West Point, NY (Sports Network) - Stony Brook had two questions entering its
game at Army on Saturday. How would it stop the nation's No. 1-ranked rushing
offense and would it be able to run the ball with the type of success it has
had all season?
With its first-ever win against an FBS school, Stony Brook defiantly answered
those questions, defeating Army, 23-3, as senior Miguel Maysonet rushed for a
career-high 220 yards and two touchdowns.
For an 18th-ranked team which is still developing at the FCS level, SBU (4-1)
has made great strides over the last two years. The Seawolves made their
first-ever FCS playoff appearance last season, beating Albany in the first
round and giving eventual national runner-up Sam Houston State all it could
handle before falling in the second round.
Not to mention, last year Stony Brook opened its season with a seven-point
overtime loss at UTEP and just two weeks ago it competed well at Syracuse
before falling, 28-17.
For long-time coach Chuck Priore, Saturday's win was one of the most rewarding
games for him because of they way his team executed in its fifth all-time game
against an FBS school.
"This team rode last year's team up until the second half of last week,"
Priore said. "It was all about last year, what you did last year. I think we
came out and made a statement in the second half. I told them if they really
wanted it to be your team you're going to have to do something about that
today, because if not, they're going to keep on talking about last year.
"It's rewarding because when you put a plan together, very rarely do you
execute it to the level our kids and coaches executed it today."
Stony Brook's first drive of the game set the tone for a team which was going
to establish its high powered run attack. As much as the Black Knights
faithful hate to admit it, this game should have Miguel Maysonet day in West
Point.
The senior scampered for a 49-yard touchdown for SBU's first score of the day
and the Seawolves jumped out to an early 13-0 lead after one quarter. By
halftime, Maysonet had already totaled 139 rushing yards and averaged 11 yards
per carry. The Seawolves led, 20-3.
"It was huge for us to come out there and score right away, it just made us
excited to play and it showed that we would come out there and compete with
them," Maysonet said. "The way we were running the ball and the blocking of
the offensive line ... I'm just excited for us to able to say that we were the
first team to do that (defeat an FBS school) in SBU history."
Even his offensive line has bought into the hype that Maysonet brings to the
table week in and week out.
"It's amazing, you know when I see Miguel score, to me it's like I'm scoring,"
offensive lineman Scott Hernandez said. "It's the fruit of my work. We don't
get any glory for our work, so seeing him do what he does ... he's amazing.
Just seeing him, it's rewarding enough for blocking. I need nothing but to
watch him do his thing."
While Maysonet stole the show - setting a career high in rushing yards for the
second straight week - it was the Seawolves' defense which forced four total
fumbles and recovered all of them. It limited Army's No. 1-ranked rushing
offense (in the FBS) to just 273 rushing yards and 330 total yards.
"When you put work in, you get rewards," Priore said. "You have got to focus
on the rewards you're getting and why you're getting them. I think our kids
realize the reason they're getting them is because they come every Sunday and
put last week in the bank, and we look to write another check for the next
week. ... We're not too excited to play the next game, we're just ready to
play the next game. I think that's the mark of a team that has confidence and
plays together."
The Seawolves entered the game as the FCS' No. 4 rushing team with 327 yards
per contest. However, while they only rushed for 273 yards against the Black
Knights (0-4), they totaled 434 yards and quarterback Kyle Essington was very
efficient. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 151 yards, with seven completions
to wide receiver Kevin Norrell.
"I think the progress of this program has shown over the course of the first
five weeks," Priore said. "Obviously, it feels good to sit there knowing we've
played well through the first five games. We understand our identity and
understand our strengths and weaknesses. We have weaknesses, but we've been
able to identify them and to be able to get out of it at 4-1. I think that's
crucial from a team confidence standpoint."
The Sports Network