Although the new season signifies a fresh start, the Stony Brook football team yielded a familiar result in an ugly season opener.
The Seawolves (0-1) were trampled by the Marshall Thundering Herd (1-0) in Huntington, W. Va. on Saturday. Stony Brook’s defense had no answer for Marshall’s fierce offense, as it allowed 549 total yards in a 45-3 defeat.
The season stopped just as quickly as it started. After just four total drives, the game was paused due to thunderstorms. During the early drives, the Seawolves looked promising, as they allowed just 21 total yards and put up 56 total yards of their own. However, the game remained scoreless heading into the delay.
Unfortunately for Stony Brook, that was the best the team would look all night. In a familiar scene, its defense began to fall apart as the game aged. After a nine-play drive from the Seawolves that did not get them out of their own side of the field, the Thundering Herd needed just one play to open the scoring. With just under three minutes left in the first quarter, Marshall running back A.J. Turner found a hole through the middle of the field for an 80-yard touchdown run to put his side up 7-0.
That was just the beginning of the onslaught, as the Thundering Herd built momentum throughout the second quarter. Marshall kicker Rece Verhoff nailed a 45-yard field goal with just over four minutes to play in the half, making it 10-0. A quick three-and-out from Stony Brook’s offense gave the Thundering Herd a chance to add on before the end of the half. After a roughing the passer penalty set Marshall up in the red zone, quarterback Stone Earle found wide receiver Elijah Metcalf on the left side of the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-0 heading into halftime.
The Seawolves’ offensive line did quarterbacks Tyler Knoop and Malachi Marshall no favors in the first half considering it allowed constant pressure that led to four sacks.
The Thundering Herd wasted no time at the start of the second half, as a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive was capped off with another connection from Earle to Metcalf. This time, Earle tossed one through the middle to find Metcalf, who dodged a defender and took it 28 yards for his second receiving touchdown of the game.
The Seawolves got their only points of the game after an 11-play drive was halted by Marshall’s defense with 4:15 to go in the third quarter. This set up kicker Enda Kirby for a 39-yard field goal attempt, which he knocked through the uprights to make it a 24-3 game.
It did not get any better for Stony Brook in the fourth quarter, as the Thundering Herd reached the end zone in all three of their possessions. Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton found wide receivers Christian Fitzpatrick and Carl Chester for 67-yard and 7-yard scores, respectively, to expand their lead to 38-3.
Quarterback Cole Pennington joined the party in Marshall’s final possession, lofting a ball to the back of the end zone that was caught by Bralon Brown for a 16-yard house call to cap off the scoring.
The Seawolves defense struggled mightily on Saturday. Their secondary failed to prevent any one of the Thundering Herd’s quarterbacks from finding a target, as they allowed 290 passing yards on a 65.6% (21-of-32) completion rate. The ground game provided a similar story. Their run defense allowed 259 rushing yards, 119 of which came from Turner.
Linebacker Tyson McCloud was the only Stony Brook defender to sneak past Marshall’s offensive line, as he tallied the team’s only sack. Fellow linebacker Anthony Ferrelli led the team with 14 total tackles.
“I thought we started strong [and] came out with the right mindset,” head coach Billy Cosh said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “I like the way our defense played, [but] they wore down as the game went on.”
On the offensive side, the Seawolves seemed to be experimenting with their options at quarterback, as Knoop started the game under center but only played three drives before Marshall came in for the rest of the game. In his limited time, Knoop completed 8-of-13 pass attempts for 62 total yards. Marshall completed 10 of his 20 passes for 96 yards and also threw an interception in the fourth quarter.
Wide receiver Chance Knox was Stony Brook’s main target, finishing the game with a team-high five receptions but just 12 yards. However, all of his catches came early on, as he was removed from the contest after taking a hit from the side late in the first quarter. Wide receiver Jayce Freeman was the team’s top receiver, racking up 58 yards on two catches, including a 32-yard reception on the first drive of the game.
Stony Brook’s run game was alarmingly weak, as it only managed to gain 94 yards on the ground. Running back Roland Dempster was the Seawolves’ leading rusher, putting up just 37 yards on a team-leading 13 carries. Behind him, running back Brandon Boria got a good amount of opportunities, gaining 22 yards on eight carries.
Stony Brook will continue its nearly two-year-long search for a victory in its home opener next Saturday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium against the Stonehill Skyhawks. The matchup also marks Stonehill’s first of the young season. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
