Stony Brook (0-0, 0-0 CAA Football) at Air Force (0-0, 0-0 MWC)
LOCATION	Falcon Stadium (46,692) | Colorado Springs, Colo.
DATE  | TIME	Saturday, Sept. 1 | 12 p.m. MT/2 p.m. ET
TICKETS	Buy Season Tickets | Buy Single Game Tickets
COACHES	Stony Brook: Chuck Priore (UAlbany '82) 116-70   Air Force: Troy Calhoun (Air Force '89) 82-60
RANKINGS	Stony Brook: 22 AFCA Coaches/20 STATS FCS | Air Force: --\--
TV	Facebook Live (Ari Wolfe - pxp; Max Starks - analyst; Dani Klupenger - sideline)
RADIO	103.9 FM LI News Radio (Josh Caray - pxp; Curt Hylton - analyst; Brian Miller - sideline)
GAME NOTES	Stony Brook | Air Force | CAA Football
COVERAGE	Live Stats
SOCIAL	@StonyBrookFB | #SeawolvesUnited | #HOWL
UP NEXT	Stony Brook vs. Bryant | Sept. 8 | 6 p.m. | LaValle Stadium

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Sixth-year senior RB Donald Liotine (Medford, N.Y.) leads the Stony Brook football team into the 2018 season opener at FBS foe Air Force on Saturday. The teams will kickoff at Noon MT/2 p.m. ET from Falcon Stadium. The game can be viewed live on Facebook.

 

The Seawolves (0-0) are coming off a 10-3 season where they finished second in CAA Football with a 7-1 mark. Stony Brook made a return to the NCAA Division I Championships and reached the second round. The Falcons are coming off  5-7 season where they placed fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-4 record.

THE SERIES
This will be the first meeting between the two programs. Air Force, a member of the FBS' Mountain West Conference, began playing football in 1956.  

VS. FBS
Saturday's game will mark the 11th time Stony Brook will face a FBS opponent on the gridiron. The Seawolves are 1-8 against FBS teams in the previous meetings. Last season the Seawolves led nationally ranked USF in the fourth quarter before falling late. Stony Brook faced Toledo to open the season in 2015, but the game was not completed due to weather.

QUICK HITTERS
• Stony Brook is 10-9 in season openers since moving to Division I in 1999. The Seawolves have won three of the last five openers, including the 13-9 victory over North Dakota that opened the 2016 season.
• Head coach Chuck Priore is 6-6 in openers at Stony Brook.  
• Stony Brook's captains for the 2018 season are senior QB Joe Carbone, senior TE Cal Daniels, senior LB Shayne Lawless, senior LB Noah McGinty and senior DL John Haggart.
• Senior TE Cal Daniels was named preseason STATS FCS All-American.
• Stony Brook, who finished the 2017 season ranked 11th in both polls, opens 2018 ranked 22nd in the AFCA Coaches poll and 20th in the STATS poll. 

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Stony Brook's roster includes a pair of brothers for the 2018 season. Junior DL Brandon Lopez will be joined this season by his brother Ryan, a freshman DL.  Junior WR Kyle Vadis is joined on the roster by his brother Ryan, a freshman WR.

AGAINST THE MILITARY  ACADEMIES
Stony Brook is 7-4 all-time against the United States' Military Academies. The Seawolves knocked off FBS foe Army 23-3 in 2012, are 3-0 against the Coast Guard Academy and are 3-4 against the Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point).
 
IN THE RANKS
The Seawolves earned a spot in both of the national preseason polls. Stony Brook enters the season ranked 22nd in the AFCA Coaches' poll and sit 20th in the STATS FCS poll.

AGAINST THE FCS RANKS
Stony Brook in now 9-19 all-time against FCS ranked opponents with the victories over No. 12 New Hampshire and No. 17 Richmond this season. The Seawolves' also posted two ranked wins in 2016. Stony Brook earned a 42-14 win over No. 2 Richmond and a 13-9 season-opening victory against No. 19 North Dakota. Richmond's No. 2 ranking equals the highest ranked opponent to come into Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (No. 2 Towson on Sept. 28, 2013). The win over Richmond also marked the program's first victory over a top 10 team.

SEASON OPENERS UNDER PRIORE
Head coach Chuck Priore is 6-6 in openers at Stony Brook, including a 5-1 record when playing at home to open the season.
Year    Opponent    Result
2017    at #19 USF*    L, 31-17
2016    #19 North Dakota    W, 13-9
2015    Central Connecticut    W, 38-9
2014    Bryant    L, 13-7
2013    at Rhode Island    W, 24-0
2012    Central Connecticut    W, 49-22
2011    at UTEP    L, 31-24 OT
2010    at USF    L, 59-14
2009    at Hofstra    L, 17-10
2008    Colgate    W, 42-26
2007    Georgetown    W, 35-28
2006    Hofstra    L, 17-8
*FBS ranking

LET'S GO STREAKING...
QB Joe Carbone has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 12 straight games...LBs Noah McGinty and Shayne Lawless have started 23 straight games...TE Cal Daniels has started 15 straight games.

SEAWOLVES PICKED FOURTH BY LEAGUE
The Seawolves were picked to finished fourth in the CAA by the league's head coaches and SIDs. Conference team. (first place votes)
1. James Madison (21)  241
2. New Hampshire (2)  206
3. Delaware  182
4. Stony Brook  169
5. Elon (1)  168
6. Villanova  164
7. Richmond  127
8. Maine  81
9. UAlbany  78
10. Towson  74
11. William & Mary  55
12. Rhode Island  39

CARBONE CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior QB Joe Carbone sits among the top in several career records at Stony Brook. The Wethersfield, Conn., native enters the Air Force game ranked fourth in career completions and attempts, fifth in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns. He is 35 completions away from moving up to third, 41 attempts from moving up to third, 118 passing yards away from sliding up to fourth and three passing touchdowns from moving up to fifth.

LIOTINE CRACKS THE TOP 10
Senior RB Donald Liotine sits 10th in Stony Brook's career all-purpose yards list with 2556 yards entering the Air Force game. He is 1678 rushing yards, 139 receiving yards and 739 kick return yards. Liotine needs 227 yards to move up to ninth place.

UP NEXT
Stony Brook will return to Long Island to host Bryant in the home opener next Saturday (Sept. 8) at 6 p.m. in Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. Buy Season Tickets | Buy Single Game Tickets