Stony Brook Closes Season on High Note With 40-26 Win Over VMI
Cuttino, Gowins Each Break School Records
Stony Brook, N.Y. - For a second straight week the Stony Brook football team used an overwhelming ground attack that saw freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) and junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) each reach the 200-yard rushing mark for a second straight week as well, resulting in a 40-26 victory over VMI in a Big South matchup. It was the final game of the season for the Seawolves, who finished the 2008 campaign by winning four of their last five outings. It was another record-setting game as well, as a first quarter run by Cuttino moved him past Ralph Menendez '00 as Stony Brook's all-time leading rusher while Gowins established a new single-season rushing mark.
"I am proud of the entire team," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "It took some believing after the way we started the season, which did not happen right away. If you have talented players they will find the right mechanism to make things work. I go back to the goal-line stand we made against Charleston Southern. We followed that up with a 98-yard drive and I think that turned our season around."
Big plays got Stony Brook (5-6, 3-2 Big South) going early on as the Seawolves scored a pair of touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game. Taking the opening kickoff, the Stony Brook got runs of 16 and 15 yards from Cuttino and then 13 yards and 36 yards for a score from Gowins to go up 7-0 just 1:35 into the game. After holding VMI (3-7, 1-4 Big South) to a three and out, the Seawolves struck again. This time it took just three plays to score, with the first two runs of 32 and 40 yards by Cuttino, the first of which got him the school rushing record. Freshman quarterback Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.) finished it off with an eight-yard scoring strike to senior Dwayne Eley (Bowie, Md.) that made it 13-0 after a missed PAT.
VMI then used the big play to get back into the game when quarterback Tim Maypray broke through the SBU defense for a 60-yard scoring run that made it 13-7 with the quarter not even half over. The first quarter scoring did end there, however, as the Keydets missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt on the next to last play of the quarter. Midway through the second quarter VMI did connect on a field goal, cutting the lead to 13-10 when Greg Stevens hit from 37-yards away. On Stony Brook's next possession the Seawolves used a flea-flicker that resulted in a 55-yard Hoffman to Eley pass on the first play of the drive. That set up a Hoffman one-yard sneak for a score that pushed the SBU lead back to 10 at 20-10 with 5:53 left in the half.
On VMI's second drive of the second half the Keydets took advantage of a pair of personal foul penalties on the same play that put them at midfield. From there the VMI offense got three straight rushes of at least 13 yards that gave it a first and goal at the two. Howard Abegesah took it in from there and the Keydets had closed to within three.
Gowins wasted no time answering for Stony Brook, taking it 65 yards for a score on the fourth play of the ensuing drive. The PAT was blocked, however, and VMI's Bryant Youngblood returned it all the way for a two-point play that kept the Keydets within a touchdown at 26-19.
Early in the fourth quarter Hoffman tossed his second scoring pass of the day, finding junior Donald Lee (Clifton, N.J.) for a 27-yard score that gave the Seawolves a 33-19 advantage with 14:46 left. After forcing a VMI punt, Stony Brook was driving again for a decisive score, but the Keydets' Bryon Allen intercepted a Hoffman pass and returned it 21 yards to the VMI 39. The Keydets then turned the miscue into points, taking eight plays to cover the 61 yards to the end zone. Michael Rainey-Wiles took it in from 12 yards out and VMI was back within a touchdown at 33-26 with seven minutes left.
For the third time in the game Stony Brook answered a VMI score with a touchdown, this time putting the game away for good. Cuttino started the drive with a 19-yard scamper and Hoffman hit Eley for a key first down on a third and three play to keep the dive alive. On the next play Gowins scored his third touchdown of the night, taking it in from 32 yards out for the final score of the game.
Stony Brook's defense did the rest, holding VMI's option attack to a three and out on its next possession to seal the win. Playing in his final game for Stony Brook, senior captain Michael Meadows (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) led the Seawolves defense with nine tackles as it held a Keydets offense that had been averaging over 400 yards per game to 364, all of which came on the ground.
Stony Brook's offense on the other hand, rolled up 622 yards in offense to make it two weeks in a row over the 600-yard mark for the Seawolves. Gowins finished with 250 yards on 20 carries to end the season with 1,310 yards to set a school single-season record, while Cuttino's total of 1,195 is the third best rushing season at SBU, moving him to a record 2,807 for his career. Abegesah led VMI with 109 yards on the ground, with Maypray close behind with 99 yards.
Hoffman finished with 175 yards through the air, completing 11 of his 21 attempts. Eley caught six of his tosses for 104 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season. With the win Stony Brook's 3-2 Big South record gives the Seawolves a chance to finish second in the league standings in its first season in the conference.
