Football Opens Season Saturday at #7/13 Towson
The Central Connecticut football team will open the 2014 Season on the road against last year’s national runner-up #7/13 Towson at Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD. The contest also marks the beginning of the Rossomando Era of CCSU Football.
The Central Connecticut football team will open the 2014 Season on the road against last year's national runner-up #7/13 Towson at Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD. The contest also marks the beginning of the Rossomando Era of CCSU Football. All 11 games this season will air live on Fox Sports Radio 1410 AM.
On January 22, 2014, Pete Rossomando was named the 13th head football coach in CCSU history. Rossomando comes to New Britain following a successful six-year run leading the Division II football program at the University of New Haven.
Series History • Today's game is the ninth meeting in the all-time series between these programs. Towson has won six of the eight previous meetings, including the most recent contest in 2007. The Tigers won the 2007 meeting by a score of 20-7. The Blue Devils won the first two meetings in the series (1971 & 1972) scoring 40 or more points in each game.
Rossomando's Resume • Rossomando spent the last six seasons as the head coach at the University of New Haven. Over that time he led the Chargers to a 42-13 record, two NCAA Playoff appearances and coached numerous all-conference and All-America student-athletes. Rossomando was named head coach of the Chargers in December of 2007 as New Haven reinstated its Division II football program after a five-year hiatus. He rebuilt the Chargers into one of the best Division II programs in the country. In the last three seasons, 2011-13, the Chargers posted an overall record of 29-6 and a 20-2 mark in Northeast-10 action, including two consecutive 8-0 regular seasons in league play (2011, 2012). New Haven was ranked as high as No. 3 in the 2012 Division II national polls.
Rossomando was also named Liberty Mutual NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year following the 2012 season. In addition, he earned three NE-10 Coach of the Year awards during his tenure at New Haven.
Walter Payton Award • Senior Rob Hollomon has earned numerous individual honors during his two seasons with the Blue Devils, but in July he found himself on the preseason watch list for the highest individual honor at the Division I FCS level, the Walter Payton Award. Hollomon was among 20 individuals selected for inclusion in the preseason list of candidates for the prestigious award, which goes to the most outstanding player at the FCS level.
100+ Rushing Yards • The Blue Devils have rushed for 100+ yards in 35 consecutive games. The last time CCSU failed to reach 100 rushing yards was Nov. 6, 2010 against Robert Morris.
Hollomon Third on Career Rushing List • Senior running back Rob Hollomon enters the 2014 season with 2,556 career rushing yards. He currently stands third on the CCSU career rushing list. Only Stan House (3,347) and James Mallory (3,245) have run for more yards in a Blue Devil uniform.
SanGiacomo's Record Season • Junior quarterback Nick SanGiacomo set a new CCSU single-season record with 20 touchdown passes last year. The previous record for passing touchdowns was 17 set by Scott Dolch in 2004. SanGiacomo also became the first Blue Devil to throw for 300 yards in a game in more than a decade when he collected 363 yards through the air against Sacred Heart on October 12, 2013. SanGiacomo's 368 yards of total offense in that game set a CCSU single-season record.
CAA Win • CCSU played three members of the CAA (James Madison, Albany, Rhode Island) last season and posted a 1-2 record. The victory over Albany, a former Northeast Conference member, marked the first against the CAA for the Blue Devils.
1,000 Yard Rushers • Rob Hollomon is now responsible for two of the 13 individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons in CCSU football history. Nine different players have reached the 1,000-yard mark, with Harold Brown being the first in 1967. In 2006, Justise Hairston set the program record with 1,847 yards on 277 attempts. Stan House, Cory Harge, James Mallory and Hollomon are the four Blue Devils with two 1,000-yard seasons. No CCSU Football player has every rushed for 1,000 or more yards in three separate seasons.
Preseason Honors • Four Blue Devils earned Preseason All-Northeast Conference accolades on August 4. Seniors Rob Hollomon (RB), Josh Alaeze (LB), Tyrell Holmes (WR) and junior Tyler Hurd (OL) were all honored by the NEC's coaches. In addition to the NEC honors Hollomon and Holmes each earned preseason watch list honors at their respective positions from the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA).
Hollomon's preseason accolades also include a First Team All-America selection by The Sports Network and a place on TSN's Walter Payton Award watch list.
Fox Sports Radio 1410 • Every Central Connecticut football and men's basketball game will air live on radio. Fox Sports Radio 1410 will carry the action with Bruce Biel and Marc Robbins on the call. The station will be branded 'The Home of the Blue Devils".
