Exilhomme, Brown Earn Weekly NEC Football Honors

Junior Danley Exilhomme and sophomore Jahlil Brown earned Northeast Conference weekly Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week nods on Monday.  The pair were honored after the Blue Devils topped Robert Morris 49-28 at home on Saturday to secure their sixth NEC title and the league's automatic berth to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

Exilhomme averaged 7.1 yards per attempt as the primary ball carrier for Central Connecticut's 389-yard rushing performance during a first-place battle against Robert Morris. The junior running back rushed 26 times for 185 yards - the second-highest individual total in a NEC game this season - in a 49-28 win that allowed the Blue Devils to secure an automatic bid to the NCAAFCS Playoffs. Exilhomme recorded nine first downs on the way to a career-high rushing output. He gained at least 23 yards on three different plays. Exilhomme kicked off CCSU's second touchdown drive of the game by ripping off a 39-yard run to the RMU 24-yard line. His final carry of the day came with more than 11:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Brown, who totaled seven tackles, made multiple contributions to a tide-turning stretch that featured 21 unanswered third-quarter points in Central Connecticut's title-clinching triumph over Robert Morris. The second-year Blue Devil made an interception on the first snap of the second half, setting the CCSU offense up with a 1st-and-10 at the RMU 36-yard line. Brown reached paydirt during the final minute of the third quarter, recovering a fumble on a 3rd-and-1 play and taking it 25 yards to bump CCSU's lead to 35-14. He also snuffed out wide receiver rush attempt for no gain on a third-quarter 2nd-and-9 play.

The Blue Devils, now 10-1 on the season, travel to Duquesne to finish the regular season on Saturday at 12 noon on ESPN3.