Stony Brook, N.Y. - For a second straight week the Stony Brook football team used an overwhelming ground attack that saw freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) and junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) each reach the 200-yard rushing mark for a second straight week as well, resulting in a 40-26 victory over VMI in a Big South matchup. It was the final game of the season for the Seawolves, who finished the 2008 campaign by winning four of their last five outings. It was another record-setting game as well, as a first quarter run by Cuttino moved him past Ralph Menendez '00 as Stony Brook's all-time leading rusher while Gowins established a new single-season rushing mark.
"I am proud of the entire team," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "It took some believing after the way we started the season, which did not happen right away. If you have talented players they will find the right mechanism to make things work. I go back to the goal-line stand we made against Charleston Southern. We followed that up with a 98-yard drive and I think that turned our season around."
Big plays got Stony Brook (5-6, 3-2 Big South) going early on as the Seawolves scored a pair of touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game. Taking the opening kickoff, the Stony Brook got runs of 16 and 15 yards from Cuttino and then 13 yards and 36 yards for a score from Gowins to go up 7-0 just 1:35 into the game. After holding VMI (3-7, 1-4 Big South) to a three and out, the Seawolves struck again. This time it took just three plays to score, with the first two runs of 32 and 40 yards by Cuttino, the first of which got him the school rushing record. Freshman quarterback Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.) finished it off with an eight-yard scoring strike to senior Dwayne Eley (Bowie, Md.) that made it 13-0 after a missed PAT.
VMI then used the big play to get back into the game when quarterback Tim Maypray broke through the SBU defense for a 60-yard scoring run that made it 13-7 with the quarter not even half over. The first quarter scoring did end there, however, as the Keydets missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt on the next to last play of the quarter. Midway through the second quarter VMI did connect on a field goal, cutting the lead to 13-10 when Greg Stevens hit from 37-yards away. On Stony Brook's next possession the Seawolves used a flea-flicker that resulted in a 55-yard Hoffman to Eley pass on the first play of the drive. That set up a Hoffman one-yard sneak for a score that pushed the SBU lead back to 10 at 20-10 with 5:53 left in the half.
On VMI's second drive of the second half the Keydets took advantage of a pair of personal foul penalties on the same play that put them at midfield. From there the VMI offense got three straight rushes of at least 13 yards that gave it a first and goal at the two. Howard Abegesah took it in from there and the Keydets had closed to within three.
Gowins wasted no time answering for Stony Brook, taking it 65 yards for a score on the fourth play of the ensuing drive. The PAT was blocked, however, and VMI's Bryant Youngblood returned it all the way for a two-point play that kept the Keydets within a touchdown at 26-19.
Early in the fourth quarter Hoffman tossed his second scoring pass of the day, finding junior Donald Lee (Clifton, N.J.) for a 27-yard score that gave the Seawolves a 33-19 advantage with 14:46 left. After forcing a VMI punt, Stony Brook was driving again for a decisive score, but the Keydets' Bryon Allen intercepted a Hoffman pass and returned it 21 yards to the VMI 39. The Keydets then turned the miscue into points, taking eight plays to cover the 61 yards to the end zone. Michael Rainey-Wiles took it in from 12 yards out and VMI was back within a touchdown at 33-26 with seven minutes left.
For the third time in the game Stony Brook answered a VMI score with a touchdown, this time putting the game away for good. Cuttino started the drive with a 19-yard scamper and Hoffman hit Eley for a key first down on a third and three play to keep the dive alive. On the next play Gowins scored his third touchdown of the night, taking it in from 32 yards out for the final score of the game.
Stony Brook's defense did the rest, holding VMI's option attack to a three and out on its next possession to seal the win. Playing in his final game for Stony Brook, senior captain Michael Meadows (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) led the Seawolves defense with nine tackles as it held a Keydets offense that had been averaging over 400 yards per game to 364, all of which came on the ground.
Stony Brook's offense on the other hand, rolled up 622 yards in offense to make it two weeks in a row over the 600-yard mark for the Seawolves. Gowins finished with 250 yards on 20 carries to end the season with 1,310 yards to set a school single-season record, while Cuttino's total of 1,195 is the third best rushing season at SBU, moving him to a record 2,807 for his career. Abegesah led VMI with 109 yards on the ground, with Maypray close behind with 99 yards.
Hoffman finished with 175 yards through the air, completing 11 of his 21 attempts. Eley caught six of his tosses for 104 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season. With the win Stony Brook's 3-2 Big South record gives the Seawolves a chance to finish second in the league standings in its first season in the conference.
