Stony Brook, N.Y. - Playing at home for the first time this season, the Stony Brook University football sent the crowd of over 5,700 home with a good feeling after the Seawolves rallied with a touchdown in the final minute to pull out a thrilling 21-20 victory over Brown at LaValle Stadium. SophomoreMichael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) hit junior Donald Porter (Charles Town, W. Va.) with a 10-yard pass with 47 seconds left, with redshirt freshmanWesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) knocking through the game-winning extra point. Brown missed a chance at the win as time expired as a field goal attempt went wide right.
"We need that one," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "I don't think we ever thought that we would lose the game. We had many opportunities that we gave away, but at the end of the day football is all about your ability to finish the game, and in the fourth quarter when it came time that is what we did."
After halting Brown (0-1) and forcing the Bears to punt midway through the fourth quarter, Stony Brook (1-2) started its game-winning drive on its own 27-yard line with 6:37 left in the game. Facing a 3rd and 16, Coulter's pass attempt was tipped by sophomore Matt Brevi (Tampa, Fla.) into the hands of redshirt freshman Jordan Gush (Richardson, Texas) for a play that resulted in just enough yards for the 1st down. A pair of completions to Brevi sandwiched around an 11-yard run by senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) gave SBU a first and goal at the Brown seven. A three-yard loss on a run and an incomplete pass put the Seawolves in a third and goal from the 10 situation, but Porter got open in the end zone after a nice move and Coulter found him for the score that tied the game before Skiffington gave the Seawolves their only lead of the contest with his extra-point.
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After pinning Stony Brook deep in its own end midway thought the first, Brown took advantage of a short field for the first points of the game. Starting from the SBU 48, the Bears needed only four plays to reach the end zone, scoring on a 20-yard pass from Kyle Newhall-Caballero to Matthew Sudfeld. Stony Brook answered quickly, however, after Brevi returned the ensuing Brown kickoff 51 yards to the BU 38. Three plays later sophomore Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) ran it in from 27 yards out to tie the game at 7-7.
Brown again had a short field on its next possession after returning the kickoff out to their own 47. Newhall-Caballero completed all four of his passes on the drive, with the final a 23-yard scoring toss to Buddy Farnham that put the Bears back on top, 14-7, with 1:27 left in the first.
Stony Brook's defense came up with a couple of big plays in the second quarter, one of which led to a score. With Brown driving deep into Stony Brook territory, junior Arin West (Toms River, N.J.) intercepted Newhall-Caballero in the end zone to halt the Bear threat. On the next play Brown got the ball right back after recovering a Cuttino fumble on the SBU 19. The Seawolves defense again came up with an interception to thwart the Bears. This time juniorStephen Schwicke (East Patchogue, N.Y.) picked off the pass and returned it 32 yards to the Stony Brook 44.
Sophomore Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.), who had missed the first two games with a sore throwing elbow, came in at quarterback for Stony Brook and sparked the drive by completing a 26-yard pass to Porter on the first play of the drive. Facing a 4th and eight on the Brown 28, Stony Brook elected to go for it and it paid off when Hoffman hit Gush for a 28-yard scoring play that tied it up again with 6:29 left in the half.
Midway through the third quarter Coulter hit Brevi down the right sideline for a 44-yard gain, but Brevi coughed up the ball at the Brown 29 where the Bears recovered. Brown then went on its longest drive of the night, going 71 yards in 10 plays. The key play on the drive came on a 4th and six at the BU 33. Brown called a fake punt and it was successful as punter Nate Lovett scampered 37 yards to the Stony Brook 30. Newhall-Caballero capped off the drive with a six-yard scoring pass, but the extra-point was missed by the Bears, a miss that would prove costly.
Stony Brook's defense came up with another big play early in the fourth quarter when Brown went for it on a 4th and nine at the Stony Brook 34. Junior Chevar Rankins(Middletown, Conn.) dropped Farnham for a seven yard loss on a pass play to halt the Brown threat.
After Stony Brook took the 21-20 lead, Brown got the ball back on its own 34 with 42 seconds and all of its timeouts left. The Bears drove the ball down to the Stony Brook 33, but Drew Plitcha's 40-yard field goal attempt was off target, giving the Seawolves their first win of the season.
Coulter finished with a 10-for-12 night passing, good for 137 yards and a score. Brevi caught a career-high five balls for 76 yards and was outstanding on kick returns, totaling 140 yards on three attempts. Cuttino led the rushing attack with 71 yards on 18 carries. Brown, which out gained Stony Brook in total yards, 411-311, was led by Newhall-Caballero who completed 29 of 45 attempts for 267 yards and three scores. Farnham caught 12 of those balls for 121 yard and one score. Senior Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa.) led the Stony Brook defense with 12 tackles, with West adding 11 more.
Stony Brook will be back on the road next week when it will take on nationally ranked Massachusetts in Amherst on September 26 at 6:00 p.m.
