In a matchup nearly a year in the making, the Stony Brook football team rode its star running back and stingy defense to stay undefeated on its home turf.
The Seawolves (4-1, 1-0 CAA) were back at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Saturday for a rainy, non-conference game with the Morgan State Bears (2-3), who they were supposed to play last season before a mass shooting derailed those plans. On the back of running back Roland Dempster and its defense, Stony Brook overcame the weather en route to a convincing 22-3 victory to extend its winning streak to four games.
In the first quarter, Morgan State struck first. After kicker Enda Kirby drilled a 45-yard field goal attempt off the right upright, crossbar and out early in the opening quarter, the Bears pieced together a seven-play, 74-yard drive that featured 17- and 49-yard rushes from quarterback Duce Taylor and running back Myles Miree, respectively, to set them up in the red zone with under two minutes left. Though the Seawolves came up with a big defensive stand, Morgan State kicker Beckett Leary converted a field goal from 25 yards out to give his team a 3-0 lead.
Despite surrendering points late in the first, Stony Brook immediately responded with a strong drive of its own, which culminated with a house call in the second quarter. Quarterback Malachi Marshall connected with tight end Cal Redman to cross midfield for a 34-yard catch down the right sideline before Dempster battled his way to the Bears’ 15-yard line on a 15-yard rush. After running back Johnny Martin did the heavy lifting to bring the Seawolves down to the goal line, Dempster snuck into the end zone with a two-yard touchdown run up the gut. On the ensuing point-after attempt, Kirby was blocked by Morgan State defensive end Nana Asante, keeping the score at 6-3.
Stony Brook tacked onto its lead with 6:34 to go in the first half. Shortly after Dempster took a screen pass to the Bears’ 25-yard line for a 40-yard gain, the Seawolves’ drive stalled, leading to a 28-yard field goal by Kirby to make it 9-3.
While Morgan State moved well down the field on the ensuing drive with hopes of banking points prior to halftime, Stony Brook’s defense delivered a game-changing play. With the ball just past midfield, Taylor bounced to his left on a quarterback keeper but was immediately met by defensive end Rodney Faulk, who forced a fumble that was scooped up by cornerback Deshawn Jones Jr. at the Bears’ 44-yard line.
Faulk attributed the team’s strong defensive performance to a shared buy-in.
“We push each other and we hold each other accountable,” Faulk said in a postgame press conference. “If someone messes up, it’s more so us being like, ‘you have to lock in,’ instead of the coaches being on you. We don’t want to let our friends down.”
With the field flipped, the Seawolves relied on Dempster — who rushed for 39 out the team’s 44 yards during the drive — to bulldoze his way into the end zone again. He capped off the first-half scoring with a one-yard touchdown run to extend Stony Brook’s lead to 16-3 with 32 seconds remaining until halftime.
After a pair of three-and-outs to start the second half, the Dempster show continued in the third quarter. At Morgan State’s 23-yard line, Marshall delivered another screen to Dempster, who notched a 19-yard catch-and-run. With the ball now at the Bears’ four-yard line, Dempster found a gaping hole on the left side for his third score of the contest. For the second time in the game, Kirby’s extra-point attempt was blocked, making it 22-3.
“[Dempster’s] really gotten a lot better this year running the ball for us,” head coach Billy Cosh said. “He’s got a lot of mental and physical toughness built within himself that comes out and he’s gaining confidence. I’m really proud of Roland. He’s so low maintenance. He just wants to play football and be a great teammate.”
On the ensuing drive while just shy of midfield, Taylor scrambled and had the ball ripped out from him by defensive tackle Sebastian Regis, allowing linebacker Clarens Legagneur to pounce on it.
However, the Seawolves failed to capitalize. While going for it on fourth down from three yards out of the end zone, Marshall attempted to take the ball in himself but fumbled it prior to crossing the goal line’s plane to give possession back to Morgan State.
Nonetheless, the fourth quarter was largely uneventful, as Stony Brook cruised to a 22-3 win for its fourth victory in a row.
“We take a lot of pride in this,” Dempster said. “Last season was rough, but we had to forget about it and keep moving forward. Once coach Cosh came in, we bought in and we wanted to change the program.”
The Seawolves dominated on the ground, as they rushed for 261 total yards. Dempster led the way, racking up 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. While spelling him, Martin rushed for 90 yards on 15 attempts.
Under center, Marshall struggled but got the job done once again. He completed just 50% (9-for-18) of his passes for 132 yards and lost a fumble.
In the passing game, Redman notched four receptions for 62 yards while Dempster caught two passes for 59.
Defensively, Faulk and Regis each forced a fumble. Legagneur and Jones Jr. came up with the recoveries. Faulk and defensive tackle Taylor Bolesta recorded a sack each with 2.5 and two tackles for loss, respectively.
Linebacker Tyson McCloud led the squad with 10 total tackles, while linebacker A.J. Roberts had nine. As a team, the Seawolves combined for nine tackles for loss.
Stony Brook will be back in action next Saturday, when they will conclude their two-game homestand against the Villanova Wildcats. Villanova is 4-1 this season and 1-0 in Coastal Athletic Association play. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
