Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sophomore Stacey Bedell (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns as the Stony Brook football team defeated American International, 20-3, Saturday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

Senior James Kenner (Willingboro, N.J.), who finished with 102 yards, also rushed for a touchdown.

Stony Brook finished the game with two 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2012, a span of 14 games, after Miguel Maysonet '13 (160) and senior Marcus Coker (Beltsville, Md.) (107) each rushed for 100 against Villanova on November 24.

It also was the first 200-yard plus rushing game for Stony Brook since totaling 263 against the Wildcats in the 2012 playoff game.

Stony Brook's defense was outstanding again, limiting American International to 196 yards of total offense. It was the third straight game in which the Seawolves (1-2) held an opponent to fewer than 240 yards of total offense.

Senior Christian Ricard (Spencer, Mass.) led the defense with nine tackles, including 3.0 for loss, and a sack. He has 8.5 tackles for loss this season after recording 5.0 in his first three seasons.

Bedell busted open the Seawolves' longest carry of the season on the third drive of the second quarter. Bedell took the hand off on a stretch play, eventually out-running two Yellow Jacket (1-1) defenders for a 72-yard score.

After junior Naim Cheeseboro (King of Prussia, Pa.) intercepted American International's Shawn Brathwaite at the AIC 43, Bedell's eight-yard run made it first and goal from the five. A pass interference penalty on the Yellow Jackets made it first and goal from two, and Bedell capitalized with a two-yard touchdown.

American International's only big play of the game came on Brathwaite's 62-yard completion to Stephan Davis, who could have scored if not for Ricard's tackle from behind at the seven. On third and goal, redshirt freshman Ousmane Camara (Bay Shore, N.Y.) batted down Brathwaite's pass, forcing a 23-yard field goal.

Kenner powered the rushing attack late in the third quarter with strong runs of 30, 9, 10 and six yards on consecutive plays. Three plays later, his three-yard rush up the middle gave Stony Brook a 20-3 lead.

The Stony Brook defense accounted for 16.0 tackles for loss for 61 yards, a week after finishing with 12.0 against Connecticut.

Quotes
Head Coach Chuck Priore - "Excited to get a win. I thought our offense progressed well after a sluggish first quarter. Stacey (Bedell) broke the big one in the second quarter, and from there on, we did what we needed to do."

Stacey Bedell - "It was great for us to find our identity. We had a slow start in the first quarter. We need to build off of this and carry the momentum. We still need to eliminate the penalties."

James Kenner - "Everyone needs to wait for their time. I've tried to stay focused, hungry and humble. We have so many talented running backs here who are capable of getting the job done. I knew if I got my chance, I'd be ready to do what I do."

Christian Ricard - "Hats off to American International. That was one of most physical games I've ever played. We didn't necessarily make any adjustments; it just came down to better tackling.

News & Notes
• Bedell's touchdown run was the longest since Miguel Maysonet's 71-yard score at Syracuse on September 15, 2012. It's also the fifth longest in Stony Brook's Division I history.
• Sophomore Tyler Fredericks (Lawrence, N.Y.) 16-yard run in the first quarter was the Seawolves' long of the season until Bedell's 72-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
• Stony Brook entered tonight's game with 189 net rushing yards in two games. The Seawolves rushed for 155 yards in the first half alone.
• In the last meeting between the two teams, American International connected for a 61-yard pass play.
• In three games, this season, Stony Brook's defense has allowed two offensive touchdowns.

Up Next
Stony Brook will close out non-conference play at North Dakota (1-2) of the Big Sky Conference next Saturday, September 20. Kick-off is 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local.