SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Stony Brook football team earned a 27-17 road victory over Bryant on Saturday afternoon, improving to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in CAA play behind two touchdown catches from
Seth Sweitzer and a strong defensive performance from
Ryan Barrett,
Khalid Bueno,
Joseph Garcia and
Lance Byndon.
Sweitzer led the offense with eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Quinn Boyd completed 19-of-26 passes for 264 yards, while CJ Hester rushed for 64 yards on 18 carries and added a touchdown.
Bueno made his presence felt on defense with six tackles and two sacks, continuing to lead the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss. Garcia recorded an interception, while Ryan Barrett paced the Seawolves with a season-high 12 tackles.
Michael Mannino was perfect on all three extra-point attempts and converted field goals from 25 and 43 yards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook kicked off to the Bryant 29-yard line to start the game. After a five-yard rush and an incompletion on third down, the Seawolves forced a punt and took over at their own 26-yard line.
- Boyd connected with Linkins for 21 yards and Dely for another 19 before finding Sweitzer for a 24-yard gain. Boyd rushed for seven yards to the Bryant four-yard line before Hester punched it in for a touchdown to give Stony Brook a 7-0 lead with 12:01 left in the first quarter.
- Bryant drove to the Stony Brook 28-yard line before Garcia intercepted a pass on fourth down to end the threat.
- The Seawolves moved inside the Bryant 10-yard line on their next possession. Mannino converted a 25-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 5:15 left in the first quarter.
- Bryant reached midfield before Barrett made a tackle on second down and the Bulldogs threw an incompletion on third down, forcing another punt.
- After Stony Brook punted early in the second quarter, Bryant marched 75 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown. The drive took 5:30 and cut the Seawolves' lead to 10-7 with 7:39 left in the half.
- Reshard returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Stony Brook 44-yard line. Hester gained nine yards on a pass from Boyd before the Seawolves converted a fourth-and-five with a 16-yard connection to Sweitzer. The duo connected again for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 17-7 with 3:43 remaining in the half.
- Stony Brook's defense came up with a key red-zone stop, forcing a fumble at its own four-yard line that Maurice Seals recovered with 1:23 left in the second quarter.
- Boyd opened the second half with a 46-yard pass to Dely that brought the ball to the Bryant 25-yard line. On the next play, Sweitzer hauled in a touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-7 with 13:57 left in the third quarter.
- Bryant answered with a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 24-10.
- Hester opened the next drive with a 12-yard rush before Boyd found Sweitzer for a 21-yard gain to the Bryant 46-yard line. A third-down sack forced the Seawolves to punt, resulting in a touchback with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
- Bueno recorded a third-down sack to force a Bryant punt that pinned Stony Brook inside its own 10-yard line. However, Bryant recovered a fumble on the first play of the drive at the Seawolves 10-yard line. The Bulldogs scored on a nine-yard rush to make it 24-17.
- Stony Brook punted on its next possession, but the defense responded with three sacks. Byndon recorded two while Bueno added another to force a Bryant punt with 11:04 remaining.
- The Seawolves punted again on their next drive, giving Bryant the ball at the Stony Brook 44-yard line. The defense forced a three-and-out as Gaskin and Bueno combined for a tackle on third-and-six. Bryant punted, giving Stony Brook possession at its own 17-yard line.
- Hester caught a nine-yard pass from Boyd before a fumble gave Bryant the ball at the Stony Brook 18-yard line. On fourth-and-six, Byndon applied pressure to force an incompletion and preserve the Seawolves 24-17 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
- Facing third-and-five at their own 20-yard line, the Seawolves got a 21-yard pass from Boyd to Sweitzer. A penalty on Bryant after the play moved the ball to the Bulldogs 45-yard line. Sweitzer drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone on third-and-eight to move the ball to the 31-yard line before the two-minute timeout. Mannino then connected on a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead to 27-17.
- The Seawolves held Bryant off the scoreboard in the final minutes as they forced another fumble to ultimately secure a 27-17 road victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Boyd recorded his third straight multi-touchdown game and fifth of the season. He has thrown for at least 200 yards in five of eight games this season, including 264 yards against Bryant.
- Barrett set a season high with 12 tackles, his first double-digit performance of the season.
- Garcia recorded his team-leading second interception of the season and sixth of his career, the most among active players on the roster.
- Hester scored his 12th rushing touchdown of the season, leading the CAA.
- Bueno recorded his 12th sack of the season, leading the FCS, and added to his season total of 19.0 tackles for loss.
- Stony Brook committed just four penalties compared to Bryant's eight.
- The Seawolves outgained Bryant through the air, throwing for 264 yards compared to the Bulldogs 132.
- Stony Brook improved to 7-1 all-time against Bryant, dating back to 2007.
- The Seawolves have won five straight meetings with the Bulldogs since 2018.
More details to come.
UP NEXT
The Seawolves are back in action on Saturday as they host Sacred Heart for a Halloween matchup at LaValle stadium beginning at noon on FloCollege. This marks the 17th meeting between these two programs, the first since Sacred Heart joined the CAA and first since 2017. Stony Brook owns an 11-5 record all-time against the Pioneers.
Group Tickets
Bring your group to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium and enjoy the excitement of gameday, exclusive group benefits and discounted pricing for an unforgettable experience.
Secure your seats all season long by calling 631-632-WOLF or visiting Stonybrookathletics.com/tickets.
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