Football Opens Home Season With 24-12 Comeback Victory Over Sacred Heart on Homecoming

The Central Connecticut State University football team scored 24 unanswered points to come from behind and top Sacred Heart 24-12 on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils have now outscored their opponents 51-10 in the second half this season and for the last two weeks have not allowed a point after halftime. CCSU is now 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in Northeast Conference action this season. CCSU hosts Robert Morris next Saturday at 12 noon.

CCSU had a 17-12 lead in the fourth quarter but the Pioneers drove the length of the field for what would have been the go-ahead score. Senior defensive back Marcus Dorsey intercepted a Dale Fink pass in the end zone, and went a school-record 100 yards for the touchdown to give the home team the 24-12 advantage. The interception, made about three yards deep in the end zone, is the longest interception return for a touchdown in school history, good for 100 yards officially.

The Blue Devils have now won six straight home games and head coach Jeff McInerney runs his home record to 14-2 in his fourth season.

For the second week in a row the Blue Devils trailed at halftime. This week CCSU was down 12-0 to the Pioneers, who missed both extra-points on their first half touchdowns.

Central scored 24 second half points, including a pair of touchdowns by senior running back James Mallory. Mallory now had 152 career points, good for fourth on the all-time list at CCSU. He finished the game with 21 rushes for 80 yards and the two scores.

The CCSU defense ended the game allowing only nine rushing yards. Sacred Heart gained 111 yards on the ground, but also lost 102 for the nine net yards. Fink ended the day with -53 yards on the yards on the ground and was sacked five times. Five different Blue Devils ended the day with at least a half sack.

Dorsey added three additional pass break-ups on the afternoon, and led a Blue Devil defense that allowed just 53 yards of offense for the Pioneers in the second half. His interception was second forced turnover of the game for the Blue Devils.

Down 12-0 in the second half, the Blue Devils went 57 yards on 14 plays to score for the first time in the game. Mallory scored from one-yard out to cut the lead to 12-7. Sophomore kicker Joe Izzo kicked his first field goal of the season to end the third quarter to cut the lead to 12-10.

With 6:50 to play in the fourth quarter, Mallory scored for the second time, this time from nine yards out, to give CCSU the lead 17-12. The play was the only one of the drive, as the Blue Devils recovered a Pioneer fumble at the nine-yardline. Mallory was the one who recovered the fumble as the punter for Sacred Heart mishandled the snap. It was his second big play on special teams in the last two weeks. He blocked a punt at Columbia last week.

The final score of the game came on the interception return by Dorsey, his third interception of the season.

Senior quarterbacks Hunter Wanket and Aubrey Norris combined to go 19-of-26 through the air for 163 yards and no turnovers. The Blue Devils outrushed Sacred Heart 184-9 in the game.

Defensively Tim Pratt led the Blue Devil with 11 tackles including a half for a loss. Jeff Marino and Isaiah Boddie each added eight stops in the win. Nate Pagan (half), Ray Saunders (1.5), Ed Ubaike (one), Ricardo Gibson (one) and Roberto Rodriguez all had sacks in the game for the defense.

The Blue Devils return to action at home next Saturday hosting Robert Morris beginning at 12 p.m.