STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Marking the 25th playing of the Battle for the Golden Apple, Stony Brook football will face upstate rival No. 18 UAlbany in its final game of 2023 on Saturday, Nov 11. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on FloSports.
Stony Brook (0-9, 0-7 CAA) vs. UAlbany (7-3, 5-1 CAA)
WHERE: Stony Brook, N.Y.
VENUE: LaValle Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 11, 1 p.m. ET
HOW TO WATCH: FloFootball
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
SERIES HISTORY
… OVERALL – 10-14
… AT STONY BROOK – 8-7
… AT MONMOUTH – 2-7
… FIRST MATCHUP – Nov. 23, 1995 (W, 40-21)
… LAST MATCHUP – Oct. 29, 2022 (L, 14-59)
… LAST FIVE – UAlbany, 3-2
… LAST 10 – Tied, 5-5
OPENING KICK
- Stony Brook football will play its season finale on Saturday, facing No. 18 UAlbany on Saturday, Nov. 11. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. with Jonny Wincott (play-by-play) and Sam Kornhauser (analyst) on the call with Matt Levine on the sideline.
- Saturday will be the 25th all-time meeting in the Battle for the Golden Apple. UAlbany leads the overall series, 14-10. Stony Brook will look to take the Golden Apple trophy back after UAlbany's victory a season ago.
- Stony Brook will honor three seniors and graduate students on Saturday - DB Quenton Porter, LB De'Aundre Cruz and OL D'Angelo McKinnie.
- Stony Brook will play its fourth game this season against a ranked opponent, all coming against CAA competition. The Seawolves previously faced off against No. 22 Delaware (Week 1), No. 22 Rhode Island (Week 2) and No. 19 Villanova (Week 9).
- Heading into Stony Brook's final game, wide receiver Anthony Johnson remains at the top of the FCS freshman ranks in several receiving statistics, and also ranks top three in the CAA and top 25 in the country in receiving.
- Aidan Kaler remains the leading tackler for SBU, and can finish with the most tackles among any defender between 2022 and 2023 with three or more start.
THE TOP FRESHMAN IN THE COUNTRY
- Redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson leads all FCS freshmen in four different receiving categories - average receptions (5.9), total receptions (53), total receiving yards (660) and receiving yards per game (73.3).
- These numbers rank third in the CAA in total and average receptions, fourth in total receiving yards and fifth in the league in yards per game.
- The James Madison transfer is now tied for 18th in the country in receptions per game and tied for 31st in receiving yards per game.
- He has caught a pass of at least 20 yards in seven of nine games this year.
- With two games left to play, Johnson is tied for 10th in Stony Brook history with 53 receptions, holding the most since 2017 when Ray Bolden caught 66 passes.
- His 660 receiving yards are the most for Stony Brook since Nick Anderson put up 870 in 2019.
- He is also the first SBU receiver since Anderson to hold multiple 100-yard games in a season.
SENIOR DAY IN STONY BROOK
- Stony Brook football will honor three seniors and graduating students on Saturday in De'Aundre Cruz, D'Angelo McKinnie and Quenton Porter.
- The trio has played a combined 59 games for Stony Brook.
- Porter has been at Stony Brook for six seasons, the only sixth-year on the roster who has played this year.
- He has played in 36 games, made 67 tackles defended 11 passes and intercepted two passes.
- Cruz and McKinnie both transferred to Stony Brook, Cruz from the College of San Mateo (Guam) before 2022 and McKinnie from East Carolina as a graduate transfer in 2023.
- Both have filled new roles in 2023, as Cruz made a career high 10 tackles in his first career start on Oct. 21 while McKinnie returned from injury and transitioned from tight end to the offensive line.
BATTLE FOR THE GOLDEN APPLE
- Stony Brook and UAlbany will face each other for the 25th edition for the Battle for the Golden Apple.
- The winner of each year's game is awarded the Golden Apple trophy, a tradition which first began in 2015.
- UAlbany leads the overall series 14-10.
- Saturday will be the 25th time in 29 seasons the game has been contested, including the 11th straight season after both schools became members at the CAA.
- Stony Brook has defended its home turf well in the rivalry, holding an 8-7 home record and winning six of its last seven matchups at LaValle Stadium.
- In the two sides' last matchup on the Island which closed the 2021 season, Stony Brook won in a 36-14 romp, with 160 yards on the ground coming from Roland Dempster.
NICOLAS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF STARTS
- Redshirt freshman Willensky Nicolas has taken over a starting role at cornerback, starting SBU's last four games.
- He has 20 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a pass breakup in that span, averaging 5.0 tackles per game.
- The Brooklyn native is fourth on the roster with 33.0 tackles this season.
- Nicolas set his season and career high with eight tackles against New Hampshire.
CAREER FIRSTS
• Stony Brook players have put up several instances of career firsts in the stat sheet across
the first five weeks.
Date Career First Player
8/31 Interception
Noah Rodriguez
9/8 Receiving TD
Jayden Cook
9/8 Passing TD
Casey Case
9/8 Sack
Andy Nwaoko
9/8 Sack
Anthony Williams (assisted)
9/16 Receiving TD
Rahmon Hart Jr.
9/23 Receiving TD
Anthony Johnson
9/23 Interception
Jalen Hoyle
9/23 Interception/TD
JuJu Ganthier
9/23 Forced Fumble
Taylor Bolesta
9/23 Fumble Recovery
Rodney Faulk
9/30 Fumble Recovery
Nick Chimienti
10/14 Blocked Kick
Jalen Hoyle
10/14 Sack
Davon Bomar
10/21 Receiving TD
Jayce Freeman
10/28 Receiving TD
Dez Williams
11/4 Field Goal
Enda Kirby
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
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