Stony Brook hosts Albany in first round

Stony Brook University's first FCS playoff game will be against Albany, a fellow SUNY institution and a rival when the football teams played in the Northeast Conference.

At first glance, Saturday's matchup at 2 p.m. at LaValle Stadium would seem to favor Big South champion Stony Brook (8-3), with 63 full scholarships. Albany (8-3) is limited to 34 under NEC guidelines.

But Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore, who played and assisted at Albany under longtime coach Bob Ford, said his team will not be lulled into any complacency. Albany won nine of 13 meetings before the series ended after the 2007 season. Priore was 1-1 against Ford.

"When it comes to Albany, who I think is the class of that league, people don't realize that coach Ford has always worked there with no budget. He has scrapped to get recruits financial aid-wise," Priore said. "He's very magical in the recruiting process. When we played them, I would have liked to have a lot of his kids.

"I'm sure when I turn the film on, I'm going to say I wish I had a few of those kids [now]. They have a head coach who has been there since 1970 who 100 percent understands the ins and outs of how to handle the recruiting process.''

Ford recruited Priore from Maria Regina High School in the late 1970s. Priore played fullback and, after graduating in 1982, spent three seasons as an assistant.

Priore doesn't see this as pupil versus mentor. "We've already done it twice. He's got one, I've got one,'' he said. "Certainly, the first one that was here was an emotional one for him and I, maybe more for me than for him. We won the game, so it was a good feeling for me. It wasn't about beating him or beating my alma mater. At that time, we were just scrapping for a win and they had come off beating Delaware.''

Still, Ford has had an impact on Priore's coaching style. "Some of the things that I still do today, organizationally and how I handle my staff,'' he said. "And a lot of things that I watched him do as a player and also watched him do as head coach when I was an assistant coach . . . At the end of the day, a lot of positive things were learned from him and I think it's exciting that the two state schools get to play each other.''

Notes & quotes:The SBU-Albany winner plays top-seeded Sam Houston State (11-0) in Huntsville, Texas, on Dec. 3 in the second round.