Conway, S.C. - Sophomore Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.) ran for a collegiate-high 193 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns to lead the Stony Brook football team to a 38-28 win over Big South rival Coastal Carolina on Saturday night. Maysonet rushed for 168 yards in the first half as well as all three TDs. It was the 1th most rushing yards in school history.
Junior Brock Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) rushed for two touchdowns for the third time this season. He leads the Big South with seven rushing touchdowns and Stony Brook with eight.
All five touchdowns for Stony Brook (3-4, 2-0) came on the ground. It was the Seawolves' fourth game with at least 200 yards rushing. SBU, which now is 10-3 all-time in Big South games, has not rushed for fewer than 140 yards this season. It also has had a 100-yard rusher in five of the seven games this season.
\Sophomore Wesley Skiffington's (Brandon, Fla.) connected on all five extra points as well as his fifth field goal of the season.
"That half (first half) was the best football I've seen since I've been at Stony Brook," head coach Chuck Priore said. "We were coming off a loss that really hurt this team, and I thought we played with character and pride. Our coaches came up with a great game plan. As for Miguel, he's been great for us. This is a game we're going to build off."
On Stony Brook's first drive of the game, Jackolski took a screen pass for 22 yards and Maysonet ran off left guard for 18 yards. But the key play of the drive was on third-and-seven, as Jackolski caught a 16-yard pass, advancing to the Coastal 9. On second-and-goal from the four, Maysonet scampered for his fourth touchdown of the season.
Maysonet was even better on the next drive, as he took a handoff 78 yards to the Coastal 2. It was the longest rush in school history since Ralph Menendez's 80-yard run against Sacred Heart in 2000. It also was the third longest rush Coastal Carolina (2-5, 1-1) has given up in school history. Two plays later, Jackolski rushed for his sixth touchdown and seventh, overall.
After Skiffington's 43-yard field goal, junior Roosevelt Kirk (Oakland, Calif.) recovered a fumble by Coastal quarterback Zach MacDowall on the 19. Maysonet took it from there, rushing 14 yards before a five-yard TD.
On their next drive, the Seawolves wasted no time, going 64 yards in two plays in just 31 seconds. Junior Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) connected with senior Michael Lepore (Brick, N.J.) on a 33-yard pass to the Coastal 31. Maysonet then eluded a few tackles, finally scampering 31 yards for his third touchdown of the game.
MacDowall's one-yard touchdown was the only score of the half for the Chanticleers, who totaled 111 yards of total offense. They ran 13 times for just 25 yards.
Stony Brook recorded its 14th takeaway of the season when sophomore Craig Richardson (Malden, Mass.) picked off MacDowall on Coastal's third drive on the first half. It was the Seawolves' 14th takeaway of the season.
Aaron Jones' one-yard TD and MacDowall's 2-point conversion made it 31-15 on the first drive of the third quarter.
The Chanticleers started their next drive on the eight after sophomore Drew Evangelista's (Cedar Grove, N.J.) punt. The Seawolves forced a fourth down, but punter Ben Erdman went for eight yards on a fake. Following a 15-yard personal foul that put the ball on the Coastal 38, Eric O'Neal ran for 40 yards down to the Stony Brook 22. Two plays later Aramis Hillary, who relieved MacDowall, completed a 24-yard pass to Marquel Willis for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was nullified by an illegal shift.
Stony Brook put the game away when Jackolski ran for a six-yard TD after forcing Coastal to turn the ball over on downs.
Senior Stephen Schwicke (East Patchogue, N.Y.) intercepted a pass before Stony Brook took a knee to end the game.
The Seawolves will host Charleston Southern next Saturday at LaValle Stadium. Game time is 3:00 p.m. The game also marks the ninth annual Raymond M. Downey Heroes Classic. For tickets and more information, visit GoSeawolves.org.
