Vanderbilt got some unwelcome news Tuesday as the team learned that standout defensive end Steven Stone will miss six weeks with a broken bone in his right foot.

Stone, a redshirt senior, is coming off an outstanding 2008 campaign where he shared the team lead with five sacks to go along with 42 total tackles and a forced fumble.

The injury is to his fifth metatarsal.

"That is a tough one to deal with," said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "He's such a hard worker and a good player. Just a model football player and I hate to see him lose playing time. It also hurts us as a team."

Defensive ends redshirt sophomore Tim Fugger and junior Theron Kadri, as well as redshirt junior Teriall Brannon, were mentioned by Johnson as having stepped up their games in practice to help soften the blow of losing a veteran like Stone, who was among the team leaders with 25 straight starts.

"We're really fortunate," Johnson said. "That's really the deepest position on the team right now."

Redshirt freshman receiver John Cole also sprained his ankle yesterday and had a cast on his right leg. The Commodores are as thin at receiver as they are deep at defensive end, having also to deal with the ineligibility of transfer Terrence Jeffers-Harris and the loss of Justin Wheeler, who tore his ACL in the spring and decided to end his career.

"Starting to feel unlucky," Johnson joked.