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VMI football loses at #9 Stony Brook

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Miguel Maysonet ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns, leading the #9-ranked Stony Brook Seawolves over the VMI Keydets, 45-7, in Big South football action Saturday evening at LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.

The Seawolves (9-1, 5-0 Big South) amassed 309 total yards on the ground, including Maysonet’s efforts and 139 yards by #2 back Marcus Coker, en route to a 475-162 edge in total yards. The home squad won despite having 13 penalties that cost it 137 yards. VMI (2-7, 1-4 Big South) quarterback Eric Kordenbrock went 16 for 24 with a touchdown, completing two-thirds of his passes, but was held to just 100 yards through the air. The Keydets did see defensive lineman Justin Smith post a career-high 10 tackles in the setback.

Stony Brook took the ball first on the windy day, an evening that saw the game start with a temperature of 53 degrees, and immediately drove down the field. 10 straight rushing plays pushed SBU to the VMI 5, and quarterback Kyle Essington finished off the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Norrell. The point after gave the home squad a 7-0 lead, and the Seawolves added on their next drive, as a five-play, 46-yard drive ended with a 16-yard touchdown dash by Maysonet. That gave SBU a 14-0 lead with 3:59 left in the first quarter, and that would be the score after 15 minutes of play.

The Keydets had the ball for nearly five minutes to end that period and start the second, but had an odd drive that involved a 20-yard completion, a Stony Brook penalty and three plays that lost yardage as they were forced to punt. Logan Staib made a big defensive play on the ensuing SBU drive, as on 2nd and 7, he hit Maysonet just beyond the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble. Staib then fell on the ball for the recovery, and the Keydets had the game’s first turnover.

They could not take advantage, however, and the home team found the scoreboard again on its next drive. This effort was spearheaded by Essington, who went 5 of 7 on the 13-play, 80-yard drive that ate up over seven minutes. The SBU quarterback ended the drive as well, finding Norrell for the 11-yard touchdown pass and a 21-0 lead with 3:25 left in the half. \

The Seawolves added on again before the end of the half, as they would take advantage of field position. A sequence of penalties would wind up giving SBU the ball at the VMI 34 with 2:14 left in the half, and Maysonet immediately ran 32 yards to give his team a first and goal. On the next play, the Big South’s leading rusher punched it in from two yards out, and the point after made it a 28-0 contest. That would be the score at halftime, a first half that saw the home team have nearly a five-minute edge in time of possession.

The Keydets got the ball first to open the second half, and quickly picked up a first down on an 11-yard run by Derrick Ziglar. That was all VMI could muster, however, and the Keydets were forced to punt. Stony Brook then went 81 yards in nine plays, eight of which were rushes by either Maysonet or Coker. In fact, Maysonet posted his third rushing touchdown of the day, squirming in from a yard out and making it a 35-0 game.

VMI would answer on its next drive, posting its best effort of the day. A 13-play, 75-yard drive included two first down passes to Stefawn Ross, a 13-yard run by Ziglar and three SBU penalties. Kordenbrock capped the drive with an eight-yard TD pass to Dexter Bridge, his second touchdown grab of the year, and Jeff Sexton’s extra point made it a 35-7 game.

The Keydet defense stiffened on its next effort, and forced a Stony Brook punt. Unfortunately for the Keydets, the punt was fumbled and SBU was able to fall on the ball at the Keydet 41. On the next play, Essington found Norrell for a 41-yard touchdown and a 42-7 Seawolf advantage. The home team then capped the scoring at the 6:02 mark, when Wesley Skiffington connected on a 42-yard field goal to account for the final margin, 45-7.

In addition to the home team’s efforts on the ground, Essington went 12 of 17 for 166 yards and three scores. For the Keydets, Kordenbrock completed passes to seven different receivers, while an eighth, Cody Shirley, made a catch off a pass thrown by A.J. Augustine late in the game. The eight different receivers marked the third consecutive game in which the Keydets have had at least eight players post a reception.

VMI football will return to action next Saturday, November 10, playing host to The Military Classic of the South and facing The Citadel. Game time at Foster Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m.

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