On a muggy 95-degree afternoon, the Stony Brook Football team was thrashed 38-0 by the Temple Owls of the Football Bowl Subdivision at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• Moment that mattered: While on his own nine-yard line, redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Carbone threw a tipped ball interception into the hands of Temple junior defensive back Sean Chandler on the first play of the second quarter. Sophomore running back Jager Gardner would soon punch in a four yard run, establishing a 21-0 three-possession lead for the Owls. This deflating touchdown cemented a Temple dominance that continued for the rest of the game.
• What the loss means: With Temple being the only FBS opponent on Stony Brook’s schedule, the Seawolves were not the favorite coming into Saturday’s matchup at Lincoln Financial Field. With that said, Stony Brook was routed in all facets of the game, stemming from a lack of offensive cohesion. Going 0-6 on first-half third down conversion attempts and reaching midfield only once in the entirety of the first half, the offensive failed to find any semblance of a rhythm. In return, Temple enjoyed exceptional field position all afternoon, while Stony Brook’s defense played with their backs against the wall.
• Standout Seawolf: A rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak contest, redshirt sophomore linebacker Shayne Lawless found success, particularly while defending the run. Lawless led his team with seven tackles, two of which were for a loss.
• Three takeaways:
  • With no downfield threat, the Seawolves struggled mightily to convert third downs and subsequently, string together scoring drives. They have yet to score an offensive touchdown this season. Failing to build upon his solid season-opening performance, Carbone completed 8 of 17 passes for an abysmal 84 yards to couple his two interceptions.
  • The offensive line failed to create room for running backs redshirt junior Stacey Bedell and sophomore Jordan Gowins, who were consistently met at the line by a flood of Temple defenders. The pair combined for 61 total yards, good for 2.9 yards per carry.
  • To the defense’s credit, Temple’s offense only averaged 4.8 yards per play. But graced with consistent short field positioning, the Owls posted 38 points with ease. Stony Brook defense’s biggest fallout was its big-play susceptibility. Two of Temple’s passing touchdowns were over 15 yards and the Owls picked up a 36 yard run via a wide receiver sweep.

• What’s next: Stony Brook will host the CAA preseason favorite Richmond Spiders on Sat. September 17 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The Spiders, currently ranked No. 2 in the Football Championship Subdivision, lost in last season’s FCS semifinals to North Dakota State, the eventual champions.