Stony Brook buries last year’s disappointing loss under an offensive avalanche
The Seawolves surrendered 38 points to Sacred Heart in 2016, among the worst showings against an FCS opponent in the last five years. Those kinds of off games happen, to be sure. But they’re not supposed to happen against teams like Sacred Heart.
With apologies to the Pioneers, CAA teams—even the bottom half of the conference—are not supposed to be so thoroughly outplayed by a Northeast Conference opponent. Remember: we pay teams like Sacred Heart to come play at LaValle Stadium.
Sacred Heart was back at LaValle Stadium this year, and Stony Brook made the most of their opportunity to exact some revenge. Riding a 35-point first half—their most productive half of fooball in five years—Stony Brook cruised to a 45–7 win to move to 2–1 on the season.
For a minute in the first quarter, it looked like the game might be a close affair. Stony Brook took advantage of great field position after a botched punt on Sacred Heart’s first possession of the game to take a 7–0 lead, and quickly doubled it on special teams’ second blocked punt for a touchdown in three games. But the lead was trimmed back down to one touchdown by the Pioneers after a drive that looked uncharacteristically easy against a normally stout Stony Brook defense.
Any anxiety in the stands was quickly alleviated in the second quarter though, as Joe Carbone and the rest of the Seawolves offense found a rhythm—and the endzone. Their first drive of the second quarter was textbook Stony Brook—ground and pound, with an occasional completion to keep the defense honest. Donald Liotine, Stacey Bedell, and Sherman Alston Jr. all got touches, while Donavin Washington hauled in two receptions, including a 7-yard touchdown grab to make it 21–7.
From there, the defense took over. Sacred Heart’s next two possessions each went three and out, and they managed a cumulative total of 1 yard of forward progress. By the time Sacred Heart managed another first down, Stony Brook had scored twice more—one on a 25-yard reception by Ray Bolden, the other a 54-yard run by Bedell—and it was 35–7.
Stony Brook’s offensive outburst in the first half harkened back to the Seawolves’ days in the Big South, when they would routinely hang 40, 50, 60 points on opponents. The last time Stony Brook scored five touchdowns in a half came back in 2012 in a game against Division II Pace that the Seawolves ultimately won 77–7.
The score wouldn’t be quite so lopsided this week, but the offense wasn’t done in the second half. Stony Brook would make it 42–7 on another drive highlighted by a well-balanced running attack. This time it was Jordan Gowins finishing off the last 27 yards, stringing together four rushes en route to the end zone.
Carbone’s three touchdown passes—to Cal Daniels, Washington, and Bolden—equaled his entire output from the 2016 season. As a matter of fact, the entire Seawolves offense was remarkably well-rounded on Saturday. Five different Seawolves rushed for at least 20 yards, four receivers totaled at least 9 yards, and all five offensive touchdowns were credited to different players.
Alex Lucansky added the cherry on top in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard field goal, the longest of his young career thus far and the longest made field goal for Stony Brook in over two years.
So what to make of Stony Brook’s year so far? There are certainly encouraging signs, chiefly the offense which has looked uncharacteristically potent the last two weeks. With the defense as dominant as ever, Stony Brook has outscored their last two opponents by a combined 80–25.
What’s more, Stony Brook has shown signs of improvement week to week so far. After last year’s roller coaster of a season, consistent play is a welcome sign.
Stony Brook now sits at 2–1 on the season for the second straight year as they gear up for the bulk of the CAA schedule, starting with Towson next week. The Tigers are also off to a hot start, their only loss coming against FBS Maryland in Week 2.
