Oct. 5, 2001

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Wagner at Stony Brook

When: Saturday, October 6, When: 12:30 p.m., Site: Seawolves Field, Stony Brook, N.Y., Media: WUSB 90.1 (Curt Hylton and Dave Molow), Seawolves Radio Network (Internet broadcast with Dan Hymowitz and Eric Newman)

The Game: Stony Brook hosts NEC rival Wagner in its 2001 home opener today at Seawolves Field. The original home opener was slated for September 15 against Siena but that game was cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

Seawolves Leader: Stony Brook's Sam Kornhauser is in his 18th season as head coach. The only coach in the history of the program has a 79-87-2 record during that span and has led SB from the Division III level to the Division I-AA level.

The Series: Wagner holds a 7-0 edge in the all-time series that began in 1985. A list of the matchups:

10/7/00 Wagner 35, Stony Brook 9 9/11/99 Wagner 24, Stony Brook 12 10/31/98 Wagner 14, Stony Brook 13 11/1/97 Wagner 10 Stony Brook 0 11/9/96 Wagner 27, Stony Brook 20 9/16/95 Wagner 28, Stony Brook 27 9/28/85 Wagner 26, Stony Brook 10

About the Opponent: Wagner enters the game with a 1-2 mark, getting into the win column last week with a 34-7 triumph over St. John's. QB Aaron Smith guides a pass offense that ranks second in the conference, averaging 241.3 yards per game. Smith will look for Daryn Plummer (5.67 rpg) and Lou Simone (5.0 rpg) this afternoon. Jeremy Balina spearheads the defense, averaging 10.3 tackles per game, third best in the conference.

Wagner's Head Coach: Walt Hameline is in his 21st year as head coach of the Seawhawks. He has compiled a 148-63-2 record in that span.

Seawolves New Quarterback: Junior Scott Bard has been solid in his first two collegiate starts at quarterback. Last week, he threw for 196 yards on 20-38 passing. He also scored his first touchdown of his career on an 18-yard quarterback draw in the second quarter. He currently ranks second in the conference in total offense, averaging 221 yards per game.

The McGovernor: Wideout Chris McGovern stepped up against Albany on Saturday. He pulled down a team and career-high seven receptions for 79 yards. Through two games, he has nine catches which ranks him second on the team. He caught 22 passes all last year.

The Garden of Aden: LB Aden Smith continues to be a tackle machine in the middle for the Seawolves. For the second straight game, he racked up a game-high 13 tackles, eight of the solo variety, and added a fumble recovery. He totaled a team-high 11 takedowns in the season opener against St. John's. In his last four games dating back to last season, he has recorded 57 tackles. He currently ranks second in the conference in tackles per game at a 12.0 clip. His exploits last week earned him Stony Brook Athlete of the Week honors.

Lockhart Breaks Out: Starting running back Ken Lockhart enjoyed his best day in a Seawolf uniform last week at Albany. He carried the ball 15 times and finished with 100 yards, his first career 100-yard effort. His career-long 52-yard run help set up his four-yard TD run that pulled the Seawolves even at 18-18 in the final quarter. He comes into today's game averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

At A Loss In two games, Stony Brook's defense has totaled 32 tackles for losses, led by Phil Tolliver's team-leading eight. Tolliver also leads the conference in TFL's per game with four. LB David Bamiro is tied for third at 2.5 per game.

Bam Bam Bamiro: In addition to his tackles for losses, Bamiro, a true freshman, has been harassing quarterbacks in his first two games for a total of four sacks. His 2.0 sacks per game average is tops in the Northeast Conference.

O-B-1 Okobi: Freshman Chimizie Okobi has stepped right in and made an impact along the Seawolves defensive front. He has totaled 13 tackles on the year, including a career-high seven last week. He has two sacks and has four tackles for a loss on the year-- third best on the team.

News And Notes: The Seawolves started four freshmen on defense last week - S Mike Lambert, CB Ernie Williams, OLB David Bamiro and DL Chimizie Okobi . . . Brian Tornee made his first career reception last week . . . today's home opener is not the latest home opener in the program's history - that came in the inaugural seaon when SB faced Maritime on October 13, 1984

Soto Connects: Placekicker Mike Soto came through last week against the Great Danes. His two field goals in the first quarter gave SB a 6-0 lead. His 40-yard field goals set a new career-long, eclipsing his old mark of 32 yards.

'Bert And Ernie: SS Mike Lambert made his first collegiate start last week for the injured Christian Porter and turned in a fine performance. Lambert had eight takedowns, one for a loss. He also stepped in for the injured Chad King, fielding punt and kick returns all afternoon long. Williams, the other half of the freshmen starting duo in the secondary, also was solid in his first start as a collegian. Williams had four tackles and an interception - his interception set up Soto's 40-yard field goal.

Holding Courtenay: Senior wideout Courtenay Mitchell turned in a fine all-around performance last week. He caught six passes for 67 yards in addition to making an impact on special teams. He returned two kicks for 73 yards, including a season-high 55-yard runback.

Driving Alexis: Senior Alexis Ayala posted nine tackles, three for a loss, against Albany last week. He will start at inside linebacker again this afternoon.

At Home: Stony Brook looks to snap a four-game losing streak at home today.

A Kevin Of All Trades: Kevin McGrogan just finds a way to get the job done. For three seasons he performed as the SB tight end and a member of the special teams unit. In the offseason, he bulked up to earn a starting spot at right tackle when the season opened on September 21. In that game, starting center Adam Sabia went down with an injury and was unable to play against the Great Danes. McGrogan came to the rescue again, moving from right tackle to make his first start at center last week.

Versus the NEC: Stony Brook has posted a 5-12 record against NEC schools since joining the conference two years ago. The Seawolves went 4-3 in their first season but fell to 1-7 in 2000.

Fourth Quarter Blues: Stony Brook has been outscored 25-13 in the final quarter of games. Against St. John's, SB couldn't hold a seven-point lead late in the game and versus Albany, the Great Danes scored 10 unanswered points with the game tied at 18 with 12 minutes to go.

Dan The Man: Strong safety Dan Bertzos seems to have returned to form after missing most of the 2000 season with an ankle injury. Last week, he reached double digits in takedowns with 11 and he now ranks second on the team in tackles with 17.

More News and Notes:Lucas Niskanen needs five catches to move into second place on the all-time receptions list and 204 receiving yards to move into second place on that list as well . . . SB has been flagged for 21 penalties in two games . . .

From the Sideline: There are six new faces on the 2001 Seawolves Football coaching staff - Mike McCarty (offensive coordinator), Corey Holland (offensive line), Jeff Koutsantanou (running backs), Jon Sorbera (defensive line), Art Asselta (wide receivers), Richard Russo (linebackers) and Brian Donnelly (linebackers) all begin their first seasons with Stony Brook.