Cal’s next opponent is Wagner, and the Seahawks arrive in Berkeley with plenty to sort through after a brutal 87-3 loss to James Madison.
Marc Ernay, Wagner’s football play-by-play voice, said the response inside the program has to be a mix of anger and embarrassment after a result that, in his words, “is not representative of Wagner College Seahawks football.” He also said the Seahawks are eager to get back to work before Saturday’s trip to Berkeley.
They’ve been through losses to FBS teams before, Ernay said, but nothing on the scale of what happened last week. James Madison kept pouring it on, and that kind of night tends to linger.
For Wagner, the focus against Cal is simple: look more like itself. Ernay said the Seahawks want to score, get through the game healthy and stop the injury pileup that has already thinned the roster. Starting quarterback Jack Stevens was knocked out in the season opener against Robert Morris, and Ernay said he had heard Stevens would not return until after Wagner’s bye, which comes after the Cal game.
That means Ben Newman is handling the offense now. Running back Matt Morad did not play last week and is questionable, while running back Sekou Kamau played only a little and is also questionable.
When it comes to Wagner’s best pieces, Ernay pointed first to the defense. Up front, he highlighted Logan Barnes and Ethan Appolon, a pair of all-NEC preseason picks, with Barnes serving as captain.
In the secondary, Shamar Williams earned all-conference recognition and also contributes as a receiver on special teams. Kamau was Wagner’s all-NEC preseason running back selection, and wide receiver Zion Fowler-El might be the team’s best offensive weapon.
Ernay said Newman looked sharp against Southern Connecticut State the week before last, but had a much tougher time under heavy pressure against James Madison. He also said Wagner’s only touchdown against a Division I opponent this season came on a pick-six by Julio Tatis, one of the corners. Special teams has also been an issue, with a long kickoff return allowed against James Madison and a blocked punt returned for a score for the second time this season.
Wagner coach Tom Masella, Ernay said, is deeply invested in the school and the job. He described Masella as someone who is “all about football and family” and noted that he played at Wagner, where he was a defensive MVP in the Homecoming game as a senior.
Masella’s mission, Ernay said, is to help rebuild a program that once won the Division III national championship in 1987 under Walt Hameline, whose name is on Wagner’s field. Hameline had also been the acting athletic director until Ariel Pesante was hired as the new AD.
Ernay said the program has made progress under Masella, pointing to last season as Wagner’s best in more than a decade. The Seahawks finished over .500 in league play and came close to a three-way tie for the regular-season title before fading in the final game.
He also said Masella had to reshape the program when he arrived, with his first official season coming during the COVID year. Since then, Wagner has dealt with the realities of modern college football, including players leaving through the transfer portal. Ernay mentioned a former all-league rookie receiver and a freshman kicker who both moved on after strong seasons.
That’s the challenge for an FCS program in New York City, he said: getting noticed and keeping enough continuity to build momentum. Still, Ernay believes Masella has Wagner headed in the right direction.
The biggest issue, as he sees it, is keeping the key pieces on the field. Through the first three games, that has been a problem.
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