It’s no secret that the Stony Brook and the University of Rhode Island football teams have different approaches when it comes to offense.

Who: Stony Brook (3-1, 0-0) at Rhode Island (0-3, 0-2)  

When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 6 p.m. ET 

Where: Meade Stadium; Kingston, R.I.

Watch: LIVE on FloFootball

Those who watch Saturday night’s game between the Rams and Seawolves at Rhode Island’s Meade Stadium will see a Stony Brook offense that likes to attack defenses with a bruising running game, and a URI team that is best equipped to move the ball through the air.

Stony Brook enters Saturday’s game with the No. 2 rushing attack in the Colonial Athletic Association (248.0 yards per game). The Seawolves have run for 992 yards and eight touchdowns on 193 carries.

“We talk about defending the run and about running the ball,” Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore said. “We’re a run-oriented offense, so we get a lot of time in spring ball and preseason to go up against each other. So I think they’re tested week-in and week-out. That’s our brand of football.” 

Stony Brook (3-1, 0-0 CAA) has a three-pronged attack at running back. Isaiah White has run for a team-high 351 yards and four touchdowns (5.2 ypc); Seba Nekhet, a converted wide receiver, has gained 346 yards and two TDs (5.8 ypc); and Ty Son Lawton has been slowed by injury, but has run for 59 yards on 13 attempts (4.5 ypc). 

Lawton sprained an ankle during Stony Brook’s season-opening victory over Bryant and didn’t play in the next two games. He saw limited time in last week’s victory over Fordham.

“He’s 100 percent healthy now,” Priore said. “He should be full speed this week. We’re excited about having a trio healthy and ready to go this Saturday.”

The Seawolves also have a running threat in redshirt junior quarterback Tyquell Fields, a first-year starter who’s averaging 4.9 yards per rushing attempt. 

“They’re still a heavy-duty run-first football team,” URI coach Jim Fleming said. “The difference is probably Tyquell Fields, the quarterback. He’s got more athleticism than they had back there last year, so the read-zone becomes a bigger component than it has been in the past. We have to be very aware of him and making sure we have one to two bodies on him at all times.

“The receivers are very solid. They’re an old-school Oakland Raiders-type team. They run it, run it, and when they throw it right now it’s going a significant distance. They’ve been able to complete a number of those.”

Stony Brook will be facing a URI defense that’s ranked 12th (last) among CAA teams against the run. The Rams (0-3, 0-2 CAA) have surrendered 705 yards and five touchdowns on 115 rushing attempts, an average of 6.1 yards per carry and 235.0 yards per game. Stony Brook rushed for 354 yards in a 52-14 victory over URI last year.

Although URI enters the weekend winless, the Rams have had two close calls. URI lost to Delaware in triple overtime, and then dropped a 27-24 decision at New Hampshire when the Wildcats made a field goal as time expired.

“When you’re a competitor and you lose you lick your wounds a little bit, but our guys have no quit in them,” Fleming said. “The focus we have, as we’ve proven on the field, is we’re going to fight to the last second. We have to find a way to get that last second to turn our way.

“Now we have to find a way to get better. We have to keep grinding and we will.”

URI leads the CAA in pass offense (344.3 ypg). Quarterback Vito Priore (no relation to Chuck) has completed 80 of 128 passes for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns. He’s been intercepted three times.

Priore is working with two of the best receivers in the conference in senior Aaron Parker and junior Isaiah Coulter. Parker has 30 receptions for 515 yards and two TDs. Coulter has 17 catches for 235 yards and two TDs. Coulter caught 10 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss at UNH.

“He’s a dynamic receiver in and of himself,” Fleming said. “Aaron gets a lot of attention and this kid at the end of the day has a lot of natural gifts that are probably superior. The kid is a phenomenal player. He’s a complete-package guy. Works extremely hard. Very important to him. We’ve had knowledge all along that these games are just waiting to be had by him.” 

Stony Brook is No. 2 among CAA teams in total defense (338.5 ypg), but eighth in pass defense (234.0 ypg).

“They’re a formidable challenge, as everybody is in this conference,” Fleming said. “We have to be strapped up and ready to go.” 

Defense Doesn't Rest

None of Stony Brook’s three FCS opponents scored more than 10 points or had more than 223 yards of total offense. The Seawolves beat Bryant 35-10, Wagner 26-10, and Fordham 45-10. Bryant had 205 yards of offense, Wagner had 209, and Fordham had 223.

Defensive back Momodou Mbye and linebacker Branyan Javier-Castillo have spearheaded the URI defense. Mbye has an interception in each of URI’s three games this season, and Javier-Castillo leads the CAA in tackles per game (10). He has four tackles for loss.

Noteworthy

Parker leads FCS in receiving yards per game (171.7) and is second in receptions per game (10). He ranks second in career receiving yards at URI (2,751) and fourth in career receptions (165).

Priore has a 6-0 record against Rhode Island as Stony Brook’s head coach. URI has averaged 9.3 points per game in those six losses.

URI’s C.J. Carrick has made six of his seven field goal attempts this season.

Stony Brook’s Jean Constant leads the CAA in punt-return average (15.9 yards). He ranks 11th among FCS players in that category.

The Rams are the only CAA team that has yet to win a game this season.