Stony Brook, NY (Sports Network) - Stony Brook football coach Chuck Priore
felt his running backs could carry the load when the Seawolves learned they
would be without injured quarterback Kyle Essington for their FCS playoff game
against Villanova.
Had Essington been able to play Saturday, it would have been best to keep the
ball in the hands of Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker anyway.
Maysonet rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Coker added 107 yards on
the ground as Stony Brook beat Villanova, 20-10, in a first-round game at
LaValle Stadium.
The Seawolves (10-2), from the Big South Conference, will travel to No. 3 seed
Montana State (10-1) for a second-round game on Dec. 3.
Essington, the FCS leader in passing efficiency, missed the game because of a
right thigh contusion. His backup, Lyle Negron, a junior who attempted only
five passes in the regular season, made his first career start.
Negron was only 3-of-6 against Villanova as the game plan relied on Maysonet
and Coker, who combined for 54 carries to allow the Seawolves to dominate the
game clock.
Maysonet scored on two runs in the second quarter - from 1 and 14 yards out -
to provide a 14-0 halftime lead. His first score capped a 21-play, 98-yard
drive that started in the first quarter and lasted 12 minutes, 43 seconds.
Wesley Skiffington kicked 37- and 29-yard field goals in the second half and
Stony Brook took a 20-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman quarterback John Robertson scored Villanova's only
touchdown, a 21-yard run with 6:57 left. He finished with 90 yards on 13
carries, and was 14-of-30 for 121 yards and two interceptions.
The Wildcats, who earned the automatic playoff bid from CAA Football, saw
their season end with an 8-4 record. They won six more games than a year ago,
when they finished 2-9.
The Sports Network