How did this happen again?
It couldn't happen again but it did.
Two years ago at Kessler Field...Stony Brook 27, Monmouth 0. Seven MU turnovers. Saturday Stony Brook 36, Monmouth 17. Six MU turnovers and one questionable play.
Last year at Stony Brook, Monmouth 36, Stony Brook 7. The trick then is to play these guys on Long Island.
But the six turnovers and the ill-advised run out of punt formation squelched Monmouth Saturday. Of the seven miscues four were turned into touchdowns and one into a field goal. The same MU defense, which shackled Colgate's vaunted Jordan Scott last week, was also gashed for 170 yards by Stony Brook frosh Conte Cuttino. Before Saturday he had rushed for 132 yards total.
By the way, Scott today rushed for 169 yards and a TD as Colgate (2-2) blasted Georgetown 31-14. That's the same Georgetown which blanked Stony Brook earlier this year, 7-0.
Set back by the turnovers Saturday the MU defense didn't make a big play all day..didn't bail out the offense, and again did not register a sack.
It's sort of like a pitcher who, when an error is made behind him, either still limits the damage or becomes Armando Benitz vs. Atlanta.
Saturday the MU defense gave up too many long balls. It appeared totally befuddled on the two long bombs for TDs and turned freshman Conte Cuttino into Jim Brown.
I love Sean Dennis' aggressiveness and ability to make a play when rushed but he was looking at fourth and 12 when he tried to run. Seems to me he had ducked past the first rusher and had time to get the punt away.
And Mike McCelland's fumble after catching a first down pass was another key early play. I don't mean to be harsh, after all these are college kids, but they also are seniors on a team that has post season ambitions and can't be making these kinds of errors.
I guess you chalk it up to a bad day and go from there.
Interestingly after losing to SB in 2004, Monmouth did not lose again. After getting blasted by Monmouth last year, Stony Brook went on to share the NEC title with CCSU while Monmouth faltered.
After today MU, in my opinion, can forget about any NCAA at large bid and must zero in on winning the rest of its games with a shot winning the NEC and hosting the Gridiron Classic vs. the Pioneer League champion.
But MU has an up hill climb now with little margin for error. It has to finish ahead of Stony Brook in the standings or it will lose any tie-breaker with SB via head-to-head.
Here is the Associated Press story on next week's opponent...Sacred Heart..and it looks like MU has got to do something about its ineffective pass rush;
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) -Tyler Arciaga threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Corey Bundy, to lead Sacred Heart to a 25-17 win over Wagner College in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams Saturday.
Wagner (4-1, 0-1) scored first with under a minute left in the first quarter. Sacred Heart (2-3, 1-0) soon got on the board with a 20-yard field goal from senior Nick Passalacqua.
Arciaga threw his first touchdown of the day to Bundy with 6:05 to go in the half, a 26-yarder. Passalacqua missed the extra point, but the Pioneers had a 9-7 lead.
The Seahawks regained the lead when Matt Abbey connected with Turner on the first play for a score and a 14-9 Seahawk lead.
The Pioneers scored four plays later on a 45-yard catch and run from Arciaga to Bundy, but Sacred Heart was penalized for excessive celebration on the touchdown, causing the extra point attempt to come from 35 yards out.
Backup kicker Joe Schroeder missed the kick, but the Pioneers had a 15-14 lead. Wagner then took a 17-15 lead into intermission with a 54-yard field goal by Piotr Czech.
Sacred Heart forced Wagner to punt on its first possession of the second half and the Pioneers turned that into a 22-yard field goal at the other end, taking an 18-17 lead.
Two years ago at Kessler Field...Stony Brook 27, Monmouth 0. Seven MU turnovers. Saturday Stony Brook 36, Monmouth 17. Six MU turnovers and one questionable play.
Last year at Stony Brook, Monmouth 36, Stony Brook 7. The trick then is to play these guys on Long Island.
But the six turnovers and the ill-advised run out of punt formation squelched Monmouth Saturday. Of the seven miscues four were turned into touchdowns and one into a field goal. The same MU defense, which shackled Colgate's vaunted Jordan Scott last week, was also gashed for 170 yards by Stony Brook frosh Conte Cuttino. Before Saturday he had rushed for 132 yards total.
By the way, Scott today rushed for 169 yards and a TD as Colgate (2-2) blasted Georgetown 31-14. That's the same Georgetown which blanked Stony Brook earlier this year, 7-0.
Set back by the turnovers Saturday the MU defense didn't make a big play all day..didn't bail out the offense, and again did not register a sack.
It's sort of like a pitcher who, when an error is made behind him, either still limits the damage or becomes Armando Benitz vs. Atlanta.
Saturday the MU defense gave up too many long balls. It appeared totally befuddled on the two long bombs for TDs and turned freshman Conte Cuttino into Jim Brown.
I love Sean Dennis' aggressiveness and ability to make a play when rushed but he was looking at fourth and 12 when he tried to run. Seems to me he had ducked past the first rusher and had time to get the punt away.
And Mike McCelland's fumble after catching a first down pass was another key early play. I don't mean to be harsh, after all these are college kids, but they also are seniors on a team that has post season ambitions and can't be making these kinds of errors.
I guess you chalk it up to a bad day and go from there.
Interestingly after losing to SB in 2004, Monmouth did not lose again. After getting blasted by Monmouth last year, Stony Brook went on to share the NEC title with CCSU while Monmouth faltered.
After today MU, in my opinion, can forget about any NCAA at large bid and must zero in on winning the rest of its games with a shot winning the NEC and hosting the Gridiron Classic vs. the Pioneer League champion.
But MU has an up hill climb now with little margin for error. It has to finish ahead of Stony Brook in the standings or it will lose any tie-breaker with SB via head-to-head.
Here is the Associated Press story on next week's opponent...Sacred Heart..and it looks like MU has got to do something about its ineffective pass rush;
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) -Tyler Arciaga threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Corey Bundy, to lead Sacred Heart to a 25-17 win over Wagner College in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams Saturday.
Wagner (4-1, 0-1) scored first with under a minute left in the first quarter. Sacred Heart (2-3, 1-0) soon got on the board with a 20-yard field goal from senior Nick Passalacqua.
Arciaga threw his first touchdown of the day to Bundy with 6:05 to go in the half, a 26-yarder. Passalacqua missed the extra point, but the Pioneers had a 9-7 lead.
The Seahawks regained the lead when Matt Abbey connected with Turner on the first play for a score and a 14-9 Seahawk lead.
The Pioneers scored four plays later on a 45-yard catch and run from Arciaga to Bundy, but Sacred Heart was penalized for excessive celebration on the touchdown, causing the extra point attempt to come from 35 yards out.
Backup kicker Joe Schroeder missed the kick, but the Pioneers had a 15-14 lead. Wagner then took a 17-15 lead into intermission with a 54-yard field goal by Piotr Czech.
Sacred Heart forced Wagner to punt on its first possession of the second half and the Pioneers turned that into a 22-yard field goal at the other end, taking an 18-17 lead.
posted by Tony Graham at 8:34 PM
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