SBU Sports: Football notches third straight victory, topping Campbell in CAA opener

SBU Sports: Football notches third straight victory, topping Campbell in CAA opener

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook football never trailed en route to its third straight victory, taking down Campbell, 24-17, in the 2024 CAA opener on Sept. 21 in North Carolina.

The Seawolves used a huge, 227-yard showing on the ground, including 179 yards from Roland Dempster to go along with three rushing touchdowns. The Seawolves improved to 3-1 on the year and picked up their first win over a CAA foe since 2022.

Dempster led all Seawolves rushers with 179 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, averaging 5 yards per carry. Malachi Marshall finished with 157 yards through the air, completing passes to six different Seawolves’ receivers. The rookie quarterback added 24 yards on the ground.

Cole Bunicci, paced all of Stony Brook’s receivers in yardage, catching two passes for 35 yards. Dez Williams reeled in a team-leading four catches, totaling 27 yards. Jayden Cook and RJ Lamarre were efficient as well, finishing with more than 30 yards receiving.

The Seawolves won the turnover battle in Saturday’s game, forcing two turnovers while avoiding any giveaways. Stony Brook turned those takeaways into seven points. Jayson Allen and Nick Capazzola recovered fumbles and Kris Caine had 1.0 TFL and a sack in the win. Jordan Jackson secured a team-high five solo tackles, totaling six tackles. Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu and Anthony Ferrelli added five tackles while AJ Roberts and Chayce Chalmers racked up four apiece.

The Stony Brook offense did a good job extending drives, converting on 57.1 percent of third-down attempts and finishing 12-for-21. The Seawolves were also successful on their lone fourth down conversion attempt. The Seawolves took care of business in the red zone, scoring three times on three trips inside Campbell’s 20-yard line.

“First and foremost, I’m proud of our guys for getting a tough win on the road against a really good team in Campbell,” said head coach Billy Cosh said. “We ran the ball well and controlled the game by running the ball today, which was awesome. Our defense stepped up in critical moments; they had some lapses, but they finished and played hard.”