Football Heads to Duquesne for NEC Game of the Week
Central Connecticut travels to Duquesne on Saturday for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff on ESPN3. The Blue Devils and Dukes are in a four-way tie for second-place and CCSU has won back-to-back games.
FAN ATTENDANCE POLICY | BUY TICKETS
BROADCAST LINK (ESPN3) | LIVE STATS LINK | AUDIO | CCSU GAME NOTES
TODAY'S GAME • Central is involved in the NEC Game of the Week for the second straight week when it travels to Duquesne for a noon kickoff on Saturday. The Blue Devils have won back-to-back games after an impressive win over Bryant last weekend. CCSU and the Dukes are among a four-team logjam in second place in the standings.
TIME OF POSSESSION • The Blue Devils control the ball for an average of 35:02 per game, which leads the Northeast Conference and the NCAA FCS football subdivision. CCSU held the ball for a season-high 53:51 in the opener against Southern Connecticut. Central held the ball for just 26:19 in its win at Wagner - a season-low.
APPLYING PRESSURE • Senior Kelvin Apari is among the CCSU and NEC defensive leaders. He leads the team with 43.0 tackles, while also leading CCSU with 5.0 sacks, which ranks 3rd in the NEC, and has 11 tackles for loss which ranks 2nd in the league. He ranks 12th nationally in the FCS in TFL per game. Apari had a season-best 14.0 tackles against Columbia, which included 1.5 sacks and 4.0 TFL.
CONFERENCE PLAY • CCSU has posted a league-best 20-4 record in Northeast Conference play since 2017. The Blue Devils finished 7-0 in Northeast Conference play in 2019 after posting a 6-0 mark in 2017 and a 4-2 record in 2018. CCSU became the first NEC team to win seven league games in 2019 since both Wagner and Albany finished 7-1 in 2012.
DEFENSE TURNS TO OFFENSE • The Central defense has converted three turnovers into touchdowns over the past two weeks after not recording a defensive score in the first seven games. CCSU currently ranks 18th nationally and leads the NEC in defensive touchdowns. The Blue Devils tied for the nation's FCS lead in defensive scoring in 2019.
UP NEXT • Central hosts Saint Francis U for its final home game of the season on Nov. 20.