VILLANOVA, Pa. - In a back-and-forth battle with No. 7/10 Villanova, the Stony Brook football team ultimately fell to the Wildcats, 30-27, in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Villanova Stadium.
Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week
Quinn Boyd made his fourth straight start under center for the Seawolves. The freshman went 21-of-33 for 278 yards and a touchdown, adding 15 rushing yards on six carries. Boyd helped keep the offense moving by converting 10 of the team's 14 first downs through the air.
Wide Receiver
Jayce Freeman continued his standout season, finishing with a team-high 175 yards on six catches, including a 64-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Marqeese Dietz matched him with six receptions for 51 yards.
Cole Bunicci led the tight end group with 20 yards on three catches, and
RJ Lamarre added an 11-yard reception.
Roland Dempster recorded his third multi-touchdown game in his last four outings, rushing for two scores and totaling 65 yards on 18 carries. He also caught three passes for 19 yards.
Anthony Ferrelli paced the defense with 10 tackles.
Dyshier Clary delivered a standout performance with two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, and seven total tackles.
Franco Milano,
Khalid Bueno, and
Josh Leath each added 0.5 sacks.
Aidan Kaler finished with eight tackles, including two for loss, while
Joseph Garcia posted six solo tackles.
Michael Mannino was perfect on the day, going 2-for-2 on field goals. The freshman drilled a 23-yarder to send the game to overtime, then connected from 44 yards out to give the Seawolves the lead in the extra period.
Clayton Taylor punted six times for 235 yards, landing three inside the 20.
DaMario Crawford and
Dez Williams combined for 38 kick return yards, and Dietz added nine yards on two punt returns.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Villanova opened the game with a five-play, 73-yard drive capped by a 37-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead.
- Stony Brook answered immediately. After an 11-yard catch by Bunicci, Boyd hit Freeman for a 64-yard touchdown to even the score at 7-7.
- The Seawolves' defense responded with a stop, highlighted by a three-yard tackle for loss from Kaler to force a punt with 7:35 left in the first quarter.
- Villanova regained the lead, 10-7, on a 39-yard field goal after a short drive.
- Later in the half, Milano had a sack on third-and-11 to give Stony Brook the ball back at the two-minute warning.
- Both defenses held strong to close the half, sending the teams into the break with Villanova leading 10-7.
- Stony Brook opened the second half with two completions to Dietz totaling 18 yards, but the Wildcats recorded a third-down sack to force a punt.
- On the next drive, a Villanova sack led to another Taylor punt that pinned the Wildcats at their own 14-yard line.
- AK Kamara broke up a second-down pass, and Milano added another sack on third down to force a punt.
- A 29-yard completion to Freeman set up Dempster, who punched in a two-yard rushing score to give Stony Brook a 14-10 lead.
- Villanova responded with a 12-play, 72-yard drive finishing with a 10-yard touchdown pass to reclaim a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
- On the following drive, Dempster picked up 11 yards on two carries before Boyd and Freeman connected for a 40-yard gain to the Villanova 18. Dempster capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown on fourth and goal to put Stony Brook back in front, 21-17, with 9:54 to play.
- Starting at their own 25, the Wildcats were pushed back by a Clary sack and a Milano tackle for loss. On fourth-and-four, Cam Johnson broke up a pass to give Stony Brook the ball.
- Villanova recovered a fumble on the next play and later scored on a 21-yard pass to take a 24-21 lead with 2:49 remaining.
- Needing points, the Seawolves marched 70 yards on 12 plays, highlighted by a 35-yard sideline grab from Freeman, setting up Mannino's game-tying 23-yard field goal.
- After a long kickoff return, Stony Brook's defense held on the final drive of regulation, forcing a turnover on downs at the Stony Brook 40 to send the game to overtime.
- Stony Brook opened overtime with Mannino's 44-yard kick to take a 27-24 advantage.
- On Villanova's possession, the Wildcats converted on third-and-15 and later scored a 17-yard touchdown to secure the 30-27 win.
STATS AND NOTES
- Dempster has scored in eight straight games, including three multi-touchdown outings in his last four. His 14 rushing touchdowns rank second in the CAA.
- The Seawolves have now scored multiple rushing touchdowns in four straight games.
- Boyd surpassed 250 passing yards for the third time in four starts and has thrown a touchdown in every start.
- Freeman recorded his third multi-touchdown game and third performance with at least 140 receiving yards, finishing with 175. He leads the team with 726 yards and seven touchdowns.
- Clary set a career high with 4.5 tackles for loss, the most by any Seawolf this season, along with two sacks.
- Ferrelli notched his fifth double-digit tackle game and ranks fifth in the CAA with 103 tackles.
- Kaler posted a season-high two tackles for loss.
- Stony Brook recorded the most sacks Villanova has allowed this season and tied the Wildcats' season high for tackles for loss allowed.
- Stony Brook set a new season high with 13 tackles for loss and tied its high with four sacks.
- Stony Brook is now 12-40 all-time against ranked FCS opponents.
- The Seawolves are now 3-6 all-time against Villanova.
UP NEXT
The Stony Brook football team returns to LaValle Stadium next weekend for its regular season home finale and Senior Day against Bryant. Kickoff is set for noon, with live coverage on FloCollege.
For an inside look at the Seawolves football program, be sure to follow them on Facebook,
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