STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Stony Brook football was led by four touchdown passes from
Quinn Boyd and two scoring catches from
Andrew Riggs on Saturday afternoon before Sacred Heart scored with 11 seconds remaining to earn a 32-31 victory at LaValle Stadium.
Boyd was stellar this afternoon, throwing for 333 yards on 29-of-40 passing with four touchdowns. He also rushed for 16 yards this afternoon. DJ Linkins and Riggs were all over the stat sheet as Linkins led the team with nine catches for 138 yards for a touchdown, while Riggs caught his two first career touchdown passes. CJ Hester rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries and was a threat out wide by catching five passes for a season-high 91 yards and a touchdown.
Leading the way on the other side of the ball was Geno Calgaro and Anthony Ferrelli as the duo combined for 22 tackles. Miles McGoy recorded his first interception of the season, while Khalid Bueno and Sebastian Regis both had a sack in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. The defense made an early impact as Miles McGoy intercepted a pass on the third play of the game to give the Seawolves possession at the Sacred Heart 35-yard line.
- The Seawolves were stopped on fourth-and-goal at the two-yard line. The defense responded with a three-and-out, capped by a tackle for loss from Regis on third down to force a punt with 8:10 left in the first quarter.
- Sacred Heart forced a fumble on Hester's first carry of the ensuing drive to take over at its own 30-yard line. The Pioneers moved 51 yards on 10 plays before converting a 42-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter.
- Boyd connected with Sweitzer for a 10-yard gain to open the next possession, but Stony Brook was forced to punt.
- Sacred Heart moved into Stony Brook territory before Byndon and Bueno recorded back-to-back tackles for loss. Ferrelli added another tackle for loss to force a third-and-long situation. The Seawolves held the Pioneers to a 33-yard field goal, making it 6-0 with 10 minutes left in the first half.
- Facing third-and-long at their own 32-yard line, Boyd connected for a 25-yard gain before back-to-back catches by Sweitzer moved the Seawolves to the Sacred Heart 32. A few plays later, Boyd found Hester for a 31-yard touchdown to give Stony Brook a 7-6 lead.
- Sacred Heart answered with a nine-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard rushing touchdown to take a 13-7 lead.
- The Seawolves got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Stony Brook put together a 14-play, 75-yard drive with a 15-yard catch from Hester and a 16-yard reception by Linkins. With seven seconds left, Boyd connected with Linkins for a 19-yard touchdown to send the Seawolves into halftime with a 14-13 lead.
- Boyd and Linkins connected for a 33-yard gain on third down to open the second-half scoring drive, moving the ball to the Sacred Heart 39-yard line. Boyd followed with a 15-yard rush to get inside the 15 before Riggs finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown to give Stony Brook a 21-13 lead.
- The defense forced a three-and-out on Sacred Heart's next possession. Reshard then caught a 17-yard pass to move the Seawolves to their own 40-yard line. Hester followed with a 35-yard gain, hurdling a defender along the way. Mannino later converted a field goal to extend the lead to 24-13 with 5:22 left in the third quarter.
- Stony Brook's defense forced another punt, giving the offense possession at its own 31-yard line. Following a Sacred Heart penalty, the Seawolves moved the ball to their own 46 before Hester rushed for 16 yards into Pioneer territory. Riggs capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown reception to make it 31-13.
- A bad snap on the second play of Sacred Heart's next possession forced the Pioneers to punt as the fourth quarter began.
- After a Stony Brook punt, Bueno opened the next defensive series with a sack that pushed Sacred Heart inside its own five-yard line. The Pioneers responded with runs of 13 and 17 yards before putting together a 15-play, 94-yard drive that ended with a one-yard rushing touchdown. Sacred Heart failed on the two-point conversion, leaving the Seawolves with a 31-19 lead and 5:45 remaining.
- Sacred Heart responded with a four yard passing touchdown to conclude their ensuing drive, cutting the deficit to 31-26 before the two-minute timeout.
- The road team went on an 11 play drive to go 94 yards in the final 1:39 to take a lead following a six yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds to go to take a 32-31 lead and ultimately the victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Boyd had a season-high four touchdown passes with his third game of the season tallying more than 300 passing yards.
- Linkins set a new season-mark with nine catches for 138 yards and brought in a touchdown.
- Hester recorded a new personal receiving high after bringing in 91 yards on five catches, also rushing for 62 yards today.
- Riggs captured his first career touchdown this afternoon, bringing in two of them with a season-high 32 yards on three catches.
- McGoy recorded his first interception of the season in the defeat.
- Stony Brook holds an 11-6 advantage in the all-time series.
- Stony Brook is 8-5 all-time against Sacred Heart at LaValle Stadium.
- With 10 tackles this afternoon, Ferrelli became just the second player in program history with 300 career tackles.
- Calgaro led the defense with a team-high 12 tackles, his second straight game and third game of the season with double-figure tackles.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Poor on our part," said head coach
Billy Cosh. "We didn't finish the game and couldn't get the first downs we needed to win. Our defense struggled, especially late in the game. It was poor coaching and poor execution. It starts with me. It's on me, and I need to be better and figure out how to make our players and coaches better. That starts with me."
UP NEXT
Stony Brook is back in action next weekend as the Seawolves travel to Buies Creek, N.C., to take on CAA-leading Campbell. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on FloCollege. The Seawolves beat the Fighting Camels, 24-17, in their only meeting back in 2024 on the road.
Group Tickets
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.
Secure your seats all season long by calling 631-632-WOLF or visiting Stonybrookathletics.com/tickets.
For an inside look at the Seawolves football program, be sure to follow them on Facebook,
X, and
Instagram.
