Football Bounces Bryant to Win Second Straight

Central Connecticut had a balanced offensive attack and opportunistic defense in a 30-15 win over Bryant at Arute Field. The Blue Devils scored 17 straight points in the second and third quarters to take control of the game.

CCSU had a well-balanced 329 yards of total offense. The Blue Devils collected 168 yards on the ground and 161 yards in the air. Sophomore Romelo Williams had a team-high 65 yards on the ground, while also going 15-of-21 for 168 yards passing. He threw for one score and one interception. Senior Tyshaun James had a team-high five catches for 58 yards and a score.

Defensively, the Blue Devils limited Bryant to 220 yards and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. Junior Jahlil Brown and freshman Kaiyon Gunn each had six tackles. Senior Kelvin Apari had five tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. 

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Central Connecticut 30, Bryant 15
Records: CCSU (3-6, 3-2 NEC), BRY (5-4, 3-2 NEC)
Location: Arute Field | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• CCSU opened the scoring after returning an interception for a score on Bryant's first drive. Junior Ifeanyi Okorji recorded his first career interception and returned it 29 yards to make it 6-0 midway through the first quarter.
• Bryant would take a lead in the second quarter after recording an interception it turned into a touchdown. Landon Ruggieri caught a nine-yard pass for the score to make it 7-6 at 9:25 in the second.
• The Blue Devils would bounce back to take control of the game, scoring 17 unanswered points. A 9-play, 65-yard drive was capped with a 10-yard passing touchdown to James to make it 13-7 just before halftime.
• Senior Nasir Smith would find paydirt with 4:24 left in the third quarter to make it 20-7 after a 8-play, 75-yard drive. Junior Joe Zoppi pushed the lead to 23-7 after his 25-yard field goal with 14:14 remaining.
• After Ruggieri scored his second touchdown of the day and Bryant converted the two-point conversion to make it 23-15 with 5:30 to play the CCSU defense would clinch the win. The Bulldogs got the ball back with 0:41 to play, but Apari would hit Zevi Eckhaus in the endzone, knocking the ball loose. Senior Tre Jones would jump on it for the touchdown to make it 30-15 and seal the win.

NUMBER TO KNOW

3 - The Blue Devils have recorded three defensive touchdowns in the last two games, both wins. CCSU's defense did not have a score in the first seven games of the season.

GAME NOTES

• CCSU has won four straight in the series and five of the last six meetings. 
• The win moves Central into a four-way tie for second place in the league standings.
• Apari, who missed the previous two games, recorded 1.5 sacks. He has a team-high five sacks on the year.
• CCSU held Bryant to just 114 passing yards. The Blue Devils have not allowed more than 257 passing yards in any of the last four games.
• Smith (12 carries, 45 yards) and junior Aaron Dawson (10 carries, 37 yards) bolstered the CCSU running game.
• Central matched a season-high with three sacks and has posted three sacks in each of the last three games.

UP NEXT
Central travels to Duquesne on Saturday for a 12 p.m. kickoff.