STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The 24th ranked Seawolves used a big 220-yard output on the ground, including 144 yards from Roland Dempster, and two rushing touchdowns to pick up a 35-13 win against No. 15 William & Mary on homecoming at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
The Seawolves improved to 6-2 on the year and 3-1 in CAA play. It marked the first victory over a ranked team for Stony Brook since they defeated Delaware at Lavalle Stadium in 2021.
Tyler Knoop led Stony Brook's passing attack with 240 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns.
Dempster paced the Seawolves rushers with 144 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, picking up 5.3 yards per carry. He also added 58 receiving yards. Shakhi Carson added 34 yards on the ground, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Knoop's most prolific target in the ballgame was Jayce Freeman, who caught three passes for 101 yards and one score.
A.J. Roberts showed out for the Stony Brook defense, recording 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, a pick-six, and two pass breakups.
Franco Milano added an interception and
Deshawn Jones Jr. had one interception in the win.
The Seawolves won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, with Stony Brook turning those takeaways into 14 points.
Stony Brook's defense held up against the run, limiting William & Mary to 120 yards on the ground. The Seawolves' defense disrupted the William & Mary passing attack, pulling down four interceptions and breaking up four Tribe passes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Following a three-and-out by William & Mary on their first possession, Stony Brook scored on their first play from scrimmage after Knoop and Freeman connected for a 70-yard touchdown.
- The Tribe scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Wilson with just over seven minutes remaining. The Tribe missed the extra point, leaving the Seawolves with a 7-6 lead.
- The Stony Brook defense came up with an interception on their next trip on the defensive side, with Franco Milano notching the first of his career after Roberts tipped the pass.
- On the first play of the second quarter, Dempster ran up the middle for a one-yard rushing down.
- The Seawolves' defense delivered again on their next turn after a sack from Anthony Williams forced a punt with 10:18 left in the second.
- A few drives later, Roberts made a highlight-reel interception that resulted in his first career touchdown, giving Stony Brook a 21-6 lead with 3:49 remaining in the half.
- The Tribe scored on their final possession of the half, bringing the score to 21-13 into the break.
- Stony Brook came out firing to begin the third quarter with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Knoop to Redman.
- The Seawolves used the momentum on the defensive side, with Silvera recording an interception with 4:28 left in the third quarter.
- To begin the final quarter, Stony Brook came up with a fourth-down stop with 12:36 left in the game.
- On the Seawolves next possession, Dempster tallied his second touchdown of the game to give the Seawolves a 35-13 lead.
- Stony Brook's defense recorded another fourth-down stop, forced and recovered a fumble, and tallied an interception on William & Mary's final three possessions to secure the 35-13 victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Dempster now has five games this season with at least two rushing touchdowns and has rushed for more than 100 yards in five consecutive games. He tallied 144 yards on 27 rushing attempts with two touchdowns and 58 reception yards. He is tied for second in the FCS in total touchdowns.
- Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu had a career-high and team-best 11 tackles.
- Knoop tallied two touchdowns on 15-of-26 passing for 240 yards. The quarterback added 28 rushing yards on six attempts.
- Freeman tallied a season-high 101 yards on three receptions with a touchdown. He now has 193 yards and three touchdown receptions on eight receptions in the last two weeks.
- Milano secured his first career interception in the victory.
- Roberts finished with 10 tackles, a pick-six, and two pass break-ups.
- Stony Brook out-gained William & Mary 460-354, including a 220-120 advantage on the ground.
- Stony Brook won the turnover battle 5-3 after intercepting four passes and recovering a fumble.
- Stony Brook went 3-for-3 on fourth down, limiting William & Mary to one conversion on its three attempts.
- The Seawolves took potential points off the board by forcing three turnovers on their own half of the field.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
UP NEXT
Stony Brook returns to the field on Saturday, November 2, hitting the road to take on Bryant. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball.
To purchase season, single game, mini plans or group tickets, click here or call 631-632-WOLF (9653) or email seawolvestickets@stonybrook.edu.
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