The Stony Brook Seawolves football team defeated the Wagner Seahawks by a score of 45-9 to reclaim the top spot in the NEC, going into the final game of the year. This marked the first time SBU beat Wagner at home in 7 attempts. Albany defeated Robert Morris, and as a result, Stony Brook now controls its own fate in the NEC; if they win, they are the champions for the second year in a row.

Stony Brook’s offense was exceptionally strong all day, with Josh Dudash throwing for 393 yards, and Von Bryant rushing for 3 of SBU’s 6 touchdowns. The first two touchdowns came from Bryant, in the first and second quarters, to put the Seawolves in an early 14-0 lead.

Wagner’s only touchdown of the day came on a kickoff return following the Bryant touchdown in the 2nd quarter. The PAT was unsuccessful, however, and so the score would remain 14-6. Josh Dudash then completed a 12-yard pass to Lynell Suggs for another touchdown. Thanks to an interception, SBU was able to squeeze in yet another touchdown before halftime, with Bryant’s third touchdown of the day. The score was 28-6 at halftime.

The third quarter was uneventful, with each team picking up a field goal. In the fourth, Stony Brook would cement the win, with touchdowns from Steve Austin and Aaron Hale, with his first touchdown in his collegiate career.

Stony Brook, Monmouth, and Albany are tied at 5-1. However, Stony Brook has beaten both teams, and has the tiebreaker as a result. Monmouth and Albany play each other next weekend, and the winner of that game would be the NEC champion if SBU were to lose on Saturday. Stony Brook will be on the road, playing Central Connecticut State University. They are 3-3 in conference play. Should Stony Brook win the title, and not be invited to an NCAA postseason game, they’ll play the Pioneer League champions at LaValle Stadium on December 2 in the inaugural Gridiron Classic. The SBU-CCSU game starts at noon on Saturday, and can be heard on WUSB, 90.1 FM.