Football Wins on Zoppi's Kick Over Saint Francis U

November 20, 2021

Junior Joe Zoppi kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired to lift Central Connecticut to a 24-21 win over Saint Francis U in Northeast Conference football action Saturday at Arute Field. The Blue Devils trailed 14-3 early in the second quarter, but would rally in the second half to seal the win.

Zoppi went 3-for-3 on field goals in the game and converted his only extra point try. Graduate student Shon Mitchell threw for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while running for 11 yards as well. The Blue Devils piled up 180 rushing yards in the game. Senior Nasir Smith ran for 95 yards on 19 carries, while junior Aaron Dawson added 68 yards on just seven carries. Junior Theo Zidor (3 receptions, 20 yards) and freshman Erik Surratt (1 catch, 33 yards) each had a receiving touchdown.Sophomore Kyren Petteway had a team-high 35 receiving yards.

Defensively, junior Chizi Uminakwe had six tackles to lead Central. Senior Kelvin Apari had five tackles, including two for a loss. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery..

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Central Connecticut 24, Saint Francis U 21
Records: CCSU (4-7, 4-3 NEC), SFU (5-6, 4-3 NEC)
Location: Arute Field | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

The Blue Devils opened the game's scoring with a field goal late in the opening quarter. Central took over after Apari forced a fumble and recovered it to begin at the CCSU 49. The Blue Devils would get into SFU territory before setting up for a 21-yard field goal. Zoppi's kick would make it 3-0.
The Red Flash would score touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to take the lead. Following Zoppi's field goal, Justin Sliwoski hit Marq DeShields for a 14-yard score to make it 7-3. On their next possession SFU would get a 70-yard score from Sliwoski to Brendan Lisenby to push the lead to 14-3.
Central would cut into the deficit just before halftime, going 57 yards in eight plays. The drive was capped off when Mitchell hit Zidor for a two-yard touchdown and made it 14-10 with just under four minutes to play in the half.
The Blue Devils cut the deficit to 14-13 on Zoppi's 39-yard field goal with 1:16 to play in the third quarter.
Central would take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, going 76 yards in 13 plays. The big play came on a fourth-and-7 and Mitchell would connect with Surratt for 33 yards for the touchdown. CCSU would go for the two-point conversion and make it a 21-14 lead.
The Red Flash tied the game on their next drive with Sliwoski tossing his third touchdown of the day. CCSU punted on their next drive, but would force SFU into a punting situation. A bad snap, recovered by CCSU would set up the game-winning kick. Central would get the ball down to the SFU 14 yardline before calling timeout. Zoppi's kick would go through the uprights as time expired to clinch the 24-21 win.

NUMBER TO KNOW

1 - The two teams posted nearly identical yardage totals, with SFU narrowly outgaining CCSU, 317-316.

GAME NOTES

CCSU leads the all-time series, 23-5, and have won seven of the last nine meetings.
Zoppi made six straight field goals to close the season. He went 26-of-27 on PATs on the year and kicked 10 field goals.
Senior Tyshaun James had three catches for 33 yards. He closes his career as the Blue Devils' all-time leader with 18 receiving touchdowns. He is also top-five with 114 catches for 1,881 yards.
Petteway added a 45-yard kickoff return in the game.
CCSU had a time of possession of 33:10 and entered the game as the national leader at 34:31.
The Blue Devils did not pick off a pass for the first time in seven games.
Freshman Aidan Clark averaged 35.2 yards per punt and put a pair of them inside the 20.