After nearly two years without a win against a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent, the Stony Brook football team won its conference opener to add to its best start since 2019.
On Saturday, the Seawolves (3-1, 1-0 CAA) took on the Campbell Fighting Camels (1-3, 0-2 CAA) in Buies Creek, N.C. for their first conference matchup of the season. Despite its offense going stagnant for close to three quarters, Stony Brook managed to secure a 24-17 victory.
The Seawolves came out of the gate hot, as they marched up the field on the first drive of the game. A 33-yard completion from quarterback Malachi Marshall to wide receiver Jayden Cook helped set up Stony Brook in the red zone. A few plays later, running back Roland Dempster pushed his way into the endzone for a two-yard touchdown run to put the Seawolves up 7-0.
Stony Brook almost immediately got another chance in the red zone. Campbell wide receiver Brandon Fitez fumbled the kickoff, allowing the Seawolves to jump on the ball and regain possession at the Camels’ nine-yard line. Two plays later, Dempster rushed up the middle once again for a three-yard score to extend the lead to 14-0 less than five minutes into the game.
Campbell’s nightmare start continued on its first possession. A designed run from quarterback Chad Mascoe Jr. ended with yet another fumble, which Stony Brook was able to get on top of yet again. However, the Seawolves did not do much with the free possession, quickly punting it away after just five plays.
The onslaught from Stony Brook’s run game continued to flourish in the second quarter. Two rushes from Marshall were followed by three from Dempster and two from running back Brandon Boria, respectively, to set the Seawolves up 15 yards away from the goal line. Running back Johnny Martin III capped off the drive with three straight carries that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run. With that, Stony Brook took a 21-0 lead just five minutes into the second frame.
This time, the Camels responded quickly with a 68-yard drive, which culminated with a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Chandler II to tight end Aiden Valdez. Campbell’s defense was able to hold off the Seawolves’ aggressive offense for the rest of the quarter, leaving the score at 21-7 heading into halftime.
The Camels cut into Stony Brook’s lead once again at the start of the third quarter. They quickly pieced together 38 yards of offense and three first downs to open the second half, putting them in Seawolves territory. From there, Mascoe Jr. found Valdez across the middle with nothing but open field in front of him, resulting in a 37-yard touchdown reception to make it 21-14.
Both sides’ defense picked up from that point, as the next six drives resulted in punts. The score remained unchanged until late in the fourth quarter when Stony Brook managed to get far enough downfield to set up kicker Enda Kirby for a 39-yard field goal attempt. Kirby nailed the ball through the uprights to make it a two-possession game with just over two minutes left to play.
Clutch plays from Mascoe Jr. and wide receiver Sincere Brown gave Campbell good enough field position for kicker Connor Lytton to convert a 30-yard field goal and cut the Seawolves’ lead to seven points once again. The Camels had no other option but to attempt an onside kick with 30 seconds left on the ensuing kickoff, but Stony Brook recovered it and took a knee to complete the victory.
“We’re learning how to win close games,” head coach Billy Cosh said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We had a lot of big plays in this game on special teams [and] I’m really proud of our team overall.”
By capturing their third win of the year, the Seawolves already surpassed their combined win total for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Stony Brook’s run game was crucial, as all three of its touchdowns came on the ground. The Seawolves’ lead rusher was Dempster, who ran for a single-game, career-high 179 of their 227 total rushing yards on 36 carries and scored twice. Martin III found the endzone once and rushed for 15 yards on five attempts.
“[Dempster’s] critical,” Cosh said. “He runs with physicality and made a lot of plays today. Really carrying his feet on contact. He’s a great kid and deserves all the credit.”
Alternatively, as the ground game flourished, no Stony Brook receiver had more than 35 receiving yards. Marshall threw for 157 yards and completed just 43.3% (13-for-30) of his pass attempts. Tight end Cole Bunicci led the team with 35 yards on two grabs, but Marshall’s main target was wide receiver Dez Williams, who brought in four catches for 27 yards. Cook’s reception during the game’s first drive was the Seawolves’ longest passing play of the game.
Defensively, safety Jordan Jackson led the squad with six total tackles. Behind him, safety Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu and linebacker Anthony Ferrelli each notched five total tackles.
Defensive end Kris Caine tallied one sack and tallied one tackle. Linebacker A.J. Roberts and defensive tackle Rushawn Lawrence each recorded half a sack with four and three total tackles, respectively.
The Seawolves will be back home next Saturday for a non-conference game with the Morgan State Bears at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The Bears are 2-2 on the year and are coming off a 56-7 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg. Opening kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
