Despite not being at its best for a second straight week, the No. 17/18 Stony Brook football team fought through its struggles to come out on top in the Battle for the Golden Apple.
On Saturday afternoon, the Seawolves (8-2, 5-1 CAA) returned home to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium for a rivalry game with the Albany Great Danes (3-7, 1-5 CAA). During the 10th edition of the Battle for the Golden Apple, Stony Brook defeated the Great Danes 24-6 to regain the trophy after losing it in 2022.
“All week, we could tell how much [the trophy] meant to everyone,” quarterback Tyler Knoop said during a postgame press conference. “It’s a real rivalry. Those guys don’t like us and we feel the same about them.”
After forcing a quick three-and-out to start the game, the Seawolves went with an up-tempo, pass-heavy attack to strike first on their opening drive. Highlighted by a 36-yard, over-the-shoulder snag by wide receiver Jayce Freeman down the right sideline, Knoop completed five of his first eight passes for 73 yards to set up a first-and-goal situation. From there, running back Roland Dempster picked up a five-yard gain before punching in a two-yard run to make it 7-0.
On the ensuing drive, Albany quarterback Trey Lindsey — who started in place of injured quarterback Myles Burkett — suffered a right shoulder sprain after being crunched by safeties Jordan Jackson and Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu, forcing freshman quarterback Van Weber to make his collegiate debut. Though he led the Great Danes 72 yards down field, Weber dropped back-to-back snaps from center Sean Dugery at the goal line, prompting linebacker Anthony Ferrelli to pounce on the second fumble.
Hemmed deep in its own territory with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter, Stony Brook was forced to punt, giving Albany a short field. Just 1:21 into the second quarter, Weber connected with wide receiver Caden Burti in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown grab. On the windy day, kicker John Opalko’s extra-point attempt clanked off the left upright to put Albany behind 7-6.
With nothing doing for the Seawolves’ offense in the remainder of the first half, the Great Danes had another chance to gain the lead with 2:27 left before halftime. Following another strong drive by Weber, kicker James Bozek was called upon to kick a 29-yard field goal. However, luck continued to be on Stony Brook’s side, as a low snap caused Bozek to push it wide right.
Knoop attributed the offense’s first-half struggles to self-inflicted wounds.
“I felt like we were moving the ball but shooting ourselves in the foot,” Knoop said. ”In the second half, we knew we had to come out and score points. The defense was playing lights out and we needed to do our part.”
Following another sloppy series of Seawolves plays to begin the second half, their defense bailed them out once again. After a 20-yard completion to Burti, linebacker A.J. Roberts forced Weber to fumble the ball at midfield.
Two drives later, the Great Danes coughed up the ball yet again. Despite making a 27-yard catch over the middle of the field, Albany wide receiver Jackson Parker was caught by cornerback Rudy Silvera, who punched the ball out and recovered it.
Though it failed to find the end zone, Stony Brook capitalized on the mistake. From 41 yards out, kicker Enda Kirby fought through the wind and banged a field goal through the uprights to make it 10-6 with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter.
Like the Great Danes, the Seawolves made a blunder of their own on their next drive. With the ball at its own 31-yard line, Dempster rushed up the middle but was stripped by linebacker Dontae Lunan, who recovered and returned it to Stony Brook’s 19.
Nonetheless, the Seawolves’ defense continued to stand tall. Albany went for it on fourth-and-two at Stony Brook’s 11-yard line and put the ball in running back Jojo Uga’s hands, who was stuffed just short of the line to gain by defensive tackle Rushawn Lawrence and company with 1:55 to go in the third quarter.
After the defensive stand, Knoop came through when the Seawolves needed him the most to start the fourth quarter, as he led them on a 10-play, 90-yard drive that featured 24- and 27-yard catches from tight end Cal Redman and wide receiver Jasiah Williams, respectively. With the ball in the red zone and ample time to throw, Knoop found Freeman wide open on the left side, allowing him to walk into the end zone for his fifth touchdown over his last four games.
Putting the final nail in the coffin, Weber sent a pass to tight end Carter Moses at their own 33-yard line, but it went right through his hands and into the arms of linebacker Tyson McCloud for an interception.
“I was mad about an earlier [missed interception],” McCloud said. “The receiver made a little in curl right in front of me, tipped it up and I happened to be right there.”
On the change of possession, Dempster ate the clock and capped off the drive with a four-yard score with 2:41 remaining in the game.
Although it was an ugly victory, as Stony Brook was outgained 365 yards to 321, head coach Billy Cosh was thrilled to see his team fight through adversity.
“You have got to find ways to win sometimes in November,” Cosh said. “It might be a shootout or it might be an old slugfest. I think our guys understand that they just have to score one more point.”
Under center, Knoop turned things around in the second half. After completing just eight of his 16 passes for 120 yards in the first half, Knoop finished the day with a touchdown and 229 yards on a 59.4% completion rate (19-for-32).
Freeman and Williams were Knoop’s main targets. Williams racked up seven receptions and 74 yards, while Freeman caught two passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
On the ground, Dempster averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, picking up 98 yards on 26 attempts. Despite losing a fumble and failing to reach 100 rushing yards for the first time since week three, Dempster found the end zone twice and caught five passes for 49 yards.
Defensively, Silvera forced and recovered a fumble. Roberts also forced a fumble while Ferrelli and Duncan-Niusulu each recovered one. McCloud collected an interception for the team’s fourth takeaway and totaled seven tackles.
Duncan-Niusulu led the team with 11 total tackles while Roberts trailed with nine. Defensive end Kris Caine secured the squad’s only sack.
The Seawolves will be back in action next Saturday when they head to Durham, N.H. to take on the New Hampshire Wildcats. The Wildcats are 6-4 overall this season and 4-2 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. They are coming off a 33-20 win over Monmouth. Opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
