JONESBORO, Ark. – Stony Brook football fell behind early and was unable to recover as the Seawolves fell to FBS foe Arkansas State 31-7 at Centennial Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
Stony Brook fell to 0-3 on the season while the Red Wolves picked up their first win, improving to 1-2. A-State enjoyed a big advantage on the ground, holding a 345-90 advantage in the rushing game.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson had a big day in the receiving game, catching nine passes for 127 yards. Graduate student Rahmon Hart Jr. hauled in two catches for 23 yards and a score. Quarterback Casey Case passed for 221 yards, while completing 21-of-33 (63.6%) passes with the touchdown to Hart. Stony Brook finished with a 221-140 advantage in receiving yards.
Redshirt sophomore Shakhi Carson and redshirt junior Ross Tallarico split the majority of the carries, with Carson gaining 45 yards on 12 carries while Tallarico gained 42 on six attempts on the ground.
On defense, graduate student Aidan Kaler finished with 10 tackles, seven of them solo, adding 1.0 sack. Redshirt junior Brandon Higgs added seven tackles, four of them solo. On special teams, Clayton Taylor hit five punts for 223 yards, averaging 44.6 yards per kick and putting one punt inside the 20.
For Arkansas State, Ja'Quez Cross rushed for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 66-yard score. Jeff Foreman led the Red Wolves in receiving with 42 yards, all on one reception. The quarterback tandem of Jaxon Dailey and Jalen Raynor combined for 140 yards, with Raynor adding a passing touchdown.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Arkansas State scored on their first two possessions of the game to take a 10-0 lead, first on a 22-yard field goal, then on a one-yard touchdown run. A 66-yard touchdown run on A-State's next offensive possession pushed the lead to 17-0 before the end of the first.
- Stony Brook had drives of 63 and 42 yards in the second quarter, but they resulted in a failed fourth down conversion and a missed field goal, keeping SBU off the scoreboard.
- The Red Wolves capitalized off a couple missed SBU opportunities with an 11-play, 77-yard touchdown drive to go up 24-0.
- An eight-yard A-State passing score pushed things to 31-0, before Case found Hart on an 11-yard strike to put SBU on the board and close the scoring.
GAME NOTES
- Hart Jr. caught his first career touchdown pass in his collegiate career.
- Kaler had his third career games with at least 10 tackles, with each coming in his last five games, dating back to last season.
- Higgs tied his overall career high with his seven tackles, matching a 2021 effort with NE Oklahoma A&M.
- A 68-yard slant from Case to Johnson set up Stony Brook's touchdown and marked the longest play of the season for the Seawolves.
- Stony Brook won the time of possession battle 32:00 to 28:00, holding more possession for the second straight game.
- Stony Brook played its first ever game against a Sun Belt Conference opponent on Saturday.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"After we struggled to execute on the first couple drives, we punched back from the end of the first quarter through the end of the quarter and could have cut into the lead or even tied the game, we've just got to figure out how to capitalize. I think we figured out the speed of the game defensively and executed some of the things we practiced in that stretch, credit to the kids there," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook returns home and to CAA play, taking on Richmond at LaValle Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m. Streaming for the Week 4 matchup returns to FloSports. Stony Brook leads the overall series 4-3 including a 3-1 mark at home, but Richmond took last year's matchup in Virginia.
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