Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook's football team will return home for its first appearance in LaValle Stadium in three weeks on Saturday when the Seawolves will host Charleston Southern. The game will be a part of Wolfstock2008, the annual homecoming activities for Stony Brook University. It will also be the first home Big South Conference game for Stony Brook, as well as the first meeting between the Seawolves and Buccaneers in football. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m.
Kickoff
A trip home just might be what Stony Brook needs to right itself as the Seawolves return to the friendly confines of LaValle Stadium to face Charleston Southern for Homecoming. Stony Brook will be looking to break into the win column for the first time since the first game of the season against the Buccaneers, who have won three in a row. Despite the loss last week at Liberty, a win by Stony Brook this week would put the Seawolves right back into the thick of the Big South race. At Liberty the nationally ranked Flames had too much too much offense for Stony Brook to overcome in a 33-0 Liberty win. The Flames ground out over 400 yards of offense in the victory, while Stony Brook could not put points on the board despite a number of trips inside Liberty territory. Quarterback Dayne Hoffman completed passes to seven different receivers for 142 yards to lead the Seawolves. Ed Gowins led Stony Brook in rushing for the third time this season, averaging over seven yards a carry, and comes into this week's game as the number three rusher in the Big South.
The Opponent
Picked for a fifth-place finish in the Big South preseason poll, Charleston Southern has started 1-0 in the league after taking an exciting 13-10 win over Gardner-Webb two weeks ago. The Buccaneers got a 26-yard field goal with five seconds left to claim the win. Last week Charleston Southern made it three in a row, taking a 29-20 win at Savannah State despite turning the ball over five times to even its record at 3-3. Quarterback Tribble Reese, who did not start last week, is the top offensive threat for CSU, averaging 165 yards passing per game. The Buccaneers prefer the pass over the run, with the passing game accounting for nearly 70 percent of their offensive totals. On the ground CSU averages just 86.7 yards. Defensively the Buccaneers are led by linebacker Andrew McKain who has 31 tackles, and defensive back Philip Ashley who has three interceptions and set a school record last week with his eighth career pic.
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The Series
Like all of the Big South schools that Stony Brook will meet this season, this will be the first meeting between SBU and Charleston Southern in football. The Buccaneers are one of seven opponents for the Seawolves this season that are first timers. This week's game also marks the first of two straight against teams from South Carolina (Coastal Carolina is next week), another first for the Stony Brook football program.
