Aug. 30, 2008

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's football team started the 2008 season on a high note, scoring 28 unanswered first half points as it took a 42-26 win over Colgate in the first ever meeting between the two teams. The Seawolves running game ground out 270 yards, with junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) gaining 104 and freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) going for 147 yards and a pair of scores in his impressive debut in a Stony Brook uniform.

I am excited about our win," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "We performed very well on both sides of the ball in the first half. We might have scored a little too quickly in the second half and lost our concentration a bit, we are a better football team than we played at times in the second half. But we came back and made crucial stops and controlled the ball in the fourth quarter."

Both teams had shaky starts, with Colgate and Stony Brook throwing interceptions on their opening possessions. Junior Chris Richards (Quartz Hills, Calif.) made the first of his two interceptions of the night for Stony Brook, but the Seawolves gave it right back on their first possession when Wayne Moten picked off freshman Dayne Hoffman's (Ada, Mich.) first career attempt. Gaining possession on the Stony Brook 24, Colgate turned the interception into points when it got a 21-yard field goal from Jacob Stein to go up 3-0.

Colgate's lead was short lived, however, as Stony Brook erupted for 28 straight points. After the Colgate field goal Stony Brook drove 65 yards in six plays, getting key completions from Hoffman to sophomore Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va.) for 26 yards and to Cuttino for 13 yards. Cuttino finished that off with a one-yard plunge and the Seawolves had a lead that it would not give up the rest of the night.

Junior Cory Giddings set up the next score for SBU, picking off a pass that put the Seawolves on the Colgate 34. On the second play of the drive Gowins took his first collegiate handoff and took it 22 yards to the end zone to put Stony Brook up 14-3.

Stony Brook scored again on its first two possessions of the second quarter. Cuttino's 25-yard run set up Hoffman's one-yard score at the 9:01 mark that made it 21-3. On the next possession it was Gowins who had the big play, bursting through the Raiders defense for 57 yards to set up a one-yard run by senior Brandon Mason (Phillipsburg, Pa.) that made it 28-3 with 5:56 left in the half. Colgate put together a 10-play drive on its next possession, but the Seawolves defense stiffened and held the Raiders to another Stein field goal that made it 28-6.

Just a minute into the second half Hoffman hooked up with senior Lynell Suggs (Bronx, N.Y.) on his first career TD pass, a play that covered 49 yards and put the Seawolves up by 29 points. Colgate's offense then started to show some spark and the Raiders scored touchdowns on their next three possessions. Jordan McCord capped off the Raiders longest drive of the night, a 10-play, 72-yard effort, with a six-yard run that made it 35-12 after the extra-point was missed.

Stony Brook answered that one quickly, getting a 49-yard completion from Hoffman to junior Donald Lee (Clifton, N.J.) and a 20-yard scoring run from Gowins, a drive that took just 41 seconds. Colgate answered just as quickly when Sam Breslin took a pitch on an end-around and then threw a 67-yard scoring strike to Pat Simonds. On the second play of the fourth quarter McCord found the end zone for the second time in the contest, scoring on a 13-yard scamper that made it 42-26.

Neither team would score after that. Stony Brook's defense forced a three and out on the next Colgate possession and then got a sack from freshman Ryan Haber (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) and Richard's second interception of the night to halt another Raider drive. With 6:47 left in the game Stony Brook's offense then ran all but eight seconds of that off the clock as the Seawolves claimed their sixth consecutive win at LaValle Stadium.

Hoffman finished his first outing at quarterback by completing eight of 16 attempts for 174 yards and one score, throwing the one interception. Suggs caught three of the balls for 70 yards and one score. McCord led Colgate in rushing with 90 yards while quarterback Greg Sullivan threw for 105 yards and rushed for 66 more. Simonds led all receivers with 134 yards on six catches.

Junior Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa.) led the Stony Brook defense with nine tackles while Richards set a LaValle Stadium record with his two interceptions