YPSILANTI, Mich. – Redshirt junior quarterbacks Luca Stanzani and Ethan Greenwood each ran for two touchdowns to lead the Long Island University football team (1-1) to a 28-23 victory over Eastern Michigan University (0-2) on Saturday evening at Rynearson Stadium. The victory was the program’s first ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team.
Saturday’s contest also marked the successful return of LIU head coach Ron Cooper to the scene of his first-ever head coaching job. Cooper guided Eastern Michigan for two seasons back in 1993 and 1994.
“This was a great win,” said Cooper. “We played an FBS program on the road and I feel good about our effort. We played hard, we played together, and we fought through adversity. We need to enjoy this win right now and then move forward to next week.”
The Sharks never trailed in the contest as they scored on their first possession of the game on a 65-yard scamper by Greenwood, who rushed for a game-high 91 yards.
In addition to his rushing heroics, Greenwood completed 3 of 5 passes for 105 yards, including a 74-yard connection with Stanzani early in the second quarter.
The longest offensive play of the night by either team set up Greenwood’s second rushing touchdown which put the Sharks up 14-3.
Stanzani completed 12 of 18 passes for 143 yards while rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
Both of Stanzani’s scores came in the fourth quarter as the Sharks, who led 14-10 at intermission, finished the evening with 479 yards of total offense.
Defensively, linebacker Rafael Fasolino and defensive back Trey Watkins led the Sharks with eight tackles each.
Chase Davis added six tackles for LIU while Elijah Casey chipped in five stops, including two tackles for loss.
Senior punter Will Lynch, who is the reigning NEC Special Teams Co-Player of the Week, turned in another solid performance averaging 40.5 yards on four punts, including a long of 55-yards and two placed inside the 20-yard line.
The Sharks return to action next Saturday as LIU meets Sacred Heart University in its home opener and annual homecoming game. Opening kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. Television coverage will be available digitally on NEC Front Row and the game can be heard on the LIU Sharks Audio Network via the Varsity Network App beginning at 11:30 a.m.
