Wagner Play-by-Play Man Answers 5 Questions About Cal's Next Foe
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Each week we ask someone who covers Cal's next opponent to answer five questions about that opponent.
On Saturday, Cal (1-1) hosts Wagner, an FCS school that is 1-2, so we posed five questions to Marc Ernay, Wagner's play-by-play man for football. We provide large excerpts from his answers, but for the entire answer you must view the videos.
— 1. What's your sense of how Wagner players and coaches reacted to Saturday's 87-3 loss to James Madison?
"I have to imagine that they are equal parts furious and embarrassed," Ernay said. "That is not representative of Wagner College Seahawks football. And I think that they are very anxious to get back on the field, practice this week, in advance of the trip to Berkeley and the game on Saturday.
"But they've played Division I FBS schools before. They have lost to FBS teams before. They have not absorbed the margin of loss that they absorbed this past week.
"As much as you want to say flush it and move on, I think the way James Madison was just continuously relentless and able to score at will, it is definitely going to sit in a different way with this group, even though they're only three games into the season."
— 2. What do you think Wagner wants to get out of the game against Cal?
"To be blunt, I think the goal here is to much better represent what the program is and what the Seahawks are. They want to score points. They did not put up any offensive points outside of a field goal on Saturday at James Madison. I think they want to stay healthy, and it's hard to do; they've already lost a bunch of players to injury, and there's no telling when some of them will be back. Their starting quarterback [Jack Stevens] was knocked out in the season opener in a conference game against Robert Morris. What we had heard from him was that he wouldn't return until after the bye, which comes up after the Cal game."
Ernay added that Ben Newman is the quarterback now. Running back Matt Morad didn't play last week and is questionable, and running back Sekou Kamau played very little and is questionable.
— 3. Who are some of Wagner's best players, and describe the style of quarterback Benjamin Newman?
"The defensive line, they've got two all-NEC preseason picks in Logan Barnes, who's the captain, and Ethan Appolon. They've got an all-conference defensive back in Shamar Williams, who also does some receiving on special teams. They got an all-NEC preseason running back in Sekou Kamau."
"Newman had a real good game against Southern Connecticut State the week before last, and then under serious duress against James Madison, did not have a great game."
"It starts with the defense for Wagner, and on the offense it starts with the line
Wide receiver Zion Fowler-El might be Wagner's best offensive player.
Ernay does not believe Stevens to play, and is uncertain about whether Morad will play.
— 4. What are Wagner's strengths and weaknesses?
"Well I think the strength is the defense. Their only touchdown against a Division I school this year came on a pick-six by Julio Tatis, one of the corners.
"We've had a couple of breakdowns on special teams, long kickoff return by James Madison. For the second time this season had a punt blocked and returned for a score."
— 5 Tell me a little about Wagner's coach, Tom Masella?
"He's all about football and family. He's been a coach in college football for a few decades now. He was a Wagner Seahawk in his playing days. He was a defensive MVP in the Homecoming game back in his senior year.
"It really means a lot to him to be back on campus and on Grymes Hill [where Wagner plays its home games] and trying to resurrect the program, that had success at the Division III level, won the national championship in 1987 under Walt Hameline, for whom Wagner's field is named, and he had been the acting athletic director, Mr. Hameline, up until they just hired the new AD Ariel Pesante.
"Masella is all about trying to resurrect a program that's been down. They had their best season last year in over a decade, over .500 in the league. They wound up very close to a three-way tie for the regular-season championship, faltered in the final game, but they have made steady strides under him.
"He came in, his first official season if you will, was during covid. He had to make a lot of changes to the infrastructure of the program. College football, as you and I both know, and Coach Masella is well aware, he understands how the game has changed. We had an all-league rookie receiver a few years ago who wound up immediately going into the transfer portal once that season ended, so he's had that happen. We had a freshman kicker last year, who had an iron leg, was phenomenal, he wound up in the portal. We've gotten some players from the portal, which is terrific too. But when you're an FCS school in the shadow of Manhattan, New York City, you're trying to make headway and get attention, it's kind of hard, to be honest.
"But I think he has the program on the right track. He's got the right people around him, I think, and I think he would tell you the same thing, but it's a process, and you need to keep your quarterback healthy, you need to keep your key components healthy. That's been a major problem through these first three games of the season."
Today's best reads
- Wagner Coach on Facing Cal: `Hopefully, We Can Compete'
- This Weekend's Results Involving Cal's 2026 Football Opponents
- Cal Coach Tosh Lupoi on Wagner's 87-3 Defeat: `It's Irrelevant'
- Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Beat Syracuse
- Syracuse Coach Fran Brown Compliments Cal Quarterback and Head Coach
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/cal as Wagner Play-by-Play Man Answers 5 Questions About Cal's Next Foe.
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