Coming off a heartbreaking 62-7 loss at Utah State last week, the Stony Brook football team was glad to be playing at home again. The Seawolves took on the Wagner University Seahawks on Saturday, Sept. 14, and easily won, 26-10, thanks to big performances from team captain, redshirt-senior running back Isaiah White and redshirt-junior quarterback Tyquell Fields.
“Obviously, after last week’s game we really wanted to get back onto the field and have the opportunity to play again. We did a great job of being focused and leaving last week’s game behind us,” Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore said in a press release.
White, who ran for two touchdowns on the night, finished the game with 134 yards rushing on 31 carries. This marks the third straight game where he has found the endzone, following two rushing TD’s in the opener versus Bryant and a receiving TD last week at Utah State.
“It’s just about being resilient, coming back from adversity and conflict. How do we respond, because we don’t want to go down as ‘that team’ … we handled it right,” White said in a post-game press conference.
During halftime of the Utah State game, it was announced that Fields had barely practiced throughout the week due to injury and that he would not return for the rest of the game. Fields came out strong against Wagner and showed the coaching staff that the injury to his acromioclavicular joint (AC) suffered against Bryant was all healed.
“I probably should not have played him, to be honest with you,” Priore said in a postgame press conference, referring to Fields playing the first half against Utah State with an injury. “I apologized to him on Sunday, but he was able to not worry about that and he had a good week of practice and had fun out there today, was more at ease.”
Fields finished the night passing for 11-19 for 282 passing yards with a passing TD along with 54 rushing yards on seven carries. His 282-passing yards are the most by a Stony Brook QB since Lyle Negron threw for 395 on Nov. 16, 2013, at James Madison.
The offense — which produced 551 total yards, the school’s highest since 662 yards against Lehigh on Nov. 25, 2017 — did not rely solely on White and Fields. Redshirt-senior wide receiver Andrew Trent enjoyed the Fields passing attack by hauling in three catches for 114 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career, while graduate transfer, wide receiver Jean Constant caught two passes for 39 yards, including Fields’ only TD pass of the night.
While the offense shined, the defense got down and dirty in the mud — almost literally. With the heavens open and rain falling for part of the game, redshirt-sophomore defensive back Justin Burns along with redshirt-junior rover Augie Contressa and junior linebacker Keirston Johnson, each had five total tackles on the night. In all, the defense gave up only 259 total yards including just 17 rushing yards, while not allowing Wagner to score a TD until 8:42 left in the fourth quarter, and some of the second unit guys on the field.
The final score would have been much higher if not for two key penalties. One such penalty negated a Constant punt return touchdown of over 70 yards, while another took away a redshirt-sophomore running back Seba Nekhet 52-yard rushing TD late in the fourth. The Seawolves racked up 10 penalties total 111 yards on the night.
The Seawolves, who have now won 11 straight games at home, defeated Wagner with several players unavailable for the game. Redshirt-freshman running back Ty Son Lawton who has not suited up in two weeks due to an ankle injury, and redshirt-senior defensive back Synceir Malone, the opening week hero, were amongst the Seawolves not to dress.
Stony Brook also dealt with some injuries during the game. Junior wide receiver Brandon Benson went down with an injury in the third and did not return, while redshirt-freshman defensive back Greg Young II went down with an injury in the second, only to return that same quarter. After the game, longtime starting offensive lineman, senior Mason Zimmerman had a precautionary X-ray done on his right hand.
Following the victory, the Seawolves will stay on Long Island and close out their two-game homestand against the Fordham Rams. The matchup will conclude the Seawolves Non-Conference Schedule, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
