With this being a bye week for Stony Brook football, there are no games to react to. Instead, here are four things to look forward to during the rest of the season as the Seawolves look to finish their second CAA season strong.
1st Down: Bedell looking to finish as strong as he has started
Bedell has been the lone consistent bright spot for Stony Brook’s ninth-ranked offense and helped the team become the sixth-ranked rushing attack in the Colonial
Athletic Association.
Bedell is third in the conference in rushing at 98.9 yards per game, sitting just behind Omar Osbourne (103.6) and Mikal Abdul-Saboor (103.9).
Bedell is also 12th in individual scoring in the conference, averaging 5.3 points per game for a team that only averages 15.6.
Bedell should have huge games in these final three, as the Seawolves take on two of the four worst rushing defenses in the CAA.
James Madison, who will be Stony Brook’s opponent in their next game on Nov. 8, allows 197.1 yards per game on the ground. Rhode Island, whom they host in their final home game on Nov. 15, is the worst in the conference, allowing 246.9 yards per game.
2nd Down: Ricard and Victor Ochi looking to lead defense in strong final three games
The Stony Brook defense, which allowed 20 points only twice this season, has been by far the better side of the ball this season. Christian Ricard and Victor Ochi have been
leading the way.
Both defensive workhorses near the top in two critical categories in defensive statistics, as he is second in tackles for loss, averaging 1.83 per game.
Ochi is fifth in that category, averaging 1.61 per game.
He has been dominant in the past couple games on the defensive line and has skyrocketed in the sack charts, now averaging one per game.
That is good for third in the best conference in the FCS. Ricard stands in seventh, averaging .72 per game.
The defense will be getting a test in their final three games, as they will face the third and fifth best scoring offenses in the conference with James Madison (33.6) and Albany (26.2).
After taking on the Dukes, Stony Brook will take on Rhode Island. This should be pretty easy for this defense, as the Rams only average 12.1 points per game which is the worst average in the CAA.
3rd Down: Looking to play spoiler in the CAA
For the second straight season, Stony Brook’s playoff hopes are down-and-out.
With their loss to New Hampshire two weeks ago, the Seawolves fell to 3-2 in the conference, and are two games behind the Wildcats, who currently stand at 5-0.
Stony Brook cannot qualify for the playoffs since they are without their FCS-mandated seven Division I victories. The best the team can finish is with six, since one of their wins was against Division-II opponent American International.
Stony Brook will look for momentum-building victories now, especially against its arch-rival Albany up in the state’s capital on Nov. 22nd.
Stony Brook can spoil the berth possibilities for James Madison as well, as the Dukes will make a visit to Stony Brook.
After last season’s 41-38 shootout loss to the Seawolves, the school from Harrisonburg, Virginia will be looking to get revenge.
4th Down: Bednarski should use last three games as prep for next year
Though you cannot be caught looking ahead, the Seawolves will be out of contention for the CAA with a New Hampshire win next weekend, or in any of the final three weeks.
Thus, the look ahead to next season is coming quicker than coach Chuck Priore would
have liked.
But the QB cycle will hopefully be over until after next year, as Conor Bednarski will be coming back for another year.
So far this season, Bednarski has thrown for six touchdowns and completed 52 percent of his pass attempts.
The Fullerton transfer will not need to be constantly looking over his shoulder next season, as he should go into spring and then preseason practices as the undisputed starter.
The most likely competition will come from Carlos Hernandez, a sophomore out of Moreno Verde, California.
