STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook football closed its 2023 season on Saturday, falling 38-20 to No. 18 UAlbany at LaValle Stadium.
Redshirt freshman Daron Bryden led Stony Brook's passing attack, finishing 21-of-31 for 208 yards through the air, tossing one touchdown without an interception, in his first start of the season.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson reeled in six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, while classmate Jayce Freeman contributed in the receiving game as well, hauling in three balls for 51 yards. Redshirt junior Ross Tallarico added a pair of catches for 32 yards.
In the rushing game, redshirt junior
Roland Dempster led all
Seawolves rushers with 46 yards in the contest.
On defense, graduate student
Aidan Kaler finished with 10 tackles, adding a tackle for loss. Graduate student
Quenton Porter marked his final game in a Stony Brook uniform with a career-high eight tackles, and tied a career-high with two pass breakups. Redshirt junior
Clarens Legagneur recorded a 49-yard pick-six to go with five tackles and two TFLs.
For UAlbany, Reese Poffensbarger completed 20-of-28 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns. Griffin Woodell led all rushers with 151 yards and a score. Brevin Easton caught six passes for 89 yards and a touchdown while Julian Hicks added six receptions for 62 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Before the game, three Stony Brook football student-athletes were honored for Senior Day – linebacker
De'Aundre Cruz, offensive lineman
D'Angelo McKinnie and defensive back
Quenton Porter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- On Stony Brook's third defensive play of the game, Legagneur took an interception 49-yards back to the house to give Stony Brook a 7-0 lead.
- UAlbany took advantage of a short field to tie things at seven, then tacked on a field goal for a 10-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
- The Seawolves then went on a 15-play, 69-yard drive to tie things on an Enda Kirby field goal, before another short field gave Albany a 17-10 lead, as an 18-yard touchdown reception finished off a 38-yard drive.
- Stony Brook again responded with a field goal, capping off a 10-play, 55-yard drive, but UAlbany scored in the final minute to grab a 24-13 lead at halftime.
- The Great Danes extended the lead to 31-13 in the third quarter and 38-13 in the fourth, both on touchdown passes. Johnson closed the scoring by hauling in a spectacular one-handed catch to mark a 22-yard touchdown reception.
GAME NOTES
- Johnson finished with 59 receptions for the season, tied for sixth all-time in single-season catches with Dwayne Eley (2007) and Lucas Niskanen (1998).
- Legagneur's pick-six was SBU's second of the season, coupled with JuJu Ganthier's against Richmond on Sept. 23. It was the first interception of the rover's career.
- Johnson caught a pass of 20 or more yards for the eighth time this season and caught at least five catches for the seventh time in 2023.
- Kaler reached double-digit tackles for the fourth time this season. He finishes with 82 tackles in 2023, most for a Stony Brook defender across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
- Kirby knocked through multiple field goals for the first time in his career, and made all three of his field goal tries this year.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
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