Originally published: October 16, 2010 4:28 PM
Updated: October 16, 2010 7:27 PM
By GREG LOGAN greg.logan@newsday.com
EASTON, Pa. - If Stony Brook thought it could waltz to a win over a 0-5 Lafayette team Saturday at Fisher Stadium, the Seawolves came away painfully humbled and chastened.
They were penalized 11 times for 119 yards in their 28-21 loss, including one that wiped out a 64-yard touchdown run by Miguel Maysonet that would have given SBU a third-quarter lead.
When the game was on the line after Stony Brook quarterback Michael Coulter scrambled for a 1-yard touchdown to cut Lafayette's lead to 17-14 with 10:35 left, the Seawolves' defense allowed the Leopards to hold the ball for 7:52 and drive 60 yards for a field goal with 2:43 left. That effectively clinched the win for Lafayette as Stony Brook dropped to 2-4.
In the final minutes, Stony Brook turned the ball over on downs at its 1-yard line, setting up a touchdown dive by Lafayette backup quarterback Marc Quilling, and Coulter hit Matt Brevi with nine seconds left for a meaningless 1-yard score.
After the game, SBU coach Chuck Priore spent 40 minutes lecturing his team and meeting with his coaching staff. Describing his message, Priore said, "Football is not about winning and losing games. It's about playing with class, playing with dignity and playing with your heart. We've got to be better at those things. I would say we've got to grow up as a team, and it's not just the X's and O's."
Two penalties, in particular, reflected problems that surfaced earlier this season.
The game was tied at 7 after the Leopards scored on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Ryan O'Neil to Michael Bennett and the Seawolves countered with a 15-yard TD pass from Coulter to Chris Fenelon.
Lafayette had a touchdown called back but still was threatening when O'Neil was sacked by Jonas Rousseau at SBU's 29, setting up fourth-and-18 and leaving the Leopards just beyond field-goal range on a blustery day. But defensive end Joseph Kirkpatrick was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the ball to the 14 and setting up a 30-yard field goal by Davis Rodriguez for a 10-7 Lafayette halftime lead.
Early in the third quarter, Maysonet broke a tackle and motored 64 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, only to have it called back. That was bad, but later in the drive, a personal foul on center Paul Fenaroli wiped out another 10-yard gain by Maysonet, putting the Seawolves in second-and-20, and the drive broke down. After the punt, Lafayette drove 79 yards to extend its lead to 17-7 on an 8-yard pass from O'Neil to Bennett.
A holding penalty on guard Mario Dattilo on Stony Brook's next drive wiped out a 9-yard run by Maysonet for a first down at the Lafayette 24, and that drive fizzled. But Coulter completed five of eight passes for 59 yards on the next drive before scoring to pull within 17-14.
Leopards quarterback O'Neil suffered a blow to the head and was replaced by Quilling, who started handing off to freshman running back Pat Mputu. He wore down SBU's defensive line, carrying 10 times for 48 yards to set up a 29-yard field goal by Rodriguez for a 20-14 lead.
"We lost some composure," Coulter said. "Even more than winning or losing, it's about how to conduct yourself as a person and how to represent Stony Brook. We're very disappointed we didn't do that well today with officials and the other team."
