Stony Brook football snapped their two game losing streak and recorded their first win of the 2014 football season, with a 20-3 win over American International College on Saturday evening at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
The AIC Yellow Jackets looked better on offense early. AIC quarterback Shawn Brathwaite lead his team down the field starting on his own 42-yard line, which included a 19-yard run that put his team in scoring position on Stony Brook’s 12-yard line. The Seawolves defense, led by senior captain Christian Ricard, fought back with three tackles for loss on three straight possessions setting up a 40-yard field goal attempt for AIC’s Jared Hulsey, which he missed wide right.
Stony Brook Junior quarterback, Conor Bednarski couldn’t find any kind of rhythm passing the ball throughout the game. Bednarski ended the game 1-8 passing for 11-yards and was sacked twice. With the pass game struggling the Seawolves looked to their run game to ignite their offense, and Stacey Bedell answered the call.
On Stony Brook’s first play of the third drive in the second quarter, the sophomore running back, Bedell, broke away for a 72-yard touchdown run to put the Seawolves on the board first.
“Most of our plays they were shooting the people in the inside gaps so the outside was wide open most of the runs, bounced out, receiver made a good block inbound and just got off the blocker and scored a touchdown,” said Bedell.
Then on Stony Brook’s next offensive possession Bedell capped off the drive, led by the Seawolves run game, with a 2-yard touchdown run to give his team a 14-0 lead going into halftime.
The Yellow Jackets caught a break in the second half when Stony Brook received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, costing the team 15 yards. Head coach Chuck Priore turned a 4th down and 18 inside AIC’s 20 yard line turned into a first down. The Yellow Jackets would drive the ball down to Stony Brook’s 6-yard line and kicker Jared Husley drilled in the 23-yard field goal to put his team on the board. “It’s certainly not the officials fault, he made his decision, live with the decision, whether I think it was the right or wrong decision doesn’t matter,” said Coach Priore. “It’s no different from a holding pen[alty] or an interception, it falls on my shoulders, I own the three points right now.”
Late in the third quarter Coach Priore took Bedell out the game and senior running back James Kenner saw his first real action this season. Kenner, who led the Seawolves in rushing last season with 829 yards, finished off the drive he ignited with a 30 yard run by powering in a 3-yard touchdown run. After Stony Brook kicker, Przemyslaw Popek, missed the PAT, the Seawolves took a 20-3 lead and would hold on to record their first win of the season.
“Excited about being in the win column I thought we were prepared to play but they came in well coached, they played hard,” said Coach Priore.
American International College, which is a Division II football team, was a bigger problem for the Seawolves than many expected. Half of that was due to the physical play of the Yellow Jackets, “They were a playoff team last year…tough kids, they played the game hard…it was a more physical game than UConn if you want to believe that or not.”
The other half was Stony Brook’s struggling pass offense. Neither Bednarski nor senior quarterback John Kinder looked ready to lead the team as the starting QB. However, Stony Brook has never been a pass oriented team. They depend greatly on their rush attack, which was successful Saturday night led by Stacey Bedell, who finished the game with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns. All four Seawolves running backs combined for 303 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Next up for the Seawolves is North Dakota next Saturday at 7 p.m.
