ERIE, Pa. (Interstat) — Wagner and Mercyhurst will meet Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Saxon Stadium, with both programs trying to separate from matching 1-8 records. The Seahawks are the visiting team. The Lakers are the home team. The forecast for game time calls for 80 degrees.

Wagner enters after a 19-14 loss at Merrimack in its most recent outing. Jason Wiley is the player to watch for the Seahawks. In that game, Wiley completed 8 of 10 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Benjamin Newman added five completions for 47 yards, and Acear Cornish recorded three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Wagner’s only victory this season was a 31-7 home win over Southern Connecticut State. The Seahawks also have losses to Duquesne, Long Island, Princeton, Central Connecticut, California, James Madison and Robert Morris, including a 52-21 setback at Duquesne and an 87-3 loss at James Madison. The Seahawks will look to get their passing game going and sustain drives against a Mercyhurst defense that has had its own difficulties.

Mercyhurst enters after a 34-28 loss at Stonehill. Alex Gevaudan is the player to watch for the Lakers. In the Stonehill game, Gevaudan completed 28 of 54 passes for 344 yards with three touchdowns and added 14 rushing yards on four carries. In his previous two games, he completed 25 of 48 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns against Robert Morris and 26 of 45 passes for 409 yards and four touchdowns against Central Connecticut. Elijah Binakonsky, Patrick Carter and Anez Jordan each had two tackles in the Stonehill game, with Binakonsky and Jordan also recording a quarterback hurry. Mercyhurst’s lone win this season was a 49-20 home victory over Glenville State. The Lakers have also dropped games to Robert Morris, Central Connecticut, Long Island, Western Kentucky, New Mexico, New Mexico State and Youngstown State. Among those defeats were a 43-40 home loss to Central Connecticut and a 27-24 loss at Long Island.

Both teams have had trouble protecting leads and finishing drives this season, and both will be looking for a late-season spark. Wagner’s next game is scheduled for Saturday against New Haven, while Mercyhurst is set to visit Duquesne. The Lakers will host New Haven after that. But the focus Saturday will be on Saxon Stadium, where the Seahawks and Lakers will try to turn a difficult season into a positive result.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Mercyhurst 39, Wagner 24. Interstat’s ELO system gives Mercyhurst a 75.1 percent probability to win. The projection favors Mercyhurst at home.