April 2, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Six home games, four contests against opponents that received votes in the final media or coaches polls of 2007 and the first Big South Conference games in the history of the school highlight the 2008 Stony Brook football schedule released today. The Seawolves will open the 2008 season at home against Colgate on August 30, the earliest date that Stony Brook has ever opened a football season.

"We have a great balance in our schedule, playing games in the Northeast and in the South," said head coach Chuck Priore. "We are playing teams well within our reach in terms of athleticism. Joining the Big South and having those five conference games gives us the opportunity to compete for a league title. Our non-league schedule is highlighted by Hofstra and Elon. We have an Ivy League institution, Brown, and a Patriot League school, Colgate, which was an FCS playoff team in 2005."

Stony Brook will start the season with a pair of home games, facing Colgate and then Elon University on September 6. The Elon Phoenix have the highest final poll ranking of any team on the 2008 schedule, finishing last season at No. 23 in both the media and coaches polls. Following road games at Maine (9/13) and Brown (9/20), Stony Brook returns home to continue its Long Island rivalry with Hofstra on September 27.

Following a bye week, Stony Brook will embark on a historic first for the program when the Seawolves travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for the team's first-ever game in the Big South Conference. Stony Brook will take on defending conference champion Liberty on October 11 before returning home for its first conference home game against Charleston Southern on October 18. Two more conference match-ups will take place during the next two weeks; at Coastal Carolina on October 25 and at home with Gardner-Webb on November 1 before the Seawolves will venture out of conference for a game at Iona on November 8. The season will close out at home with a Big South game on November 15 against VMI.

Seven games during the season will come against opponents that Stony Brook has never played in the history of the program; only Elon, Maine, Hofstra and Iona have ever been on an SBU schedule previously. Four teams on the 2008 schedule received votes in the final polls from the 2007 season; Colgate, Elon, Hofstra and Liberty.

2008 Stony Book Football Schedule
Date      Day       Opponent              Place               Time
Aug. 30   Saturday  COLGATE               STONY BROOK         6:00 p.m.
Sept. 6   Saturday  ELON                  STONY BROOK         3:00 p.m.
Sept. 13  Saturday  at Maine              Orono, Maine        TBA
Sept. 20  Saturday  at Brown              Providence, R.I.    TBA
Sept. 27  Saturday  HOFSTRA               STONY BROOK         6:00 p.m.
Oct. 11   Saturday  at Liberty*           Lynchburg, Va.      TBA
Oct. 18   Saturday  CHARLESTON SOUTHERN*  STONY BROOK         3:00 p.m.
Oct. 25   Saturday  at Coastal Carolina*  Conway, S.C.        TBA
Nov. 1    Saturday  GARDNER-WEBB*         STONY BROOK         3:00 p.m.
Nov. 8    Saturday  at Iona               New Rochelle, N.Y.  TBA
Nov. 15   Saturday  VMI*                  STONY BROOK         1:00 p.m.
* Big South Conference game
Home games in BOLD CAPS
All times Eastern and subject to change