Blue Devils Move to 3-1 With 28-10 Road Victory at Delaware State on Saturday Night
Junior running back James Mallory rushed for 123 yards on a career-high 36 carries as the Central Connecticut football team ended a nine-game home winning streak for Delaware State on Saturday night with a 28-10 victory on the road. The Blue Devils, now 3-1 on the season, rushed for 262 yards and held the ball for over 40 minutes in the victory. CCSU returns to action on Saturday, October 4 at 1 p.m. at home vs. Wagner.
Junior running back James
Mallory rushed for 123 yards on a career-high 36 carries as the
Central Connecticut football team ended a nine-game home winning
streak for Delaware State on Saturday night with a 28-10 victory on
the road. The Blue Devils, now 3-1 on the season, rushed for 262
yards and held the ball for over 40 minutes in the victory. CCSU
returns to action on Saturday, October 4 at 1 p.m. at home vs.
Wagner.
After playing a scoreless first quarter, sophomore running back Eric
Richardson scored his first career touchdown for the Blue
Devils with 10:28 left in the second quarter to give CCSU the 7-0
lead. The play came after the Blue Devils blocked their third punt
of the season to give the team great field position. Alondre
Rush blocked the punt and it was recovered at the one yard line
by senior captain Michael
Bailey. Two plays later Richardson scored to put Central
Connecticut up 7-0.
Delaware State answered with a touchdown on its next drive to tie
the game at 7-7 with 7:55 to play. The Hornets needed only six
plays to drive the length of the field to tie the game on a six
yard touchdown run by quarterback Vashon Winton. The drive took
only two minutes and 25 seconds off the clock.
Central Connecticut answered quickly with a four-play, 76-yard
drive to take a 14-7 lead with 6:05 left to play in the second
quarter. Senior Josh
Vargas rushed from 15 yards out to give CCSU the seven point
advantage. Junior quarterback Hunter
Wanket entered the game for the first time and ran 31 yards to
move the Blue Devils across midfield. After a long Wanket pass to
Vargas and a run by Mallory, Vargas took the ball up the left side
for his third score of the season and the seven point lead.
The Blue Devils upped their lead to 21-7 with 43 seconds left in
the half on a seven-play, 68-yard drive capped by Wanket's 28-yard
touchdown to Nick
Colagiovanni. Wanket completed a pair of long passes on the
drive but a pair of Delaware State penalties helped CCSU stay alive
for their third score of the game.
Delaware State responded with a field goal before the break to cut
the Blue Devil lead to 21-10 at halftime.
In the second half it was all Central Connecticut as they held the
Hornets scoreless and allowed the DSU offense on the field for only
a little over seven minutes. CCSU controlled the football and the
clock as they held the ball for over 40 minutes in the game
including 22 minutes in the second half.
CCSU scored the lone touchdown of the second half on a two-yard run
by Mallory, his first touchdown of the game. The score ended a
13-play, 86-yard drive that took 6:21 off the clock and gave the
Blue Devils the 18 point edge. The Blue Devils won the turnover
battle forcing two interceptions and a fumble while committing only
one turnover, on a fourth down interception on a fake field goal
attempt in the third quarter.
Mallory rushed for a game-high 123 yards, his fourth 100+ yard
performance of the season. With his yardage he became the 17th
player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards in his career.
Wanket finished the game with a career-high 99 yards on the ground
on just seven carries. He was 6-for-7 through the air for 72 yards
and a touchdown in the game. Vargas and Richardson each scored a
touchdown in the win for the Blue Devils.
Ralph
McKenley and Ernie
Greywacz each had an interception to lead the Blue Devil
defense. Jeff
Marino led the way with six tackles in the game for the
visitors. The CCSU defense held DSU to only 87 yards on the ground
in the game.
The Blue Devils return to action next week at home vs. Wagner
College beginning at 4 p.m. on Arute Field. The game is the first
Northeast Conference game of the season for the Blue Devils.