Since joining the Big South three seasons ago, the Stony Brook Seawolves football team has had its share of success against its conference opponents. With the start of the season less than a week away, the rest of the Big South is gearing up for an interesting year.
Liberty University has contended with the Seawolves for the conference championship for the past two years. The Flames have had a run of conference success even before Stony Brook joined the Big South, having won or shared the Big South championship in each of the past four seasons.
Liberty should prove to be Stony Brook’s biggest competition this season in its hunt for the conference championship. In the Big South preseason poll, the conference’s head coach and media panel picked the Flames to finish first this season.
Liberty also had seven players receiving All-Big South first team honors including senior quarterback Mike Brown who was awarded the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Stony Brook and Liberty will face off in the last game of the season at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m., in what could potentially determine the Big South champion.
Stony Brook’s first conference opponent will be Presbyterian College, whom they will play at home on Oct. 8.
The Seawolves defeated the Blue Hose 37-7 last year on the road and hope to continue the trend this season. Presbyterian was picked to finish last in this season’s preseason poll and only had two players receive first team All-Big South honors.
Stony Brook’s other home conference opponent this year will be Coastal Carolina University, whom they will play on Oct. 29. The Seawolves won that game last year, 38-28, but the Chanticleers are expected to be much improved this season and were picked a close third behind Stony Brook in the preseason poll. CCU also boasts the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in junior linebacker Andrae Jacobs.
The Seawolves will play away games against VMI, CSU, and Gardner-Webb University.
Voted sixth in the preseason poll, VMI will hope to fare better this season against Stony Brook after losing to the Seawolves 27-9 a season ago.
The VMI Keydets return 14 starters on both sides of the ball led by senior linebacker A.J. Gross, who is one of the team’s two All-Big South selections.
Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb both tied for fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll, and also hope to have better showings against Stony Brook this season.
The two teams lost by a combined score of 96-24 in their games against the Seawolves last season.
CSU returns 16 players with starting experience for the upcoming season including Big South Freshman of the Week Malcolm Dixon at quarterback.
Gardner-Webb touts six All-Big South selections for the upcoming season, including redshirt senior linebacker Marty Patterson.
The competition is looking fierce this season in the Big South, and the Seawolves should expect another tough road to the Big South trophy.
