Giving up just three points in a football game is no joke, no matter who you play, at either the FCS or FBS level.
In Stony Brook’s last contest, the Seawolves allowed Colgate a field goal on their opening possession and that’s it. For the next 53 minutes, the Raiders were held off the scoreboard in the 24-3 Stony Brook victory.
The Seawolves put out a defense filled with seniors and graduate seniors and it’s that same group that will try to hold their own against the No. 4 Oregon Ducks.
They’re led by linebacker Reidgee Dimanche, a fifth-year senior that was named second-team preseason All-Colonial Athletic Conference by Phil Steele. In 2019, Dimanche started all 12 games, and his 87 total tackles were the second-most on the team.
Dimanche isn’t the only experienced player on the Seawolves defense. Of the 11 starters, 10 are redshirt juniors or older. Redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler King is the only underclassman starting.
According to Stony Brook defensive coordinator Rob Noel, King used the extra practice time this past spring to his full advantage.
“He was injured for most of the spring, but Tyler prepared in a way to where he was ready to stand up and take his moment,” he told the Seawolves student media before the season began. “Since he’s done that, he’s been able to run with it.”
Stony Brook will present a hybrid of the 3-4 defense, something that might take Oregon a little time to get used to. Casey Williams, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year senior, plays a position the Seawolves call “Anchor.” It’s similar to what Kayvon Thibodeaux plays for the Ducks, a combination of defensive end and linebacker.
Williams started all 12 games in 2019 and collected 44 total tackles with 17 solo stops…Recorded at least one tackle in all 12 games with six games with at least four tackles. Against Colgate last week, Williams managed just three tackles, but he had 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
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