The 2019 football season is underway on Strong Island after the Seawolves easily dispatched Bryant 35–10 on Thursday night for the second year in a row and fourth time in their five meetings all time.
The game provided fans with their first real opportunity to begin to answer some of the myriad questions they had coming into the season. How would a new quarterback fit in? Would the inexperience on offense be a huge liability? Where will the run attack come from? Is the defense still as good as advertised?
Here are our three big takeaways after watching the Seawolves’ first sixty minutes of football.
The defense is vintage Stony Brook
For the second time in three seasons, the Seawolves’ first points of the year came courtesy of the defense. After unremarkable drives by both teams to start their seasons, Bryant’s third series began with a bang. Veteran defensive back Synceir Malone nabbed an errant throw by Bryant quarterback Chris Hindle that ricocheted off the hands of his intended receiver, and darted 22 yards back to the endzone for a 7–0 Stony Brook lead.
Defensive scoring was a specialty from the Seawolves a season ago, and they seem to have picked up where they left off.
But the defense was putting on a clinic even when they didn’t find the endzone. Bryant was held to just 205 yards on the night, and a big chunk of those yards came late in the game, after Coach Priore began to pull starters from the game leading by 32. Bryant’s only points came via a 49 yard field goal and a garbage time touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Tyquell Fields might be Stony Brook’s most dynamic quarterback since joining the CAA
Is it too early to proclaim this definitively? Yes. But after just one game, the redshirt junior gave fans plenty of reason for optimism. After a rocky start — the very first play from scrimmage was a dropped handoff that Fields had to down for a big loss — Fields appeared to settle down, even more so after the aforementioned defense gave him a lead.
Fields’ limited appearances the past two seasons mostly came when Coach Priore needed more mobility under center than Joe Carbone could provide. He did see more opportunities to air the ball out last year, but Thursday was the first taste of what a Fields-led offensive attack might look like. Aside from a few ill-conceived pass attempts — he was only picked off once, but came close two or three other times — Fields appeared to grow more and more comfortable as the game wore on.
His two biggest plays came on deep balls to Nick Anderson and Andrew Trent. Both passes — of 50 and 47 yards respectively — were actually overthrown, requiring nifty plays by both receivers to haul in the catch. Fields’ arm strength was one question entering the season, but those two plays should quiet many concerns on that front.
For Stony Brook fans, perhaps the most mouthwatering drive came in the middle of the third quarter. Stony Brook’s lead was just 21–3 at that point, and were facing a third and 5 from their own 25. Fields dropped back to pass, but upon seeing good coverage of his receivers and a patch of open field, he took off.
That ability, to tuck the ball and run for big yardage, has long eluded Stony Brook quarterbacks. But those playmakers are commonplace in the CAA, and if Fields continues to mature into a true dual threat QB, Stony Brook will be in good shape for the season.
So what of the passing game? I mentioned the two big plays earlier, but on this same drive, Fields showcased another valuable weapon in his arsenal.
Two plays after his big rush, Stony Brook was faced with a 3rd and long situation. Bryant applied pressure in the backfield, but rather than rush a throw or scamper for minimal yardage, Fields dodged one tackle, escaped the pocket, surveyed the field, and fired a dart to Jean Constant for a first down and then some.
It kept the drive alive, finished off with a perfectly placed ball to Peter McKenzie at the back of the endzone to make it 28–3 and effectively put the game on ice.
The running game might be good enough
Enough has been written about the inexperience in the backfield for Stony Brook’s running game, especially compared to a season ago when the Seawolves had the top two running backs in the conference. But the Seawolves still managed to rush for 247 yards on the night, and both Isaiah White and Ty Son Lawton showed they are capable of putting their shoulders down and running through defenders when needed.
That said, the depth remains a question. It’s not immediately clear who can pick up the slack behind the top two rushers, though redshirt freshman Alex Indelicato made a statement on Thursday, coming into the game in the fourth quarter and needing just 7 carries to amass 50 yards.
Fields’ ability to run will somewhat lighten the load that Donny Liotine and Jordan Gowins were asked to bear last year, but White and Lawton will no doubt have their numbers dialed often. The duo combined for 24 carries and 103 yards in the opener, with White contributing two touchdowns.
CAA Roundup
Stony Brook wasn’t the only CAA team in action on Thursday. Delaware, Richmond, and Albany also kicked off their seasons last night, and Villanova was part of the very first college game of the season last Saturday against Colgate.
Villanova 34, #8 Colgate 14 — Colgate was the breakout story of 2018, riding the nation’s best scoring defense to a 10–1 record and a spot in the FCS playoff quarterfinals after shocking James Madison in the second round. But they were completely overwhelmed by a Villanova team many expect to rebound from back-to-back disappointing seasons.
Richmond 38 Jacksonville 19 — At the FCS level, there is both Jacksonville State and Jacksonville. Jacksonville State is a very good team almost every year. Richmond beat the other one. (Jacksonville is ranked 252nd out of 256 Division I teams in the Sagarin ratings). Still, a 19-point win is a good way to start the season.
#22 Delaware 31 Delaware State 13 — Perhaps the most surprising CAA result of the night. UD started verrry slow at home, trailing 6–3 in the second half to a very bad Delaware State team (247 out of 256 in Sagarin). But like Stony Brook, they found their footing as the game wore on and took a 16–6 lead before halftime.
Central Michigan 38 Albany 21 — lol fuck albany.
Next week’s opponent
Utah State kicks off their season tonight at Wake Forest before welcoming the Seawolves to Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah a week from Saturday.
