September 29, 2022
Football Returns To NEC Play At Saint Francis U Saturday
CCSU is on the road for the third consecutive week
Central Connecticut concludes a three-game road swing with a return to Northeast Conference action at Saint Francis U. The game will be available on NEC Front Row, free for fans to watch, with Pat Farabaugh and Jay Roberts on the call.
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CCSU and SFU first met on the gridiron in 1993, a 29-27 Red Flash victory, and the Blue Devils lead the series 23-5 . The Blue Devils won 24-21 at home in 1994, the first of 11 straight victories, including a 12-0 win in 1998, in the series. After a 1995 SFU win, CCSU won the next five with a second shutout, 36-0, in 2008, and a nailbiter, 14-13, in Loretto in 2009. The Red Flash won back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, before the current Blue Devils four-game series win streak.
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Erik Surratt earned NEC Prime Performer honors after a career-best 98 yards receiving and two touchdowns at Albany. His 65-yard TD reception was also a career-long.
- Nasir Smith picked up his second NEC Primer Performer award on Monday after posting his second career game with over 100 yards rushing. He finished with 108 and a touchdown.
- Nas Smith had his second career 100+ yard game with 108 yards on 23 carries at UAlbany. The total included a four-yard TD run, his second of the season. Smith has now carried 64 times for a team-best 272 yards this season. He also has nine catches for 65 yards, catching three passes in each of the first three games of the season. Smith had a career-best 122 yards at Miami in 2021.
- Jahlil Brown has two fumble recoveries this season, good for second in the NCAA and tops in the NEC, tied for the most in the nation. He is second on the roster with 33 total tackles, averaging 9.0 a game over the last three games, including his second carer-double-digit total, 10, versus Sacred Heart.
- Erik Surratt has a team-best 13 catches, with four coming against both SHU and UAlbany. He leads the team at 177 yards receiving, 13.6 yards per catch, and has two receiving touchdowns. Last season he made 16 catches, for 177 yards, and also two touchdowns.
- Shon Mitchell made his season debut in the second-half at Southeastern and his first start of the season at UAlbany. He is tops in the NEC with a 163.0 QB efficiency rating, having gong 9-20 with three touchdowns in his three games played this season. He now has nine career TD passes in his 11 games under center as a Blue Devil.
- Chizi Umunakwe is tied for the league lead at 8.8 tackles per game this season, nearly double his 4.5 tackles per game last season. With 35 total tackles he leads the Blue Devils and ranks 41st amongst FCS players through four weeks. He has two double-digit tackle games, with 11 in the opener at UConn.
- Malik Thomas found the end zone for the second time this season, with a nine-yard run at UAlbany. He has carried the ball 24 times for 152 yards, while catching two passes for 36 yards. His 63 yards against UConn was a career-best 63 yards rushing against UConn.
- Jonathan Cabral-Martin is tied for third in the NEC with 1.0 passes defended a game this season. He is the Blue Devils leader with four PBU's and is fifth on the team with 18 tackles. He forced a fumble in the SHU game.
