The Bears lost to the Stony Brook University Seawolves 24-22 and moved to 3-6 this season.

After being down by five points late in the fourth quarter, the Bears went on an 82-yard touchdown drive to take a 22-21 lead over the Seawolves with less than two minutes left on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Bears, they left the Seawolves with too much time on the clock as the Seawolves used the remaining time to go down to the Bears 19-yard line and kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.

The game was close, as the Bears lead the Seawolves 10-7 at halftime before the Seawolves outscored the Bears 14-0 in the third quarter.

The Bears outscored the Seawolves 12-0 in the fourth quarter, but the field goal was enough for the Seawolves to run away with the victory.

The Bears continue their away game losing streak with 18 consecutive losses since 2019.

Here are the Spokesman’s five takeaways of the game.

Bears struggle to close out close games

For the third time this season, the Bears lost a close game where they had the opportunity to win or tie the game. In their first close game against Towson, they lost 29-21.

Their second close game was the homecoming game against Norfolk State University where they lost to a game-winning touchdown with the final score 24-20.

This time, the Bears lost to a game-winning field goal against the Seawolves in the final seconds of the game. The Bears had opportunities to put the game away, but did not finish strongly even after leading the Seawolves 22-21 with just under two minutes left.

Passing woes

The Bears have shown time and time again this season that the passing game needs work. Quarterback Duce Taylor completed only five of 18, 28 percent, passes against the Seawolves.

The Seawolves quarterbacks Daron Bryden and Charlie McKee combined for 16 completed passes out of 32, 50 percent, and combined for 185 yards passing.

The Bears have proven that they can run the ball well. However, it is difficult to win games if a team cannot show a mixture of running and passing.

Road-game losing streak continues

With this loss, the Bears have now lost 18-straight games on the road. The last time the Bears won on the road was against Norfolk State in the final game of 2018. Since then, the Bears have lost every road game up to this point.

The Bears struggle when playing away games. This was their closest chance to win on the road and breaking the losing streak.

Missed opportunities

The Bears had several opportunities to score from the miscues of the Seawolves. The Seawolves turned the ball over three times in the game and the Bears only capitalized on two of them with points.

The Bears scored 10 points from the three turnovers. They had missed a field goal attempt earlier in the second quarter. This missed field goal was crucial for the Bears because every point matters in a game.

Teams might come back to that moment down the stretch of a game where even three points make a difference for how teams plan their plays in a close game.

Bears can run the ball, but so can the Seawolves

Running back Alfonzo Graham had another great running day for the Bears. Graham rushed for 177 yards off 23 carries and had one touchdown.

However, the Seawolves running back, Ross Tallarico, also ran the ball well Saturday. He finished the game with 151 yards rushing and had two touchdowns.

The Bears and Seawolves both struggled stopping each other’s run game, but the biggest difference in this game is that the Seawolves were better passing the ball and making bigger plays with their receivers.