Roland Dempster scores three TDs, but Stony Brook wears down in second half vs. Villanova

What, Billy Cosh was asked, is the identity of the Stony Brook Seawolves football team.

The Seawolves’ coach pondered the question a few minutes after Stony Brook’s 42-24 loss to No. 5/6 Villanova on Saturday afternoon at LaValle Stadium,

Then he answered.

“We do play hard,” Cosh said. “We just [have to] play a little smarter. That comes with experience and more competitive ballgames.”

The lasting lessons are the ones that hurt the most. And this hurt. Because it was a significant game and Stony Brook (4-2) played well for a little more than 30 minutes.

It was just that in the critical moments, the Seawolves’ inexperience came to the fore as they were unable to put away a downed opponent.

Stony Brook was outscored 28-0 in the final 22 minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters.

The Seawolves led 24-14 early in the third quarter on the strength of three Roland Dempster touchdown runs (24 carries for 115 yards) before

Villanova (5-1, 2-0 CAA) mounted its comeback.

A 1-yard touchdown run by David Avit (13 rushes for 183 yards and four touchdowns) with 7:08 left in the third cut Stony Brook’s lead to 24-21.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 28-24, on Avit’s 59-yard touchdown run with 3:47 left in the quarter. During the drive, Cosh made a curious decision as he declined a face-mask penalty on Villanova offensive lineman Chris McCullers.

Instead of second-and-long, the Wildcats had third-and-4.

“I want to play third down. I want to get off the field and get the ball back to our offense in a quicker manner,” Cosh said. “That was the thought behind it.”

On the next play, Villanova's Ja’Briel Mace drew a pass-interference penalty on linebacker Clarens Legagneur to give the Wildcats first-and-10 on the Villanova 41-yard line. Avit took the ensuing handoff and sprinted up the right sideline 59 yards for his third score of the game.

“I felt like it was a competitive play,” Legagneur said of the pass-interference penalty. “Hip-to-hip and he dove at the end.”

Stony Brook had taken a couple of body blows but still trailed only by four after Villanova kicker Ethan Gettman’s 26-yard field-goal attempt hit the right upright with 11:31 left in the game.

But the Seawolves could only manage five plays before punting. And on the next snap, Avit broke off a 72-yard touchdown run that for all intents and purposes put the game out of reach.

“Our maturity showed up in times, in critical moments, and we have to be better,” Cosh said. “From coach to player, player to coach.”

Still, all things considered, the Seawolves are feeling pretty good about the state of the program after six games. Entering Saturday, Stony Brook had won four straight following a season-opening 45-3 loss to Marshall in Huntington, West Virginia, on Aug. 31.

The four-game winning streak had earned the program some positive attention, as it received 28 votes in the latest FCS Coaches’ poll and 55 votes in the Stats Perform FCS poll.

“I think it’s coming along really well,” Cosh said. “We just have to learn to play [with] more detail and more sound in critical moments and that’s what comes with time.”

Dempster's touchdown runs were from 9, 2 and 1 yards, and he also had six catches for 41 yards.