Stony Brook football's Roland Dempster, Tyler Knoop keep team rolling with win over William & Mary

It was not an unusual moment. Not really.

Teammates pouring onto the field to celebrate one of their own making a play. There were hugs. Shouts. Smiles. It is a moment that occurs in football games played at every level.

Except in this instance, the team doing the celebrating was coming off a winless campaign and whose last winning season came in 2018.

So these are indeed new days with the requisite heady experiences at Stony Brook.

“We’ve come a long way. Things [have] changed from last year to now,” A.J. Roberts said after the No. 24 Seawolves upset No. 15 William & Mary, 35-13, on Saturday afternoon at Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium. “I just love what we’re doing.”

He should. They should. Because the Seawolves (6-2, 3-1 CAA) never trailed in routing William & Mary (5-3, 2-2) for a satisfying denouement to homecoming weekend.

“It was a really good complementary game,” head coach Billy Cosh said when asked if this was Stony Brook’s most complete performance of the season. “I think it’s pretty close to it. We’re still chasing for that really complete game.”

The Seawolves started early and did not let up.

After forcing William & Mary into a three-and-out on the game’s initial possession, Stony Brook had first-and-10 on their own 30-yard line.

Tyler Knoop (15-for-26, 240 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) took the snap from center and held the ball for a moment or two before flinging it up the left sideline. To Jayce Freeman. Who had beaten his man by a couple of steps. The redshirt sophomore caught the ball at the 45-yard line and raced into the end zone.

Stony Brook’s first offensive play from scrimmage took all of eight seconds and covered 70 yards.

“That was [offensive coordinator Anthony Davis],” Cosh said of the aggressive play call. “He told me [about] the play Thursday, our openers. He said, ‘I’m taking a shot.’”

William & Mary cut the deficit to 7-6 on a 1-yard tush-push touchdown plunge by Darius Wilson (14-for-19, 197 yards, three interceptions; 10 carries for 37 yards and two touchdowns). But Eric Bernstein’s extra point hit the right crossbar.

Stony Brook extended the lead to 14-6 on Roland Dempster’s 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. The Seawolves grew their advantage to 21-6 when Roberts picked off Wilson’s pass intended for Hollis Mathis and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.

“I just knew I had to make a play,” Roberts said. “It was time for me to really make a play.”

The pick-six occurred three plays after Knoop’s pass intended for RJ Lamarre was picked off by Marcus Barnes at the goal line and returned to the William & Mary 16-yard line, which ended a drive that covered 84 yards in 15 plays.

William & Mary closed to within eight, 21-13, on Wilson’s 28-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left in the half. The drive took 47 seconds and covered 82 yards on five plays, and it began after Knoop fumbled on a quarterback keeper.

Stony Brook opened the second half by driving 75 yards in 13 plays over 6:37, and it finished with Knoop rolling to the left side and finding tight end Cal Redmond for a 17-yard touchdown.

Chayce Chalmers picked off Wilson on the ensuing possession. Chalmers dropped into coverage and Wilson’s pass for Malachi Imoh found its way into the linebacker’s hands to start Suffolk County’s wildest block party in a long time.

Dempster’s 3-yard touchdown jaunt with 9:31 left ended the scoring.

“Like coach said, [be] in the right spot and do my job,” said Dempster, who rushed for 144 yards on 27 carries and caught four passes for 58 yards. “That’s probably one of the big [things] coach talks about …Doing whatever it takes.”