The Stony Brook Football defense dominated from the onset, as the team beat Delaware, 28-3, at Delaware Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the team’s third consecutive victory.
Moment that mattered: Leading 7-3 in the third quarter, the Seawolves faced a 4th-and-13 from the Delaware 20-yard line and opted to keep the offense on the field. Redshirt sophomore Joe Carbone escaped initial pressure in the backfield, split the defense and scrambled 20 yards into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the season.
What the win means: Stony Brook remains undefeated in conference play, now 4-0 against Colonial Athletic Association opponents this season. The Seawolves are tied for first in the CAA with the No. 5 James Madison Dukes. Now sporting a 5-2 record overall, Stony Brook has already matched its win total from the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons with four regular season games still left to play.
Standout Seawolf: Junior linebacker John Haggart wreaked havoc on the edge rush all game long for Stony Brook. The Sayville native recorded a career-high 11 tackles, including three sacks. Haggart forced three fumbles, all recovered by Stony Brook.
Three takeaways:
- Forced fumbles won the game for Stony Brook. The defense stripped Delaware of the ball seven times in the game, recovering five times, the most by any Football Championship Subdivision team this season. The first fumble recovery of the contest — picked up by senior defensive back Jaheem Woods — was taken 55 yards to give Stony Brook a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
- Stacey Bedell continued to be unstoppable carrying the football. The redshirt junior running back only carried the ball 14 times, compared with 26 in last week’s win over Rhode Island, but he made the most of his touches. Bedell accrued 120 yards and two touchdowns. Bedell now has 10 touchdowns this season.
- Delaware offense entered the game averaging 270.8 rushing yards per game, the eighth-ranked ground attack in the nation, but it was stifled on Saturday. The Seawolves defense limited the Fightin’ Blue Hens to only 104 yards on 48 carries. Joe Walker, Delaware’s dual-threat quarterback, was held to a season-low 13 yards on 17 carries. Junior defensive back Tyrice Beverette led the way with 13 tackles, tying a season high.
What’s next: Stony Brook will play one more game on the road, facing New Hampshire on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m.. The Seawolves beat the Wildcats, 31-6, in an upset victory last season.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the final score in the first sentence. It was 28-3, not 21-3.