Back on the field and back on the road, the Seawolves traveled to South Carolina to take on the Charleston Southern Buccaneers Saturday. But at the final buzzer, Stony Brook found itself on the wrong end of a conference matchup for the first time this season, falling 30-27.
‘I am happy that we were in it at the end,’ said Head Coach Chuck Priore, ‘We played hard and came back, but we gave them those points we should not have.’
The Seawolves dug themselves into an early hole, allowing the Buccaneers to return the opening kickoff for 89 yards and tie the score. But Stony Brook would respond, as it did for the majority of the game, managing to stay in position to win throughout regulation.
Charleston Southern dealt its heaviest blow midway through the third period. The Buccaneer defense picked off a Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, CA.) pass, the second interception thrown by the sophomore quarterback, and returned it for 51 yards and the score. The Seawolves faced a 27-17 gap with time ticking away.
But Stony Brook kept fighting. First, senior running back Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, NY.) picked up a clutch 43 yards, to bring the Seawolves into Buccaneer territory. Then, sophomore running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, NY.) capped off the drive with a 14-yard scoring run, drawing the road team within three, 27-24. With the run, Gowins became the sixth Seawolves running back to reach the 2,000-yard mark.
But Stony Brook still trailed. Desperately needing to get the ball back, the road team relied on its defense. Junior defensive lineman Joseph Kirkpatrick (Athens, TX.) recovered a Buccaneer fumble for 56 crucial yards, bringing his team just 14 yards out of the end zone. Stony Brook failed to capitalize, but evened the score on a redshirt freshman Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, FL.) field goal, with a little under 13 minutes to go.
The score remained unaltered, as both teams failed to get on the board late in regulation. After having the ball first in overtime, Stony Brook gave it away on another Coulter interception, and the Buccaneers capitalized by kicking in the winning field goal.
‘It’s disappointing to not be undefeated anymore,’ said junior wide receiver Donald Porter (Charles Town, WVA.). ‘But, we still have a chance to be co-champs if we beat Liberty next weekend, so we’re focused on that,’ he added.
The Liberty Flames visit LaValle stadium next weekend for a matchup of the Big South’s best two teams. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
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