Football Falls to Sacred Heart

The Central Connecticut football team fell to Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon by a score of 59-36.  The Blue Devils (2-5, 1-1 NEC) and Pioneers (6-1, 1-1 NEC) played an exciting game, which featured several long scoring plays.

Sophomore quarterback Nick SanGiacomo passed for a career-high 363 yards and fell just short of Keith Toolan's school record of 377 set in 1997.  SanGiacomo was 21-of-38 for two touchdowns in the game, but he also threw three interceptions.

Junior running back Rob Hollomon rushed for 130 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns.  Hollomon also caught a touchdown pass in the game.  Hollomon now has 11 touchdowns on the season with 10 coming on the ground.

Junior running back Darius Lee saw extensive action in the second half and rushed for a career-high 91 yards on 21 carries.  Lee scored a touchdown in the third quarter, it was his first score of the season.

Junior wide receiver Tyrell Holmes caught six passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.  For the second consecutive week he had a receiving touchdown of 60+ yards.  His 64-yard catch and run came in the third quarter and answered a Sacred Heart touchdown drive.

Sacred Heart used less than four minutes to score on their opening drive of the game, but CCSU answered with a touchdown drive in 2:25.

The CCSU scoring drive was set up by a 49 yard kickoff return by Hollomon.  Hollomon followed by capping the drive with a touchdown catch.

The Pioneers scored the next 21 points to take a 28-6 lead, CCSU missed the extra point on its opening touchdown, with 12:49 left in the second quarter.

Over the next eight minutes, CCSU controlled the ball and pushed in a pair of rushing touchdowns by Hollomon.

However, Sacred Heart scored the final points of the half on a Chris Rogers field goal.  The Pioneers took a 31-19 lead into the half.

Sacred Heart opened the third quarter by forcing a CCSU turnover and the Pioneer's quickly capitalized with a 72-yard touchdown pass on their third play of the drive.

CCSU answered with a drive and a touchdown, Lee's first score of the season, to make it a 38-26 game, but Sacred Heart scored again just one minute and 15 seconds later.

SanGiacomo found Holmes for a 64-yard passing touchdown to make it 45-33, but two straight Sacred Heart scores ended CCSU's comeback hopes.

Junior Steve Calitri connected on a 27-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the game to set the final score at 59-36.

RJ Noel threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns, while Keshaudas Spence rushed 23 times for 211 yards and two scores.  Spence averaged 9.2 yards per carry.

Senior Antwoine Reese had nine tackles for the CCSU defense.

CCSU posted a season-high 583 yards of total offense, compared to only 522 for Sacred Heart, but the Pioneers capitalized on a 4-1 edge in turnovers.

The Blue Devils return to action in two weeks at Arute Field against Salve Regina.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.