Boiling Springs, N.C. - On a gray, rainy day in North Carolina, Stony Brook's football team overcame an early deficit and spoiled Gardner-Webb's homecoming with a 24-14 victory. Trailing 14-7 at the half, the Seawolves dominated the second half, limiting the Runnin' Bulldogs to just six yards rushing in the final 30 minutes and forcing three turnovers that helped the offense score 17 unanswered points. Senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) ran for 73 yards and sophomore Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) threw for a pair of scores as SBU remained undefeated at 4-0 in the Big South, improving to 5-4 overall.
"We played great defense the entire game," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "I have to give a lot of credit to our offense as well. They could have been down, but that drive in the fourth quarter was as good a fourth quarter drive that I have seen. I am proud of our team. We are a four-quarter team and we got it done today."
After both teams punted on their first possessions, Gardner-Webb (5-3, 2-1 Big South) struck first in the game. Freshman Drew Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) pinned the Runnin' Bulldogs back on their own 15 after a 47-yard punt, but GWU was able to put together a nine-play drive that ended up putting points on the board. Aided by a 15-yard face mask penalty that moved the ball into Stony Brook's end of the field, Gardner-Webb quarterback Stan Doolittle scrambled up the middle and broke through to the end zone for a 27-yard score to make it 7-0 with 6:06 left in the first. Stony Brook's offense had trouble moving the ball in the opening quarter, and was held to 13 yards of offense as the score remained at 7-0 entering the second quarter.
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Stony Brook started the offense moving in the second quarter, bumping its output up to 101 yards. The improved play paid off midway through the quarter when the Seawolves put their first points on the board. Starting on its own 21, SBU moved the ball steadily down the field before the drive appeared to stall on the GWU 30-yard line. Facing a fourth and four, Coulter had enough time in the pocket to find junior Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va.) who had found his way behind the defense down the left side line. Porter took the pass and dove into the end zone for the score to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:52 showing. Gardner-Webb answered on its next drive, however, when Doolittle found Marquis Sanders open in the left side of the end zone and with less than a minute left in the half the Bulldogs had regained the lead.
Stony Brook drove into Gardner-Webb territory on its first possession of the second half, but the drive stalled and the Seawolves were forced to punt. On the Bulldog's third play the ball popped out of the pile at the 16-yard line where junior Arin West scooped up the ball and took it into the end zone untouched for the game-tying score at the 11:04 mark. It was his first and the team's second defensive score of the year. The Stony Brook defense came up with two more big plays in the quarter, with sophomore Ryan Haber (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) recovering another GWU fumble to stop one drive, and the defensive line coming up with a stop on a fourth and inches that gave Stony Brook the ball at the GWU 45-yard line. The Seawolves took advantage of the play, eventually getting down to the GWU 10 on an over the shoulder catch by freshman Jordan Gush (Richardson, Texas). The drive stalled there, however, but SBU was still able to take its first lead of the afternoon when freshman Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) booted a 27-yard field goal with 1:46 left in the third.
Stony Brook never trailed again. In the fourth quarter the Seawolves' defense held Gardner-Webb to 21 yards, including just two on the ground. With 10 minutes left in the game SBU took over on its own 23-yard line and began what proved to be the game-clinching drive. Cuttino ran seven times for 46 yards on the drive, picking up a pair of first downs along with way. Faced with a third and nine with a little more than two minutes to play, Coulter found Gush in the end zone, who dove and scooped the ball up for a 21-yard score.
Gardner-Webb got the ball back out to midfield, but senior Daniel Muy (Tallahassee, Fla.) jumped on another GWU fumble, its fourth of the day, snuffing out any last chance for the Bulldogs.
Cuttino finished with 73 yards on the ground and caught one pass for 40 yards to lead the Stony Brook offense. Coulter completed just nine passes, but they were good for 158 yards and a pair of scores. Gardner-Webb out gained Stony Brook, 315-287, but could not overcome four turnovers. Senior Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa.) led the defense with 12 tackles, with West finishing with 11.
Stony Brook will be off this week, returning to Big South action on November 14 when it again ventures South, this time to take on Charleston Southern. Game time between the Seawolves and Buccaneers is set for 1:30 p.m.
