Stony Brook University’s football team annihilated Central Connecticut State University 49-17 during the first game of the regular season. Quarterback Kyle Essington, a senior, finished with an impressive 188 yards and three touchdowns. However, the real star of the show was running back Miguel Maysonet.
Maysonet, a senior, finished with 16 rushes, 172 rushing yards, 25 passing yards and three touchdowns. It was the sixth game in Maysonet’s career where he finished with three or more touchdowns. With 3:31 left in the first quarter, Maysonet raced down the field, hurdled over defenders and ran into the end zone for an 84-yard touchdown run. The play was the longest rushing touchdown in Stony Brook’s Division I football history.
“As I was running I got pretty tired,” Maysonet said. “Good thing Adrian [Coxson] caught up with me and he got a good block, and that’s ultimately the reason why I scored.”
The game seemed to be in the hands of Stony Brook shortly after the first quarter. With a 21-0 lead heading into the second quarter, Stony Brook continued to add on points. Junior running back Marcus Coker also had an impressive game with 19 carries, 76 yards and one touchdown. The former player from Iowa seemed to be fitting in quite well with his new team.
Although Stony Brook’s football team has been known for its running game for quite some time, its wide receivers showcased their talents against CCSU. With 7:40 left in the first quarter, Essington found senior wide receiver Kevin Norrell for an 89-yard touchdown pass, making it the second longest passing touchdown in Stony Brook’s history as a Division I team.
“I just heaved it up there and he came down with it,” Essington said. “And I knew that he was going to score right when he saw it.”
Norrell finished the game with 99 yards and one touchdown. Coach Chuck Priore continues to praise the wide receiver, who is constantly improving.
“He’s a terrific player,” Priore said, referring to Norrell. “He makes plays and we’re excited about having a very diverse offense, and at the end of the day, we can hit you a lot of different ways.”
Stony Brook faces a difficult season this year. The Seawolves will be playing away games at Syracuse and Army, where it will have to prove that it can play on the same level as two well-known, tough football teams. However, Priore acknowledges that winning the first game of the season contributes to a positive morale from here on out.
“It was very important for us to win today, obviously as a program, but it’s more important for us to play well and perform, and both of them happened, so that’s real nice,” Priore said.
The Seawolves do not have a bye this season, so they will be playing 11 straight weeks of football, continuing with Pace University on Sept. 8.
Essington recognized how important it was to have such a large fan base at the game. The 6,094 attendees at Saturday night’s opening game had a definite positive effect on the quarterback’s confidence on the field.
“It’s a great feeling opening the season up at home and seeing all the students who were going crazy,” Essington said. “I love looking out there and seeing them going wild for us.”
With the victory comes confidence, and in Essington’s first year as a starting quarterback, he is self-assured that this team will finish the season off strong.
“I definitely see big things in the future,” Essington said. “I have my eyes set on a national championship.”
