The Stony Brook Seawolves defeated the Albany Great Danes by a score of 33-21, to improve their Northeast Conference record to a perfect 2-0, and their overall record to 2-4. This was a matchup pitting SBU Head Coach Chuck Priore and defensive line Coach Jason Martin against Albany Coach Bob Ford, who both Priore and Martin played for during their collegiate careers.
Throughout the first quarter, Stony Brook controlled the ball, having it for 12:20, but the quarter ended scoreless. A highlight, however, was a well-executed fake punt by Stony Brook, in which punter Sean McGinty ran for 13 yards to pick up the first down before being hammered by an Albany defender out of bounds. He seemed shaken up, but continued to punt. Stony Brook would later make it 2 for 2 on 4th down conversions.
It was Stony Brook that struck first, in the second quarter. Freshman linebacker Mack Graham Jr. knocked the ball from Albany quarterback Daniel Bocanegra’s hands, which was picked up by Cory Giddings and brought in for the touchdown. Albany quickly scored to tie it up, but on their next drive, they fumbled again. Giddings returned it for the touchdown once more, putting Stony Brook up again. They went into the half leading 17-14. The halftime show featured a performance by Stony Brook’s marching band, making its debut at the game.
In the third, Albany scored quickly, on a pass from Bocanegra. Stony Brook returned the favor with a short pass from running back Steve Austin to Saladin Davis. At the start of the fourth, they made it 27-21 following Luke Gaddis’s second field goal of the day. Josh Dudash completed a 41 yard pass for another touchdown. He would finish the day with 236 passing yards. Following an unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt, the score was 33-21. Another fumble by Albany would seal their fate.
Stony Brook’s offense produced 367 yards to Albany’s 303. Stony Brook’s passing game was much stronger than Albany’s as well. While Stony Brook lost 84 yard to penalties versus Albany’s 72, the statistic that would matter most was Albany’s 3 turnovers to SBU’s 0.
When asked about the victory, Priore said, “We had people make plays on an individual basis,” and added that this was something he said was necessary from the beginning. He also extended his congratulations to the school, the support staff, and the other coaches, all of whom contributed to the victory.
With the loss, Albany dropped to 3-3 overall, and 1-1 in the NEC. Stony Brook and Robert Morris are now tied atop the NEC standings, both at 2-0. Stony Brook’s next game will be on the road, against Saint Francis (PA). They are 1-5, with their only win thus far coming on opening week, in a non-conference game. Kickoff is at 1PM, and can be heard on WUSB 90.1FM.
