles, with 39 solo, one for loss and three picks.  At the opposite corner, sophomore Sterling Lowery has 13 tackles and an interception.  Freshman corner Myron Morris has 18 tackles and two picks.
 
James Cooper, a graduate student, leads the NEC in field goals per game.  He's made 15-of-18 attempts (83.3) percent, including a long of 52.  He has converted all 14 kicks from inside 40 yards.  Senior Bryan Rafano serves as the team's punter, averaging 38.2 yards per kick, with a long of 62.  Junior Franklin Labady averages 16.1 yards per kick return, while Andre Yevchinecz averages 8.1 yards per punt return, including a 77-yard return for a touchdown against Concordia.
 
Saint Francis trails the all-time series, 21-4, but earned a 43-14 win at home last season.  The Red Flash set a school-record with 628 total yards, averaging 8.7 yards per play.  Quarterback Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns, with all of his touchdown throws going to tight end Frank Failace (Wayne, N.J./Don Bosco Prep). Khairi Dickson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) ran for 161 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Marcus Bagley (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added 126 yards and a score on 12 carries.  Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) hit three field goals.  On defense, Delondo Boyd (Indian Head, Md./Henry E. Lackey) had a team-high eight tackles, while Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) had seven stops, with two for loss and a sack.  Max Ma'afala-Maiava (Pearl City, Hawaii/Aiea ) recorded two sacks and forced a fumble.