Football Wins Big at Wagner, 52-17

The Central Connecticut football team improved to 2-1 in Northeast Conference play with a convincing 52-17 win on the road at Wagner on Saturday afternoon.  The win pushes Central's record to 4-5 overall and 2-1 in league play.

Wagner cut the score to 24-17 early in the fourth quarter, but the Blue Devils answered with 28 unanswered points to earn their second league win of the season.  Four scoring drives that averaged less than a minute helped the Blue Devils earn their second league win of the season.

Sophomore quarterback Nick SanGiacomo had a big day for the Blue Devils, finishing 22-of-25 for 263 yards and three touchdowns.  Sophomore running back Rob Hollomon rushed 24 times for 147 yards and four scores, including a 66-yarder in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Devil defense forced three turnovers in the game.  All three led to Blue Devil touchdowns as Central put up a season-high 52 points.  The 52 points are the most in a game for the Blue Devils since they scored 56 in a win over Southern Connecticut in 2007. 

The Blue Devils struck first with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter on the 13th touchdown pass of the season from SanGiacomom.  He hit Andrew Clements, seeing his first action of the season at tight end, to cap a 73-yard drive that took 6:32 off the clock on the first possession of the game.

Wagner tied it up to open the second quarter, making it 7-7 early in the period on a rushing touchdown from Dominique Williams.  The Wagner drive was aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties from the Blue Devils.

Central retook the lead on Hollomon's first score of the game.  The rush capped a 12-play, 77-yard drive for the Blue Devils that took 5:50 off the clock.  Hollomon's rush came from two-yards out.

Junior Steve Calitri kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to push the lead to 17-7.  The Blue Devils gained possession following a blocked field goal attempt from senior Chris Linares with under a minute to play.  Senior Antwione Reese picked up the block and ran it back deep into Wagner territory to set up the score. 

The first possession of the second half for the Blue Devils resulted in Hollomon's second scoring run.  The run came on a fourth-and-one play, as Hollomon rushed from 14-yards out for the score and the 24-7 lead with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

Following a missed field goal for CCSU, Wagner answered quickly with a big run from quarterback Brian Gehring to cut the lead to 24-17. 

The Blue Devils wasted little time answering the score, as SanGiacomo hit junior Tyrell Holmes for a 59-yard scoring strike to make it 31-17.  The scoring drive took less than a minute, and was the second touchdown pass of the game for SanGiacomo.

The lead reached 37-17 quickly following an interception from senior Chuck Watson for CCSU.  SanGiacomo hit senior Denzell Jones down to the five yardline, and Hollomon rushed in for his third score of the game to stretch the lead to 20 with 11:22 left in the fourth.

Following another Wagner turnover SanGiacomo hit junior Scott Benzing with a five-yard scoring strike to make it 45-17.  The touchdown was the third in a little over three minutes for the Blue Devils, who scored 21 unanswered to push the lead to 28 points.

Hollomon's fourth score of the game came from 66-yards and iced the win with 3:23 left in the fourth and gave CCSU a 35 point lead.

Central had 490 total yards on offense, and the 52 points are the most in a game since the 2007 season.  They allowed only 326 yards to the Seahawks, including just 52 on the ground from Williams, one of the top running backs in the NEC.

Hollomon's four scores give him 17 rushing touchdowns on the season and 18 total scores, just two shy of the school-record held by Stan House and Justise Hairston.  He also caught four passes for 40 yards.  SanGiacomo's three scoring passes give him 15 for the year, also two shy of the school-record held by Scott Dolch.

The Blue Devils return to action on Saturday at home hosting Robert Morris at 12 noon in New Britain.  Fans can watch the game live on www.NECFrontRow.com and can listen online at www.FoxSportsRadio1410.com.