Syracuse beats Stony Brook 28-17, snaps skid

Ryan Nassib threw for three touchdowns, two in the decisive second half, and Syracuse beat Stony Brook 28-17 on Saturday to snap a seven-game losing streak that started nearly a year ago.

"It's sad to say that it's kind of an unfamiliar feeling, but we're glad that we got it," Nassib said of the team's first victory since a stunning upset of No. 11 West Virginia last October. "Hopefully, this will continue us on for the rest of the season."

Stony Brook (2-1), which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision, entered the game 0-3 against college football's top tier, the Football Bowl Subdivision, but the Seawolves were in this one until the fourth quarter.

"I think our kids did a great job of executing our game plan," Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore said. "Certainly, they should be a better team, and they were at the end of the game. But I'm proud of the way our kids played. We made some mistakes in the second half that beat us."

Syracuse (1-2) outgained Stony Brook 329-50 in the second half to wear down the pesky Seawolves, who held a 261-220 edge at halftime behind the power running of Miguel Maysonet. The Orange defense limited Stony Brook to just two first downs in the final two quarters, and the Seawolves managed just 17 offensive plays to 47 for Syracuse.

"They said we were the best 0-2 team in the country," said freshman Ashton Broyld, whose nifty 22-yard scoring run up the middle in the second quarter was his first career touchdown and gave Syracuse a 14-10 lead. "Now, we're the best 1-2 team in the country. We needed this win. It's very big for us, for our confidence. We know what we have. We've just got to keep putting it together each week."

It was the third straight game that the Syracuse offense didn't get untracked at the outset. It cost them in losses to Northwestern and No. 2 Southern California.

"Teams that we've played so far, they come out with a good scheme in the beginning and show stuff that we haven't seen yet," said Nassib, who threw for 335 yards and ran for 30 more. "When we go into halftime and make those second-half adjustments. That's what's really key for us."

The Seawolves entered the game ranked No. 16 in the FCS coaches poll and led the division in total offense. They acquitted themselves well, outgaining Syracuse in the first half behind Maysonet. He gained 137 yards and scored once, then was held to two yards in the third quarter and finished with 158 on 21 carries as the Syracuse defense dug in and the offense came alive.