The Stony Brook Seawolves football team has completed half of its conference schedule. They have been undefeated since starting conference play, despite having gone winless in non-conference play. They are also the only undefeated team remaining in the NEC.
Following the October 14 win against St. Francis, QB Josh Dudash and DE Corey Giddings were named the NEC’s Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
On this, Head Coach Chuck Priore says they did a ‘nice job,’ but, like the rest of the team, must be sure to put that behind them to win on Saturday. He also mentioned how Dudash is getting more comfortable in the system, where he had been turning to the sideline constantly early in the season.
Following the Seawolves’ victory over Sacred Heart, Giddings said he ‘would never [have thought about] anything like that,’ referring to his very productive past several games.
Priore credits the entire team for contributing to the individual performances Stony Brook has seen recently. He said, ‘Corey [Giddings] picked up the fumbles but somebody caused the fumbles, Josh [Dudash] threw the passes but somebody caught them, Conte [Cuttino] and Steve [Austin] run with the ball but somebody blocks for them.’ He also credits the entire team for playing within the system, which he attributes greatly to their success.
He also attributes the team’s success to their ability to get to, and take, the ball. They had a +10 turnover differential in the first four conference games, committing only three to the 13 of their opponents.
Priore had some things to say about the struggles the team went through in the non-conference portion of the season. He said that the team learned to practice and prepare better, as well getting them into a new system.
However, Priore says that he and the team ‘never look back until it’s over.’ He also pointed out that the teams were ‘good competition,’ as they have a full complement of scholarships, and was well established, where SBU is only starting to offer football scholarships, and is working their way up. He said that they’d needed to ‘step back, be realistic, and understand the long term goals.’
In reference to the team’s success, Priore said that they’re taking it one week at a time, and weren’t going to look at this Saturday’s opponent, Robert Morris, until after the Sacred Heart game was over, despite the fact that Robert Morris is the only other undefeated team in the conference. When asked what the chances are of a perfect season, he said they haven’t thought about that, and are taking it a week at a time.
According to Priore, things haven’t been too bad on the injury front. Defensive Lineman Tahir Messam had knee surgery during the preseason, and fellow DL Kyle Brown is to have knee surgery. Both are out for the season. Aside from that, though, the team has stayed healthy.
As for his first year on the job, Priore’s happy. He also spoke highly of the administration, including President Shirley Strum Kenny, and Athletic Director Jim Fiore.
The Seawolves appear to be a very promising team. They are the only undefeated team left in the conference. It is worth noting that Albany and Monmouth, two of the three one-loss teams, suffered their loss at the hands of Stony Brook.’ Robert Morris, which comes to LaValle Stadium this weekend, suffered their loss to Monmouth last week.
If they keep up their current performance, especially when it comes to taking care of the ball and making the big defensive plays, we just might see them in the postseason.
