Stony Brook's Chris Zellous accounts for 4 TDs in win over Fordham

Stony Brook was self-destructing. An interception and a fumble had led to 10 Fordham points in 23 harsh seconds in the third quarter for the Seawolves, and their 13-point advantage had suddenly shrunk to three.

Now they were facing second-and-13 and the other end zone was 93 yards away.

The play call came from offensive coordinator Anthony Davis II. Chris Zellous looked to throw, and there was MarQeese Dietz streaking open down the middle. The senior receiver caught the football at his own 40.

“With me having so much space, there was no way I could let myself get caught,” Dietz said. “ . . . It was too good of a play not to get in the end zone.”

Dietz turned it into a 93-yard touchdown, the second-longest pass play in Stony Brook history. And the Seawolves went on to beat the Rams, 41-18, Saturday at LaValle Stadium, earning their first win after falling at FBS San Diego State and at home against Rhode Island.

Being 1-2 sure beat the more difficult road they could have created at 0-3.

“It was the next game,” coach Billy Cosh said. “It’s being 1-0. I don’t think we worry about the [FCS] playoffs. We just want to get better each week. . . . I know we’ve got a good football team.”

Chris Zellous went 21-for-28 for 260 yards and three TDs, and he ran for a score. Roland Dempster carried 18 times for 94 yards. Dyshier Clary delivered two of their four sacks. And DeMario Crawford returned an interception for a touchdown and blocked a field goal to help leave Fordham at 0-3 instead.

But the win was only the second-best thing that happened to Cosh during this week. His wife, Kelsey, gave birth Tuesday to their second child, a son named, Jordi, at 3:23 p.m. to be exact. Cosh praised the staff at Stony Brook University Hospital and his wife.

“Seeing my son born was unbelievable,” Cosh said. “These coaches did a great job of rallying. I was going back and forth from the hospital and not getting any sleep. But so what? Now what? The back of shirts say, ‘No excuses.’ So we’ve got to find a way.

“I’m just very thankful . . . I’m so glad to have a son.”

His Seawolves led 13-0 at the intermission. But on their first drive of the second half, Zellous got picked off by James Conway, setting up Fordham at the SBU 32. That led to a 24-yard field goal by Bennett Henderson.

Then Jayce Freeman fumbled away the kickoff, setting up Fordham at the SBU 36.

First play, touchdown. Gunnar Smith found Troy Worrell racing down the left sideline. Henderson’s PAT cut it to 13-10.

“Obviously, I thought we had good momentum there,” Rams coach Joe Conlin said. “We had them second-and-long in their own end at their 7-yard line. [Dietz] got us with the double move.”

Zellous followed with another touchdown pass, a 19-yard connection with Freeman.

Zellous followed that with his third touchdown pass, a 15-yard connection with Freeman in the fourth.

Soon, Crawford was running 52 yards for his pick-6.

And 13-10 had become 41-10.

“I think this week I still had some that I want back and want to have,” Zellous said of the passing game, “but I think I did a better job of just playing fundamental football and playing with good technique.”

One of the first-half highlights came off the foot of freshman Michael Mannino. The Whitman grad drilled an SBU-record 49-yard field goal to make it a 13-0 game.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Mike Mannino,” Cosh said. “ . . . Mike’s got great talent.”