Junior quarterback Anton Clarkson passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns and the Pride defense held the Seawolves to just 152 yards as number 23 Hofstra shutout Stony Brook 55-0 in a non-conference game at James M. Shuart Stadium Saturday night. The Pride improve to 2-0 on the season while the Seawolves evened its record at 1-1.

Clarkson completed 18 of 27 passes, to 10 different receivers, to record his fourth 300-yard passing game of his career. Senior receiver Devale Ellis caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown while classmate Marques Colston hauled in three passes for 95 yards and a 74-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. The Hofstra defense held SBU to 62 yards on the ground and 90 yards through the air. The Pride offense rang up 581 yards including 402 through the air.

The contest lasted two minutes short of four hours and endured lightning delays of 49 and 50 minutes in the first quarter that created a 2:20 first period. By the end of that quarter though Hofstra had a commanding 21-0 lead.

Lightening struck after the first two touchdowns, both figuratively and literally, for Hofstra. After Stony Brook went three and out in its first possession, the Pride started a run of six consecutive scoring possessions. On Hofstra's first play from scrimmage Clarkson hit Devale Ellis with a 69-yard touchdown pass down the SBU sideline for a 7-0 lead. At that point, the first lightning strike sent the teams to the locker rooms for 49 minutes.

When play resumed the Pride defense, which posted its best defensive showing since holding Charleston Southern to 133 yards in 1996, stopped the Seawolves on four plays and took over at their own 26 yard line. This time it took 10 plays before junior running back Terry Crenshaw punched it into the end zone from three yards out for a 13-0 lead. Lightning prevented the extra-point and sent the teams back into the locker rooms for another 50 minutes.

It didn't get better for Stony Brook when play resumed after Rob Zarrilli's extra-point. Although the Seawolves were enjoying a 10-play but short drive, the Hofstra defense ended SBU's hopes. Senior safety Sherief Little picked off Josh Dudash's pass at the Hofstra 25 and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. It was Little's first interception of his college career.

There was no lightning to save SBU after that score and Hofstra, once again, held the Seawolves to a three-and-out possession. Clarkson then engineered a 10-play drive, that took the game into the second quarter, capped by a 38-yard field goal by Zarrilli and a 24-0 lead.

SBU punter Sean McGinty, who punted nine times in the game, may have been the busiest man for the Seawolves and punted again after a short five-play drive. Hofstra sophomore running back Kareem Huggins led a 57-yards drive, rushing for 25 yards and hauling in a 24-yard pass, before scoring on a two-yard run that gave the Pride a 31-0 lead with 9:05 to play in the half.

The Pride would tack on another touchdown as Clarkson hit Huggins for a 39-yard score to cap a 6-play, 71-yard drive with 5:45 to play in the half. Zarrilli's PAT gave the Pride a 38-0 advantage that they took into the halftime. 

Even at halftime there were strange doings as the two head coaches, athletic directors and officials agreed on two 10-minute quarters in the second half. It didn't help Stony Brook as the Pride scored on the second play from scrimmage as Clarkson hit Marques Colston for a 74-yard scoring pass that saw the 6'5 senior go from one side of the field to the other before diving into the end zone for a 45-0 lead.

Hofstra added a 27-yard Zarrilli field goal five minutes later. The Pride closed out the scoring late in the fourth quarter as back-up sophomore quarterback Dennis Davis connected with reserve receiver Chris Manno for a 29-yard touchdown, the first touchdown for both quarterback and receiver.

"It was a pretty strange game," Pride Head Football Coach Joe Gardi said. "Needless to say, I don't think we did many things wrong tonight."

The Pride will face number 10 Furman next Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina.

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