STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Head coach Chuck Priore and the Stony Brook football team do not shy away from challenges. And the opening of the 2020 season is no exception.

The Seawolves have added Western Michigan from the Mid-American Conference to their schedule as the new opener.

The game will be held Sept. 4 in Kalamazoo, Mich., and will mark the first of two consecutive games against FBS opponents to open the season.

The Seawolves then travel to Florida Atlantic for a Sept. 12 matchup.

The late addition of the Broncos replaces the original season opener against Fordham, which had been scheduled for Aug. 29 in the Bronx.

A delay to the start of the Patriot League members' fall competition prompted the adjustment.

Stony Brook and Fordham may look to reschedule the game for later in the season, if the NCAA maximum for permitted number of games allows.

Colgate, like Fordham a member of the Patriot League, originally had been scheduled to face Western Michigan in both teams' opener. The Red Raiders' cancellation created the availability for Stony Brook.
 
"Football games are typically scheduled years in advance. Scheduling this game was anything but typical," Stony Brook director of athletics Shawn Heilbron said.  "As one of the few programs with a bye in Week 1, we were proactive in filling that date with the knowledge that our opener at Fordham would likely not occur.
 
"We are very excited about the opportunity to compete against Western Michigan to open the season and look forward to traveling to Kalamazoo." 
 
This will mark the first time the programs will meet on the football field. The Broncos went 7-6 last season, including 5-3 in the MAC. They earned a berth in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl against Western Kentucky last Dec. 30 in Dallas.