A pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns gave Stony Brook Football the push it needed to defeat Rhode Island, 14-3, in Saturday’s Homecoming at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

Moment that mattered: In the beginning of the fourth quarter, it seemed as though Rhode Island’s 3-0 lead would become insurmountable. However, redshirt junior running back Stacey Bedell changed that after four consecutive runs that culminated in a touchdown with 10:09 left in the game. Stony Brook would get the extra point and after three quarters of riding a three-point lead, Rhode Island was down four.

What the win means: Stony Brook moves to 3-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The position is a first for the Seawolves since joining the CAA. Conference games now become vital for Stony Brook as it attempts to stay tied for first in the conference and make the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 2012, when the team was in the Big South Conference.

Standout Seawolf: Junior defensive back Tyrice Beverette was a monster on defense. He recorded 11 tackles, including four tackles for losses. Beverette managed to take down Rams junior running back Harold Cooper behind the line of scrimmage that sparked a three-and-out that led to the Seawolves reaching the red zone for the first time in the game. He also sacked Rams’ redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Vazzano nine yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Three takeaways:

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Carbone was a non-factor for much of the game. He threw for 22 yards on four completions in the first half. His longest pass came at the end of the second quarter on a fourth down conversion, throwing a 10-yard completion to junior wide receiver Sherman Alston Jr. In the second half, Carbone was able to complete a pair of longer passes: a 15-yarder to graduate wide receiver Tim Keith and a 27-yarder to junior wide receiver Ray Bolden.
• Stony Brook’s running back duo of Bedell and sophomore running back Jordan Gowins continue to dominate. The two combined for 246 yards on the day and two touchdowns. Bedell broke out for a 20-yard gain at the end of the first quarter, putting the Seawolves in Rams’ territory after Alston Jr. returned a kickoff to the Stony Brook 42-yard line. The two would each lead a drive in the fourth quarter to put the Seawolves in the end zone.
• A blocked field goal is always a problem, but when there are two in the same game, it registers as a crisis. Senior kicker Przemyslaw Popek was blocked twice on potential game-tying field goals. In the second quarter, Rhode Island got a hand on the field goal that altered the trajectory of the ball. It sailed flat, right under the goal post. At the end of the third quarter, Popek’s field goal attempt was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Rhode Island recovered the ball and ran it to its 30-yard line.

What’s next: Stony Brook will take a trip to Delaware next Saturday as the team takes on the Fightin’ Blue Hens in conference play on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.