THE MATCHUP: Stony Brook football is back as the Seawolves kick-off the 2022 season against Rhode Island on Thursday, September 1, at 7 p.m. at LaValle Stadium. The game is set to air on FloFootball with Jonny Wincott (play-by-play), Sam Kornhauser (analyst), and Sam Neidermann (sideline) on the call. The Seawolves and Rams are set to go head-to-head for the ninth time in history. Stony Brook is 7-1 all-time against Rhode Island. The teams last met on October 2, 2021, in Rhode Island and the Seawolves fell to the Rams, 27-20, in overtime. Ty Son Lawton rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown in last season's meeting. Stony Brook has posted a perfect 3-0 record against Rhode Island at LaValle Stadium and picked up a 52-14 victory over the Rams the last time they made the trip to Long Island on October 20, 2018.
 
THE (RUSHING) CHAMP IS HERE: Ty Son Lawton finished last season as the CAA's leading rusher with 1,088 yards on 216 carries and was selected to the All-CAA First Team. His 1,088 rushing yards were the 10th-most in a single-season in program history and the most since Donald Liotine ran for 1,148 yards in 2018. The running back led the league in rushing yards per game with 98.9 and was second in rushing touchdowns with 10. At the conclusion of the regular season, he ranked ninth in all of NCAA FCS in rushing, 11^th in rushing yards per game, and tied for 24th in rushing touchdowns.
 
SAVY VET: All-American offensive lineman Kyle Nunez returns for his sixth season. Last season, he helped lead the Seawolves to 10 100-plus yard rushing performances and as a result was selected to the All-CAA Second Team. The Seawolves ran for 200 yards or more in three games in 2021 and racked up a season-high 321 rushing yards in the 36-14 win over UAlbany to reclaim the Golden Apple in the season finale. The East Islip native helped the running game average 176.1 yards per game, the second-most in the CAA last season and the Seawolves rushed for 19 touchdowns as a team, which were tied for the second-most in the conference.
 
TK35 TACKLING MACHINE: Tyler King registered 95 tackles (50 solo, 45 assists), 12.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble in 11 games in 2021. King led all CAA rookies in total tackles and ranked sixth overall. His 50 solo tackles were the second-most in the conference last season. He was one of 23 finalists for the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, which was presented to the national FCS freshman player of the year.
 
40 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Coach Priore begins his 40th season of college football and 17th as the head coach at Stony Brook. Priore began his career as a student-athlete at UAlbany where he was a member of the football team and graduated in 1982. His coaching career began in 1983 at his alma mater where he served as the running backs and strength coach until 1985. From 1986-91 he was the offensive coordinator and strength coach at Union. Following his time at Union he was the offensive coordinator and strength coach at Penn from 1992-99. Priore served as the Trinity head coach from 2000-05, before being named the second head coach in Stony Brook history in 2006. He has collected 134 wins as a head coach and 95 at Stony Brook.
 
TRANSFERS TO WATCH: Stony Brook brought in a standout transfer class to join the program for the 2022 season. Offensive lineman Sam Howson (Rutgers/LIU), defensive lineman Eric Black (Buffalo), defensive lineman Taylor Bolesta (LIU), defensive lineman Rushawn Lawrence (Lackawanna), linebacker De'Aundre Cruz (College of San Mateo), defensive back Shamel Lazarus (UConn), and defensive back Cashton Haffery (Moorpark) are slated to play key roles for the Seawolves in Week 1.
 
REMEMBERING JOE FEMINELLA: The entire Stony Brook community mourns the loss of longtime football co-captain Joe Feminella who passed away in May. Joe was adopted by the football team in 2009, through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. As a member of the program, Joe helped the Seawolves to four conference championships and four FCS Playoff berths. Joe was a fixture at LaValle Stadium alongside coach Priore as together they led the Seawolves out of the tunnel before every home game. He was always a source of encouragement on the sidelines as he cheered the team on for 13 seasons. Joe was able to touch the lives of so many during his time as a member of the Stony Brook football program. He was an inspiration to so many as his positive attitude and smile were always able to lift a room. Joe's memory will live on forever.