STONY BROOK, N.Y. – After jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, the Stony Brook football team allowed 17 unanswered points as No. 8/9 Rhode Island came back to defeat the Seawolves, 31-17, at LaValle Stadium on Saturday night.
Roland Dempster led the Seawolves' offense, recording 201 total yards. He rushed for 167 yards on 28 carries, averaging six yards per carry, and added a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 34 yards. Quarterback
Chris Zellous made his first start for the Seawolves and completed 12-of-20 passes for 137 yards, while also rushing for 83 yards on 20 carries and scoring his first career touchdown with the team.
Cole Bunicci paced the receiving corps with two catches for 55 yards, including a 48-yard reception—the longest play of the season for Stony Brook.
Marqeese Dietz led the team with four receptions for 28 yards, while
Dez Williams added three catches for 19 yards.
Jayden Flood-Brown also recorded his first career reception.
Defensively,
Franco Milano recorded a key field goal block.
Chayce Chalmers tallied a team-high 10 tackles, with linebackers
Aidan Kaler and
Anthony Ferrelli each recording eight. In the secondary,
Alhaji Kamara and
Bryson Parker each totaled five tackles and a pass breakup.
On special teams, punter
Clayton Taylor recorded four punts for 158 yards, averaging 39.5 yards per punt and placing one inside the 20-yard line.
Enda Kirby connected on his first field goal of the season from 22 yards, tying for fourth-most in program history alongside Michael Soto. The Seawolves also missed a field goal attempt and had a muffed snap on another attempt.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook received the opening kickoff following a weather delay. On the opening drive, Dempster and Zellous combined for 25 rushing yards before a fumble was recovered by Rhode Island at the Seawolves' 40-yard line.
- The Rams advanced to the 19-yard line but were stopped on fourth down by a key tackle from Ferrelli. On the ensuing possession, Dempster broke off a 54-yard run to set up a 22-yard field goal by Kirby, putting Stony Brook ahead 3-0.
- The Seawolves' special teams came up big on the kickoff, with Kaler forcing a fumble and Rayden Aphayvong recovering it at the URI 29-yard line. Stony Brook capitalized with a one-yard touchdown run by Dempster to extend the lead to 10-0.
- Rhode Island responded late in the first quarter but was forced to punt after reaching the Seawolves' 38-yard line. On the next possession, Zellous connected with Bunicci for 48 yards to set up a scoring opportunity, but a mishandled snap on a field goal attempt kept the score at 10-0.
- With 10:32 remaining in the second quarter, URI executed a series of explosive plays to cut the deficit to 10-7. On Stony Brook's next drive, URI intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, taking a 14-10 lead.
- After a Seawolves punt, Rhode Island went on an eight-play, 55-yard drive, capped by a 35-yard field goal to make it 17-10 with 3:26 left in the half. Stony Brook drove 44 yards but was forced to punt, giving the Rams one more opportunity before halftime. URI capitalized with an 84-yard drive to go up 24-10 at the break.
- The Seawolves' defense came out strong in the second half, forcing a three-and-out. Stony Brook's offense responded with a promising drive, including a 20-yard run by Dempster and a fourth-down conversion. However, the drive ended with a missed field goal attempt from the 23-yard line.
- The defense again forced a three-and-out, but the offense was unable to convert the next drive into points. After another defensive stop, Stony Brook orchestrated a 12-play, 84-yard drive, capped by a three-yard rushing touchdown from Zellous, trimming the deficit to 24-17 with 11:28 left.
- URI answered with a 33-yard pass to enter Seawolves' territory. Stony Brook's defense held strong and Regis blocked a field goal attempt, giving the Seawolves the ball with six minutes remaining.
- Stony Brook's next possession ended on downs. Rhode Island sealed the win with a 15-yard touchdown run, pushing the score to 31-17.
STATS AND NOTES
- Roland Dempster finished with 201 total yards, including 167 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. It marked his most rushing yards in a game since his 179-yard performance against Campbell on Sept. 21, 2024, and his most total yards since his 202-yard game vs. William & Mary on Oct. 26, 2024.
- Chris Zellous made his first start at LaValle Stadium, tallying 137 passing yards (12-of-20) and 83 rushing yards on 20 carries, along with his first touchdown as a Seawolf. His rushing total was the most he's recorded since his time at Hampton in 2023 vs. N.C. A&T.
- Cole Bunicci recorded a 48-yard reception, the longest pass play of the season for the Seawolves.
- Chayce Chalmers matched his career-high with 10 tackles, equaling his performance in the 2024 season opener vs. Marshall.
- Justin Kaye made his first career start on the offensive line.
- Stony Brook outrushed URI 266-141 and ran 78 plays compared to URI's 64.
- The Seawolves secured their first takeaway of the season with a forced fumble on special teams.
- Stony Brook had 121 yards after the catch, compared to 85 for URI.
- Time of possession favored the Seawolves, 32:34 to 27:26.
- Stony Brook is now 12-38 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS opponents.
- The Seawolves' most recent win over a ranked opponent was against No. 15 William & Mary on Oct. 26, 2024.
- Stony Brook also defeated No. 2 Richmond at LaValle Stadium in 2016, marking the program's highest-ranked win.
- Stony Brook is 6-6 in its last 12 home openers dating back to 2014.
- The Seawolves are now 7-4 all-time against Rhode Island.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
UP NEXT
The Seawolves are back in action next weekend as they return to LaValle Stadium to host the Fordham Rams at 3:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on FloCollege and admission is free to all undergraduate students. Stony Brook will also be celebrating its Kids Day/High School Band Day.
Bring your group out to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium and enjoy the thrill of gameday, exclusive group benefits, and great discounted pricing to help create an unforgettable experience.
Click here or contact the Stony Brook Athletics ticket office at
631-632-WOLF or seawolvestickets@stonybrook.edu to get started.
More information on each theme and ticket offers will be available throughout the offseason on social media and at StonyBrookAthletics.com.
For an inside look at the Seawolves football program, be sure to follow them on Facebook,
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Instagram.
