Stony Brook Seawolves
Big South
Stony Brook was cruising along nicely until their last regular season game of the 2012 campaign. The Seawolves lone loss up to that point was against Syracuse. They even beat Army and were sitting 5-0 in Big South play. And then they went to Liberty and the lost. That led to a three way tie for the conference title and it was Coastal Carolina that ended up earning the conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs. And this is not a conference that sends two teams to the playoffs. Stony Brook got lucky, but now they are ready to prove that they belong.
2012 Record: 9-2, 5-1
Coach: Chuck Priore
Big Wins: 9/29 at Army (23-3), 10/13 at Coastal Carolina (27-21)
Bad Losses: 9/15 at Syracuse (17-28), 11/10 at Liberty (14-28)
Strengths:
The Seawolves rely heavily on their ground game. Any team that has Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker would be crazy not to. Maysonet is one of the best rushers in the game, at any level, and finished the regular season with 1,721 yards and 19 touchdowns on 223 carries. On his own Maysonet would turn the Seawolves into one of the best rushing teams in the FCS, but with Coker, it gets even better. The former Iowa star has spent this year as Maysonet’s change of pace back. However, he is almost just as dangerous as his backcourt mate. And it is not just the rushing attack that is dangerous. Quarterback Kyle Essington does not need to do too much, but he did throw for 22 touchdowns during the regular season. Most of those passes will go to Kevin Norrell, who caught 60 passes for 1,291 yards. The Seawolves have a very productive defense too. With a talented secondary led by Cedric Moore and Davonte Anderson, it can be very tough to throw against this group.
Weaknesses:
The defense is not particularly good at getting into the backfield though. The opposition will get time to throw against Stony Brook and good quarterbacks can take full advantage of that opportunity. But the biggest knock on Stony Brook will be the same one that many complained about after Stony Brook made the field of 20; they have not beaten anybody good. The schedule is what it is and the Seawolves did beat Army, but many FCS teams could. This is not a group that has had to grind out wins week after week like squads in the CAA or MVFC. It is possible that a good passing team with more big game experience could take Stony Brook by surprise, get an early lead and force Essington to try and beat them through the air.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Miguel Maysonet, RB, 1,721 yards
Passing: Kyle Essington, QB, 1,910 yards
Receiving: Kevin Norrell, WR, 1,291 yards
Tackles: Cedrick Moore, DB, 68
Sacks: Leston Simpson, DL, 4
Interceptions: Davonte Anderson, DB, 3
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 290.55 (6th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 176.09 (89, 5)
Total Offense: 466.64 (11, 1)
Scoring Offense: 39.09 (6, 1)
Rushing Defense: 131.00 (29, 1)
Pass Defense: 165.82 (12, 2)
Total Defense: 296.82 (9, 1)
Scoring Defense: 16.00 (4, 1)
Turnover Margin: 0.18 (53, 2)
Sacks: 1.82 (67, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 0.73 (8, 1)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2011 First Round Defeated Albany
2011 Second Round Lost to Sam Houston State
*all team stats through 11/10
