Junior running back Stacey Bedell is arguably the best player on the Stony Brook football team. He suffered an undisclosed shoulder injury in the team’s game against William & Mary, but at the time, Athletics said that the injury was not expected to be serious.
“He’s got a shoulder injury and he’s out for the year,” head coach Chuck Priore said in the weekly Colonial Athletic Association Football Coaches Teleconference. “There will be no more progressing.”
The loss will be a huge blow for the Seawolves. While missing Bedell for more than a game—he was unable to finish Stony Brook’s loss against the Tribe and sat out against the James Madison Dukes—the rest of the team’s running backs combined for a total of 98 yards on the ground.
Bedell led the running backs during his time on the field this season, totaling 351 yards on 50 carries during his time on the field this season, compared to 329 yards on 85 carries by the rest of the backfield.
The 2014 All-CAA Second Team honoree accounted for four touchdowns in his short time in uniform this year. But as much as Priore would like to have his star on the field, he is prepared to move on.
“I think we have enough depth, certainly,” Priore said. “Losing the big play player hurts your team. But I think we have enough guys and we’ve known for two weeks now that he’s not playing. So I think we have a much better grasp on where we’re going.”
A direction that the Seawolves may be heading is considering the addition of another running back to the fold. Junior running back Tyler Fredericks was redshirted early on in the year, meaning Fredericks could not play in games but would hold onto this year of eligibility. But if the coaching staff decides to, they can remove the redshirt and bring experience to what otherwise is a now young backfield.
Isaiah White and Travis Liburd are freshmen while Donald Liotine is a sophomore. In the weekly press call, Priore was asked his thoughts on White and company having to step up to shoulder Bedell’s load.
“I think between him, Donnie Liotine and Travis Liburd and we had redshirted Tyler Fredericks early in the year who is a kid that has played for us the last two years but got thrown into duty as a true freshman so we might unredshirt him,” Priore said. “He’s been practicing. He was a guy that was a number two at times last year.”
Stony Brook had a week off to work on getting the running backs up to speed, but nevertheless, the team will no longer have Bedell to send into the fray as the Seawolves return from their bye week for Homecoming against Towson Saturday night.
