Sept. 1, 2004

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

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The Stony Brook football team tees it up for the first time in 2004 when it travels to Lehigh for I-AA non-conference matchup on Saturday. The Seawolves enter 2004 as one of the favorites to challenge for the NEC title as they return 19 of 22 starters from one year ago. Kick-off is 1 p.m. at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pa. Radio: The game will be carried live on WLIE 540 AM, WUSB 90.1 and on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230, 1160, 1320) Backdrop: Stony Brook opens up the 2004 campaign with its first ever meeting against Lehigh and only its second matchup with a Patriot League team since the move to the Division I level. About the Opponent: • The Mountain Hawks have won four of the last six Patriot League titles and has the best winning percentage of any I-AA institution (83.6 %) in the span. • All-America tight end Adam Bergen and starting quarterback Kyle Keating lead an offense that returns eight starters and averaged over 30 points per game last season. • Lehigh's defense led the Patriot League last year, allowing the fewest points and yards of any team in the league. Series History: This is the first meeting between the two teams. NEC History: Stony Brook is in its sixth season as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Seawolves own a 21-23 record in conference play since 1999. Versus the Patriot League: Since joining the Division I ranks, the Seawolves are 0-1 against Patriot League teams. SB fell to Georgetown, 49-21, last year. About The Head Coach: Stony Brook Sam Kornhauser enters his 21st season at the helm of the Stony Brook football program. The only coach in the program's history, Kornhauser is four wins away from the 100-win plateau and has helped the Seawolves to a 14-6 record over the last two seasons. For Starters: The Seawolves are 3-2 in season openers since 1999 but have not won a road opener since a 21-19 win over Pace in 1995. Early Bird Gets The Worm: The September 4th kickoff is the earliest start to a season in the history of Stony Brook football. Prior to this season, the earliest start to a season was a September 8th matchup against Ramapo in 1990. Under Center: Quarterback T.J. Moriarty returns as the NEC's top quarterback from a year ago. The first-team All-NEC selection led the league in passing and total offense per game. He finished with 1,929 passing yards and threw for 12 touchdowns. Moriarty was also a threat on the ground, running for 300 yards and six touchdowns. Reaching 2,000?: Moriarty fell 71 yards shy of reaching 2,000 passing yards last season, a feat that has been accomplished by only one quarterback in the program's history. Timm Schroeder did it for three straight years from 1993-95 and stands as the school's all-time passing leader with 7,937 passing yards. Preseason Polling: The Seawolves were picked to finish second in the 2004 NEC Preseason Poll. SB was picked to be runner-up, along with Monmouth, to the Albany Great Danes for the second straight season. The Seawolves enter the season ranked No. 8 in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Preseason Poll. Playing With The Big Boys: Lehigh is the highest ranked opponent that Stony Brook has played in the history of the program. The Mountain Hawks enter Saturday's game with a ranking of No. 23 in the The Sports Network Division I-AA Preseason Poll. Preseason Honors:: Graham and defensive end David Bamiro wereon among 26 football players named to the 2004 Sports Network Preseason I-AA Mid-Major All-America Team. Graham and Bamiro were also two of six Seawolves that pulled down preseason All-NEC accolades. Quarterback T.J. Moriarty, LB Eddie Cobbinah, DT Bryan Karp and OL David Charles also earned preseason All-NEC honors. Clinton Administration: Running back Clinton Graham also enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2003. Coming back after missing two seasons, the last one due to injury, Graham exploded for 1,055 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground as he became the first Stony Brook running back to break the 1,000-yard plateau since Chris Delmadge did so in 1993. A Chip Off The Old Blocker: Moriarty's main target again this season will be Londre Blocker. He and Blocker teamed up for three scores against CCSU last season with Blocker hauling in 10 passes for 183 yards. Blocker notched a team-best seven touchdown receptions in 2003 which ranked as the third-best effort in school history and the best at the D-I level. He now has 15 career touchdown receptions, second only to Glenn Saenz who totaled 28.