Television: Channel 25 (Telecare) live at 4 p.m. (satellite coordinates AMC6 Transponder K22); Radio: WUSB 90.1; Internet: www.goseawolves.org
Last Time Out: Stony Brook's two-game win streak came to an end at the hands of Monmouth University as the Hawks eked out a 14-9 win in the driving wind and rain last Saturday. Both teams could muster only 268 yards of total offense combined but it was a fake punt by the Hawks that was the difference. Mike DiBella took a direct snap from the center and rumbled 51 yards for MU's second TD of the day in the second quarter. T.J. Moriarty sliced the lead to 14-7 late in the second quarter but the Seawolves only managed two more points on an intentional safety late in the game.
NEC History: Stony Brook is in its fourth season as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Seawolves own a 10-17 record in conference play since 1999 and a 18-23 overall record against NEC opponents in its 18-year history.
The One And Only: Head Coach Sam Kornhauser enters his 19th season at the helm of the Stony Brook football program. The only coach in the program's history, Kornhauser has compiled an 85-94-2 record during that stretch, guiding the program from the Division III to the Division I-AA level. His teams have posted a .500 record or better 10 times in his career.
A Brave New Seaworld: Stony Brook's new home has provided just about as many thrills as the famous waterpark. The Seawolves are 2-0 in their new digs with wins over St. John's and preseason NEC favorite Albany. In addition, fans have come out in droves to be a part of all of the action. In two games, the Seawolves have drawn 14,269 fans, crushing last year's season total of 5,417.
Head-To-Head: Stony Brook holds a 7-2 overall series advantage but it has been the Pioneers who have won two straight. Last year, SHU posted a 42-2 win over the Seawolves.
Thank You Senator: Today the new Stony Brook University athletic stadium will be officially named the Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in honor of the the New York State Senator. Senator LaValle has played a key role in shaping New York State education policy and was instrumental in bringing the new stadium to Stony Brook.
Let's Hear It For Aden: One can't say enough about the play of linebacker Aden Smith. The senior leader of Stony Brook's defense continues to post staggering numbers. Last week, he posted his ninth consecutive double-digit tackle performance, the 16th in his last 17 games. He did so in spectacular fashion, making a game-high 15 stops, 14 of them solos. He now has 255 career tackles but what makes that stat even more remarkable is that Smith began playing regularly at the end of the 2000 season (he had five tackles as a freshman) where he made his first two collegiate starts and has racked up the big numbers in the last 17 games -- less than two full seasons of action. In those 17 games, Smith has totaled 227 takedowns -- a 13.4 per game average.
A Solo Effort: Smith's 14 solo tackles set a new school record, eclipsing the previous mark of 11 that was held by Paul Klyap, Tim Croke and Jesus Marcano.
A Race For The Record: Smith's unbelievable tackle pace has set up a friendly competition between teammates. Dan Bertzos entered the season 69 tackles shy of breaking James Leach's all-time career tackle record of 299. Bertzos has totaled 36 tackles in 2002 to bring his career total to 267. Smith's 72 tackles gives him 255, only 12 behind Bertzos and 44 away from Leach's mark.
Bertzos has 127 career solo stops while Smith has 122 --- the all-time career record is 128 held by John Harris.
Rain, Rain Go Away: Noah and his ark would have been proud last weekend as Stony Brook took on Monmouth in monsoon conditions in Long Branch, N.J. How bad was it? Both teams combined for only a total of 268 yards of offense. Monmouth had exactly zero yards passing on three attempts and Stony Brook quarterback Scott Bard, who came into the game as the league's top passer, threw for a career-low 26 yards as he completed only six of 21 passes.
Monmouth's inability to complete a pass equalled a SB record for opponent futility in the passing game. Back on November 8, 1986, St. Peter's failed to complete a pass in a 48-0 loss to Stony Brook.
Passing Fancy: The Stony Brook spread offense likes to take to the air. Entering this weekend, the passing attack is ranked first in the NEC along with Robert Morris, averaging 165.8 yards per game through the air.
The attack is led by quarterback Scott Bard who is second in the NEC in passing yards per game (162.2) and first in total offense (168.0).
Nine different receivers have caught passes this season, four of them have caught 10 or more passes this season.
Homecoming Results: The Seawolves have lost their last two homecoming game to Sacred Heart (2000) and Monmouth (2001).
Block And Tackle: That is just what DT Bryan Karp did last Saturday. Karp registered a career-high nine takedowns, all of them solo, and also blocked a Monmouth field goal attempt in the first quarter. It is Karp's second block of the year -- he knocked down a St. John's extra-point attempt in the season opener.
Stony Brook blocked two fields goals last week against Monmouth.
Getting On The Board: The Seawolves offense will have their work cut out of them against the Pioneers. Sacred Heart, playing for the first time in two weeks, is coming off back-to-back shutouts in a 28-0 shutout over St. Francis and a 34-0 whitewash against Robert Morris.
New And Improved: With the Seawolves standing at 3-2 the statistics show why.
Here is where the Seawolves rank in the NEC:
Scoring Defense: 2nd (14.8 ppg)
Scoring Offense: 4th (21.0 ppg)
Pass Offense: 1st (165.8)
Kickoff Returns: 1st (24.7)
Punting: 3rd (33.1)
Total Offense: 3rd (274.8)
Total Defense: 3rd (253.0)
Streaking: The Seawolves have won both home games this year and four straight dating back to last season. A win today would mark the first time the Seawolves have won three straight at home in a single season since 1999.
The "D" Is The Key: The Stony Brook defense continues to impress week in and week out. SB heads into the game as the second-ranked scoring defense in the NEC, yielding only 14.8 points per game. SB will be challenged today as the league's top offense comes to town. The Pioneers are averaging a league-best 27.6 points per game.
Polling Place: After being ranked in the Sports Network 1-AA Mid Major Top Ten Poll for the last two weeks, Stony Brook slipped out of the top ten after the 14-9 setback to Monmouth. Stony Brook climbed as high as No. 8 after the St. Francis win.
Warm It Up Chris: Senior wideout Chris McGovern may be saving his best for last. Through five games, McGovern ranks as one of the top receivers in the NEC, second in the league in receptions per game (3.8) and receiving yards per game (56.0)
McGovern ranks sixth all-time with 89 career receptions and checks in fourth all-time in career receiving yardage.
A Shoning Star: Freshman Shon Brownlee is quickly making his presence felt in a Seawolf uniform. Against Albany, he provided the game-winning score with a 97-yard kickoff return for a TD. He currently ranks as the No. 2 receiver on the team with 12 receptions for 122 yards.
The Magic Kingdom: Junior cornerback Chad King is turning the Seawolves football world into his own little fantasy land early on this year. He is second in the league in interceptions and has been a terror on special teams. In the season opener, he notched both a kick return and a punt return for a TD. He currently is second in the NEC in kick return average (26.0).
Jersey Boys: There are several New Jersey natives who are making a big impact with the Seawolves. On defense three-quarters of the starting secondary are made up of New Jersians in Ernie Williams (Teaneck), Chad King (Ocean Township) and Mike Lambert (Long Branch). Running back Ken Lockhart (Flanders, N.J.) is the lone NJ starter on the offensive side of the ball.
Silence Of The Lambert: Strong safety Mike Lambert has been silencing all comers this season. He now ranks fourth on the team in tackles two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to his credit.
Krimzon And Mounter: Freshmen linebackers Krimzon Marrero and Mike Mounter should see plenty of action today backing up starters Aden Smith and David Lee. Marrero (12 tackles) and Mounter (9 stops) have been seeing more time each and every week.
The Sackmen: Bryan Karp and David Bamiro each lead the team in sacks with three.
1-2-3, Look At Mr. Lee : Junior transfer David Lee made a big first impression in just three starts at linebacker. Starting in place of the injured Clint Riggs, Lee has averaged over seven tackles per game, six of them coming for losses.
2,000-Yard Plateau: Scott Bard's 205 passing yards against Wagner gave his 2,098 for his career, making him the fourth passer in school history to throw for 2,000 or more yards in a career. Along the way, he passed Dan Shabbick (2,040 yards) and now stands third on the all-time list. Next on the list is Scott Meyer, who finished his career with 3,228 yards.
At his current pace, Bard would finish the 2002 season with over 3,600 yards to take over sole possession of second place.
Scott Moving Up On Other Lists Too: Bard is not only moving up the career passing yardage list. He is now second on the completions list with 206, surpassing Scott Meyer (192) and trailing only Tim Schroeder (642). Bard's 18 passing TDs ranks second all time to Schroeder's 68 TD passes.
