October 17, 2024
Football Travels To Dartmouth Saturday
The Blue Devils game versus the Big Green is the final non-conference game of the season
The Central Connecticut State football team takes to the road on Saturday, October 19th to take on Dartmouth in the Blue Devils final non-conference game of the season. The Blue Devils enter the game at 3-3 on the year, while Dartmouth is 4-0. The Big Green moved into the national rankings this week, settling at 22nd in the media poll and 24th in the coaches poll.
CCSU Game Notes | Watch on ESPN+ |
CCSU and Dartmouth have both played at Yale in the past two weeks. The Big Green rallied for an overtime win on October 12th, 44-43 in overtime, when the Bulldogs two-point conversion was denied. CCSU was at the Yale Bowl a week prior and fell 23-22 when their final drive was turned aside.
The Blue Devils are 2-3 in non-conference action this season. The win over Mercyhurst is considered a non-league game during the 2024 season.
NOTABLE
• Wayne Coleman had a career-best 2.5 TFL's in the win over Mercyhurst and was recognized as the NEC Rookie of the Week as a result
• Brady Olson completed one-third of his passes for touchdowns versus Mercyhurst, with three TD passes in nine completition. It is the first three TD passing game for a Blue Devil quarter back since Romelo Williams threw three versus Columbia on 10/9/21
• The Blue Devil defense is first in FCS at 3.33 sacks per game
• Kimal Clark has three games with double digit tackles and enters the week leading the NEC and fourth in FCS at 10.5 tackles per game and 9th at 5.7 solo tackles per game
• The CCSU offense is fourth in the nation, allowing just 0.67 sacks per game this season
• The CCSU defense held Mercyhurst to just 17 yards rushing, on 21 rush attempts. It is the best rushing defensive effort since the Blue Devils held Brown to 17 yards on 32 carries in 2022. It is the second time this season a team has been held below 50 yards in rushing by CCSU (Fordham 47 yards on 36 carries)
• CCSU recorded 8.0 TFL's in the win over Mercyhurst, raising their season average to 7.3 a game. That numbers is tops in the NEC and eighth best in FCS through October 12th games. The Blue Devils recorded 16 TFL in the win at SFU, the second-most in a single-game this season. They also had 13 in the win over Fordham.
• Elijah Howard had his third 100+ yard rushing game of the year vs Mercyhurst, with a season-best 169 yards. The effort moved him to 1,502 career yards, 18th in program history. Howard has carried 122 times for 512 yards and his 85.3 yards per game is second in the league. At Yale Howard put up 215 APY, which was second in the league through that weekend. Howard is second on the roster with 15 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. He is averaging 112.7 APY a game, tops on the roster and in the league and his four touchdowns is the top number this season.
• Kimal Clark continues to lead the NEC in tackles (52) and solo tackles (34) through the first six games of the season. He is averaging 10.5 tackles an outing, with three games of double-digit tackles this season. Clark has 167 career tackles and seven double digit tackle games in his career, with 13 versus Fordham and 18 at UMass. Clark returned a fumble 10-yards for the game-winning touchdown at Saint Francis. Clark has broken up three passes this fall as well.
• Brady Olson threw for 288 yards at Yale, the most he as accumulated in a game as a Blue Devil. He is third in the NEC in total offense, averaging 182.2 yards per game. Entering the week, Olson has thrown for 1,046 yards, completting 86 passes. He has thrown 10 TD passes, with seven coming in the last three games.He completed 17 or more passes in each of his first five games as a Blue Devil, with a season-best 21 completions in the win over SFU. Twice this season Olson has thrown for more than 200 yards.
• Paul Marsh, Jr. had his first career two touchdown catch game, the first time a Blue Devil has done that since Isiah WIlliams (10/21/23) at Wagner. Marsh is the team leader with three touchdown catches, and he now has five for his career. Marsh had a season-best four catches versus Mercyhurst, for 67 yards. He has at least one catch in every game he has played, and is third on the team with 11.
• The Blue Devils 9.0 sacks versus Fordham remains the most in a single-game this season in FCS. Nine Blue Devils have recorded at least 0.5 sack this fall and five of them are ranked in the top-20 in the NEC in that category.
• Jalen Howard remains the league leader in sacks, with 6.5, after recording 1.5 in the Mercyhurst win. He is 6th in the nation averaging 1.08 sacks per game. He is also 16th nationally at 1.3 TFL an outing. Howard is fourth on the roster with 26 tackles, has a QBH and a fumble recovery to his credit this fall. He was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 4 TFL, 3 sacks and 7 tackles in the win at SFU.
• Malachi Wright is second on the roster with 35 tackles, highlighted by a career-high dozen at UMass. His 5.8 stops per game is good for 12th in the NEC. Wright has a sack and three QBH's this fall as well. He was the NEC Defensive Player of the Week following the Fordham game, made 3.5 TFL and had a sack and QBH in the win over the Rams. Wright had an interception, with a 15-yard return, versus Mercyhurst and has 4 TFL's this season.
• The three points allowed to Fordham is the second time in as many seasons that CCSU has held a Division I foe to three or less points (Wagner, 2023)
• CCSU held an edge in TOP in five of six games this season. The Blue Devils were +9:02 at Yale and were +9:54 in the opener at CMU. All told, CCSU has had the ball for 184:31, 9:02 more than its foes, an average of 60 seconds more per game.
• The Blue Devils have had 15 different players make a catch this fall. EIght different players have a receiving touchdown led by three by Paul Marsh, Jr.
• Jack Barnum is averaging 1.5 field goals per game, tops in the league and 8th in FCS rankings. He is good 75 percent of the time on field goal attempts and is a perfect 18-18 on his extra point attempts. At Yale he recorded the second career three field goal game of his time at CCSU. In the opener he kicked a program-record tying 50-yard field goal at CMU. That kick matched the 2018 mark of Cole Francis, and it was the 24th 50+ yard field goal in NEC history. Barnum has made 22 field goals in 17 games as a Blue Devil. The school record is 32 by Paul Flynn (1987-89).
• Michael Plaskon continues to be the top receiving option for the CCSU offense, with a team-best 22 receptions for a team-leading 283 yards. He had a touchdown catch, one of his season-best six receptions, at SFU. HE started the season with at least three catches in each of the first five games. He is averagign 3.7 catchers per game, sixth in the NEC and his 47.2 receiving yards per game is seventh in the league.
