Syracuse (1-0) hosts Wagner (1-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in its first home game this season. SU aims to push its record to 2-0 this season ahead of a matchup with Florida State next Saturday to begin ACC play.

Here’s what to know about the Seahawks.

All-time series: This is the second meeting between Syracuse and Wagner. They first played in 2013, the last year that the Orange played in a bowl game. SU trounced the Seahawks, 54-0, while limiting Wagner to just 87 yards of total offense and putting up a gaudy 595. Quarterback Terrel Hunt passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns as SU rolled to the easy win. The Orange has not lost to an FCS school since the separation to FBS and FCS in 1978.

The Wagner report: This is a team that loves to run the football.

“We’re a pro style offense. We’re going to run the football for sure,” Wagner head coach Jason Houghtaling said. “That’s our deal. That’s our identity.”

In week one against Division II Bowie State, Wagner senior Ryan Fulse rushed for 271 yards, a week-one high in the FCS, and the highest mark in Wagner’s Division I history. Fulse rushed for those 271 yards on 20 carries, averaging 13.6 yards per carry. His efforts secured him Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Last week, Wagner’s yards on the ground more than doubled their production through the air. This is certainly a team that relies on its ability to run the football, Houghtaling said.

That worked well last season, as Fulse rushed for 1,306 yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished with seven games of more than 100 yards, including four straight to end the season. The offense runs on the back of Fulse.

And against SU this Saturday, Houghtaling doesn’t plan to change his team’s offensive approach.

“Just because it’s an FBS football team, you don’t change your game plan. You just try to do what you do and do it better,” Houghtaling said. “You have to be dialed in on your fundamentals in any game. But especially when you’re playing guys that might be an inch taller or 10 or 15 pounds heavier than guys you’re used to playing against.”

How Syracuse beats Wagner: Play FBS football. This is not a game Syracuse is supposed to have trouble with. Last week the Orange dropped 55 points in Kalamazoo against a Western Michigan team that played in the Cotton Bowl. Syracuse shouldn’t have any trouble scoring just as much on Saturday, and Wagner’s run-heavy offense likely will not find enough success against an FBS defense to keep up. A Seahawks passing attack that finished with 134 yards against Bowie State will almost definitely struggle against SU’s athletes.

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Player to watch: Ryan Fulse, running back, No. 3

Fules has the quickness to make any guy miss in the open field and the speed to burn defenders down the sideline. If his 1,306 yards don’t prove it from last season, maybe his week one 271 yards might.

“He’s an old-school grinder type,” Houghtaling said. “He doesn’t say much. He just does it.”

No one works harder than Fulse on his game, Houghtaling said. Whether it be in the weight room, pass catching, run blocking, watching film, whatever it may be.

“If he sees a deficiency in his game, he’s going to attack that deficiency,” Houghtaling said.

Published on September 7, 2018 at 2:52 pm

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu