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Stony Brook advances in playoffs to face James Madison (Nov 25, 2017)
(STATS) - Stony Brook didn't get a shot at playing defending FCS champion James Madison in the CAA Football regular season, but the Seawolves have it now when it matters most.
The Seawolves racked up 622 yards while disposing of visiting Lehigh 59-29 in the first round of the playoffs at LaValle Stadium on Saturday, setting up an all-CAA matchup in the second round.
Schools in the 12-team CAA play eight conference matchups and James Madison (11-0) finished one game ahead of Stony Brook (10-2) to win the title. The top-seeded Dukes will host next Saturday's meeting.
"I'm really excited for the program and for Stony Brook University," said coach Chuck Priore, whose team tied the school's single-season wins record - first set in 2012. "To win a playoff game and to win it in the fashion that we won it in is exciting. This is a credit to how hard these guys work. We reported July 30 and it's been a long season. A grind, but they were excited about playing football today and now they get a chance to do it again next week."
Known most for their defense, the Seawolves made easy work of the Lehigh defense with their most yards since gaining 693 against Pace on Sept. 8, 2012.
Donald Liotine rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 354-yard ground assault, while Joe Carbone also passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The Seawolves put the game away by scoring two touchdowns in the first three minutes of the third quarter for a 38-14 lead.
Lehigh (5-7), the Patriot League champ, was the second team in playoff history to qualify with a losing record. Brad Mayes completed 33 of 48 pass attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat.
