Scouting Report: Stony Brook travels nearly 3,000 miles to meet Aztecs

New businesses call it a “soft open” when they host a small number of invitation-only customers before throwing the doors wide open for one and all.

It’s similar in college sports, with larger schools often inviting smaller ones to get rid of the butterflies and smooth out the kinks, easing into the season before the more challenging portion of the schedule begins.

San Diego State often opens the football season with an FCS opponent. In this instance, that team is Stony Brook, which is traveling some 2,821 miles from Long Island, N.Y., to San Diego for Thursday’s 7 p.m. game at Snapdragon Stadium.

The Aztecs hosted Texas A&M-Commerce in last year’s opener, which marked the debut of SDSU coach Sean Lewis. The Aztecs were favored by 34 1/2 points coming into the game, only to see themselves trailing 6-3 at halftime. They rallied for 42 second-half points in a 45-14 win.

Oddsmakers list SDSU as a 16 1/2-point favorite against Stony Brook.

About the Seawolves

The Stony Brook football program dates to 1984, when the team debuted in Division III as the Patriots. Stony Brook moved up to Division II in 1996 and Division I in 1999, changing its nickname to Seawolves along the way. The school colors are red and black.

The Seawolves’ greatest period of success was from 2009-12, when the team won four straight Big South Conference championships under coach Chuck Priore.

The program has had its struggles since moving to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2013. The 2017-18 seasons included FCS playoff appearances, but they were sandwiched around 11 non-winning seasons.

The low point came in 2023, when Stony Brook went 0-10 and Priore was fired after 18 seasons guiding the program.

New coach Billy Cosh, at age 31 the second-youngest Division I football coach, guided the Seawolves to nation’s biggest turnaround with an 8-4 finish last season.

The Seawolves followed a lopsided loss against Marshall in the 2024 opener with a win over Stonehill, marking 661 days between victories. Seven victories in the next eight games followed. Losses to New Hampshire and Monmouth to close out the season cost Stony Brook a shot at the FCS playoffs.

The Seawolves were picked for fourth place this season in a CAA in a preseason coaches poll.

The offense

Stony Brook lost quarterback Tyler Knoop, who led the offense to 29.7 points a game last season while averaging 403.9 yards in total offense.

The Seawolves have a pair of experienced QBs to replace Knoop in graduate returner Casey Case and graduate transfer Chris Zellous.

The 6-foot-6 Case (1,715 yards, 10 TDs/10 INTs in 2023) started nine games in 2023 before getting injured. He did not play last season.

The 6-3 Zellous is a dual-threat QB who transferred from Hampton, where he passed for more than 2,500 yards and 20 TDs (with 23 INTs) and rushed for nearly 900 yards and 15 TDs the past two years.

The most noteworthy player to keep an eye on is all-conference running back Roland Dempster, who rushed for 1,332 yards (5.0 ypc) and 18 TDs last season.

Stony Brook also returns five of its top seven pass catchers, including wide receivers Jayce Freeman (23 catches, 506 yards, 6 TDs) and Dez Williams (30 catches, 382 yards, 2 TDs).

Three returners on the offensive line are led by all-conference selection Niko Papic.

Another all-conference returner is kicker Enda Kirby, who was 17-for-20 on field goals last season with a long of 41 yards.

The defense

The Seawolves, who allowed 24.8 points a game last season, are led defensively by linebackers AJ Roberts and Anthony Ferrilli, who had a team-high 86 and 84 tackles, respectively.

The player to watch up front is defensive end Rodney Faulk, who led the Seawolves with 4 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.

An area that may be vulnerable is the Stony Brook secondary, which was restocked with transfers during the offseason.

Did you know?

In 2015, New York Giants tight end Will Tye became the program’s first player to reach the NFL.

Season opener: San Diego State vs. Stony Brook

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Snapdragon Stadium

TV: Ch. 9/51

Radio: 760-AM