Down to a two-point conversion on the final play of the game, the No. 20 Stony Brook football team prevailed to secure a nail-biting victory in its first overtime game of the season.
On Saturday afternoon, the Seawolves (7-2, 4-1 CAA) took on the Bryant Bulldogs (2-7, 0-5 CAA) at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, R.I. The Bulldogs fought back from a large deficit and brought the game to overtime, where Stony Brook grabbed a 31-30 victory.
The Seawolves kicked off the scoring on their first drive in a familiar fashion. A pair of 14-yard completions from quarterback Tyler Knoop to wide receivers Dez Williams and Jasiah Williams helped set Stony Brook up at the nine-yard line. This paved the way for a pair of rushes from running back Roland Dempster, the latter of which he powered through the middle for a five-yard touchdown run to put Stony Brook ahead 7-0.
The Seawolves’ defense came out of the gates hot as well. On Bryant’s first possession, quarterback Brennan Myer threw a pass to the left side that was tipped up in the air and intercepted by safety Jalen Hoyle. Stony Brook cashed in on the turnover with a 36-yard field goal from kicker Enda Kirby to make it 10-0 with 5:04 remaining in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs responded. To cap off a nearly six-minute drive, Myer found wide receiver Landon Ruggieri on the far side of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass, cutting Stony Brook’s lead to just three points.
That deficit was brought right back to 10 on the Seawolves’ next possession, but this time, the drive was headed by another member of Stony Brook’s backfield. On his third-straight rushing attempt, running back Johnny Martin made a shifty move and went through the right side for a one-yard touchdown to make it 17-7, which remained unchanged heading into halftime.
Bryant cut into Stony Brook’s lead again early in the second half, as kicker Bryce Soli nailed a 30-yard field goal to make it 17-10 on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the third quarter.
However, Bryant needed more than a field goal to keep up with the Seawolves, who reached the end zone via the air on their next possession. Following a 16-yard completion to tight end Cal Redman, Knoop found wide receiver Jayce Freeman wide open across the middle of the field. Freeman corralled the ball in and took it all the way for a 40-yard touchdown reception to extend Stony Brook’s lead.
This time, the Bulldogs inched closer with a huge play. On the first play of their next drive, running back Markiel Cockrell broke through the Seawolves’ defensive line and found open field for a 75-yard touchdown carry. With that, Bryant was down by just a score, as it trailed 24-17 midway through the third quarter.
Stony Brook looked for a huge play to answer back on its ensuing drive and momentarily succeeded. Knoop found Freeman on the first play for what would have been a 46-yard gain to set the Seawolves up in the red zone. However, an ineligible man downfield penalty by center Hunter Barlow negated the play, and instead, Stony Brook stayed at its own 30-yard line.
This play turned out to be even more decisive, as almost immediately after, Knoop was strip sacked by defensive end Nathan Voorhis, allowing Bryant to jump on it and gain possession at the Seawolves’ 25-yard line. Two plays later, Myer lofted a ball up to wide receiver Tristen Riley, who hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch for a 19-yard touchdown reception. With that, Bryant had clawed back all the way back to knot the score at 24-24.
Stony Brook looked to swing the momentum back in its favor on the next drive, and a 40-yard completion from Knoop to Dez Williams kickstarted the effort. However, the Seawolves were unable to reach the end zone after that, and a missed 46-yard field goal from Kirby opened the door for the Bulldogs late in the game.
Bryant was unable to get downfield on that possession but got another chance with 18 seconds left in the game. With the score still tied, the clock ran out and the game was sent to overtime.
The Bulldogs won the coin toss heading into overtime, giving Stony Brook the first offensive chance. Following a 15-yard completion from Knoop to Dez Williams, Dempster took two consecutive carries to end the drive with a hard-fought, two-yard touchdown rush to put the Seawolves up 31-24.
Wth the Seawolves up, all the pressure was on Bryant’s offense, who needed to score a touchdown of its own to keep the game alive. On the first play, the Bulldogs did just that. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Myer to Ruggieri made it a one-point game, and with an opportunity to seal the win, Bryant went for the two-point conversion. Running back Dylan Kedzior took a rush straight up the middle and was stuffed short of the end zone, giving Stony Brook the 31-30 victory.
“It was an ugly win,” head coach Billy Cosh said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “But a win is a win. We found a way to win, but we have a lot of things to correct moving forward.”
Another huge game from Dempster set the stage for the Seawolves victory. On 25 carries, he ended the contest with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including the overtime game-winner. Martin also contributed to the ground game, going for 12 yards and a touchdown on four attempts. The touchdown marked Martin’s third of the season, which set a new career high.
For the third consecutive week, Knoop had an impressive performance, completing 23-of-30 (76.7%) of his pass attempts for 285 yards and a touchdown. However, he did commit a costly turnover when he fumbled the ball.
Knoop’s primary target was Jasiah Williams, who had 10 receptions for 96 yards. Behind him, Dez Williams made four catches for 75 yards, while Freeman brought in three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Safety Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu and linebacker Anthony Ferrelli led the charge on defense with seven total tackles each, while linebacker A.J. Roberts racked up six. Defensive tackle Rushawn Lawrence also contributed five total tackles, as well as 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. Along with Lawrence, defensive end Dyshier Clary got home once, while linebacker Chayce Chalmers assisted on a sack.
In the secondary, cornerback Deshawn Jones Jr. had two pass breakups. Ferrelli, cornerback Rudy Silvera and linebacker Clarens Legagneur followed with one breakup each. Hoyle reeled in the contest’s lone interception.
Stony Brook will return home to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium next weekend, when it will take on the Albany Great Danes in the Battle for the Golden Apple. The Great Danes are 3-6 overall on the season and 1-4 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. They are coming off a 31-14 loss at the hands of New Hampshire. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
