photo by: AP Photo/Stephen Dunn

Connecticut quarterback Mike Beaudry (12) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Wagner during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, in East Hartford, Conn.

Since Aug. 31, 2012, Football Championship Subdivision teams have won 102 games against Football Bowl Subdivision counterparts, who have greater scholarship allocations and generally significantly better resources.

That date marked the first time Wagner College, out of Staten Island, New York, ever faced a foe with 85 scholarships, when the Seahawks lost 7-3 to Florida Atlantic. In the 13 years since, FCS teams have beaten FBS foes on 102 occasions; Wagner is still looking for its first such victory after 19 tries.

Now led by head coach Tom Masella, the Seahawks’ next try is this Friday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. KU is paying Wagner a guarantee of $450,000 for its participation in this game, according to the game contract obtained by the Journal-World via a Kansas Open Records Act request.

“We looked at our FCS scheduling and some of the northeast schools had expanded their games, and again it was something that kind of fit into the opportunity, so took advantage of it, scheduled them,” KU coach Lance Leipold said on Monday. “The Friday night is something that because of the holiday weekend, we thought would be the best way to fit it in as well.”

KU is not all that far removed from being a program that regularly lost to FCS opponents, like South Dakota State in 2015 or Nicholls State in 2018, but the Jayhawks are 4-0 against lower-level foes under Leipold and will try to avoid becoming Wagner’s first victim.

That inaugural matchup against FAU turned out to be one of the Seahawks’ closest calls. Fielding what would turn out to be one of the school’s best-ever Division I teams, and the only one to reach the FCS playoffs, Wagner led until the 11-minute, 36-second mark in the fourth quarter.

On the strength of a 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter by David Lopez, Wagner held the lead for just under 30 minutes of game time. However, the Seahawks also squandered a muffed punt by the Owls that gave them a goal-to-go situation shortly before the end of the half when Nick Doscher threw an interception in the end zone. On the flip side, FAU drove into Wagner territory but had to punt after three straight incomplete passes from the Seahawks’ 44-yard line.

The scoreless third quarter was challenging for both teams. Doscher couldn’t convert a fourth-and-1 in FAU territory, and then the Owls’ kicker was wide right on a potential game-tying field goal. FAU running back Martese Jackson fumbled, not for the last time, inside Wagner’s 10-yard line to start the fourth quarter, but the Seahawks couldn’t earn any field position, went three-and-out and punted back to the Owls. Quarterback Graham Wilbert, who entered in the second half, threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Byron Hankerson for FAU’s lone score.

Wagner had to punt again, and then the Owls killed eight minutes of clock, but they nearly blew it when Jackson coughed the ball up on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 20 seconds left. However, the Seahawks could only get 25 yards and lost 7-3.

That Wagner team finished the year 9-4, including a playoff win over Colgate. The Seahawks were outscored a combined 88-3 in their next two matchups against FBS opposition, and longtime head coach Walt Hameline retired after they finished at 7-4 in the 2014 campaign. They have not won seven games in a season since.

Under Jason Houghtaling, Wagner was beaten soundly by Rice and BYU in 2015, by Boston College in 2016, by Western Michigan in 2017 and by Syracuse in 2018 before its closest call ever. A team that eventually finished 1-11 and got Houghtaling fired — by Hameline, the athletic director — took UConn down to the wire in East Hartford, Connecticut, but fell 24-21.

Wagner punted on six consecutive drives in the first half and then, after a fourth-down stop late in the second quarter, ran out the clock while trailing 10-0.

UConn looked to take a three-score lead on its opening drive of the second half, but Chris Williams forced a fumble by Kevin Mensah that was recovered by Macai Bruce. Later, UConn’s Mike Beaudry threw an interception that Myron Morris grabbed with one hand and returned for a 71-yard touchdown, only for the Huskies to respond with a touchdown run by Mensah to make it 17-7.

Wagner’s offense suddenly showed signs of life. Christian Alexander-Stevens earned the Seahawks a pair of quick first downs with consecutive completions before running back Dymitri McKenzie took off for a 55-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit back to 17-14.

photo by: AP Photo/Stephen Dunn

Wagner running back Dymitri McKenzie (30) scores during the second half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Connecticut on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, in East Hartford, Conn.

However, the defense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain, as Beaudry and Art Thompkins marched the Huskies back down the field with ease, and they went up 10 points again entering the fourth quarter.

After the two teams traded punts, the Seahawks took over with 10:37 to go and embarked on their best offensive drive of the game, one that took them 92 yards down the field, aided by some key penalties. Alexander-Stevens found fullback Ben Sieczkowski, who caught seven career passes, for a fourth-and-1 conversion, and then McKenzie cut it to 24-21 with his second touchdown.

Wagner could not get the ball back. A facemask penalty on Santoni Graham canceled out what would have been a third-down stop of Mensah. Mensah then ran for a second first down, allowing the Huskies to kneel out the win.

Masella’s tenure faced some challenges early. The Seahawks only played two games in the COVID-affected 2020 season (during the spring of 2021), then went a combined 1-21 the next two years. They have been far more competitive each of the last two years, going 4-7 and 4-8, but matchups against FBS foes haven’t been particularly close — 24-0 at Navy, 52-3 at Rutgers, 41-10 at FAU and 35-7 at UMass. (They did hang tight with FAU for a half, forcing three turnovers and trailing just 17-10 at the interval, although they went backwards and punted on a possession that started at the Owls’ 28.)

The Seahawks were picked to finish fifth in the Northeast Conference this season, their highest preseason placement since 2020. Later in the 2025 season they’ll also face Central Michigan, but first up is KU.

“We’re facing a top 25 program at the FBS level, so we got our hands full,” Masella said following the Seahawks’ scrimmage on Aug. 16. “But I like the way our kids have gone about their business and now it’s starting to get ready for the fun time.”

photo by: AP Photo/Nick Lisi

Syracuse’s Luke Arciniego (5) takes down Wagner quarterback Chris Andrews (6) for the sack in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. Syracuse beat Wagner 54-0.

photo by: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

BYU linebacker Sae Tautu (31) sacks Wagner quarterback Chris Andrews (7) in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Provo, Utah.