October 29, 2024
Football Hosts Wagner Saturday For Homecoming Game
The Blue Devils are home three times in November
The Central Connecticut State football team returns to Arute Field for the first time in a month to host Northeast Conference for Wagner College on Saturday. The Homecoming Weekend football game will kickoff at 12:00 pm. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance, and can use their mobile device as their ticket for entrance to the game. Visit the online ticket hub, powered by Hometown Tickets to purchase your tickets for the game.
The Blue Devils, coming home off a three-game road trip, are 3-5 on the season and 1-1 in league play. CCSU controls its own destiny in the search for the NEC crown by winning the final four games of the season. Wagner is 4-5 on the season and 2-1 in league play.
These two squads are meeting for the 36th time with the Blue Devils holding a 19-16 advantage. CCSU won 17-3 at Wagner last fall and have won six straight meetings.
CCSU Game Notes | Tickets | Watch on NEC Front Row | Livestats
NOTES
• CCSU is outscoring its six FCS foes 157-110, or +7.9 points per game
• Today's game marks the first home conference game of the season for CCSU
• The Blue Devils play three of their final four games at home, after playing just two of the first eight at Arute Field - where the Blue Devils are 2-0 this season
• CCSU ranks second in FCS, first in the NEC, allowing just 0.50 sacks per game and have not allowed a sack in each of the last two games and five total
• The Blue Devils are averaging 3.0 sacks per game, which is fourth in the country, and are averaging 7.3 TFL, which is eighth nationally - both are tops in the NEC
• Kimal Clark is fourth in the NCAA in solo tackles, 5.9 per game, and is sixth nationally, averaging 10.1 tackles an outing
• Jalen Howard averages .81 sacks per game, 17th in the nation, and leads the NEC in sacks and TFL (1.1/ game)
• The Blue Devils have had a total offense advantage in six of eight games this season, and in each of the last four games
• The Blue Devils have not committed a turnover in back-to-back games and are +5 in turnovers, best in the NEC. The Blue Devils have gained 15 turnovers this fall, the 14th best number in FCS.
• Cameron Alves had his best game as a Blue Devil at LIU, catching seven passes for 52 yards. He was targeted 10 times in the game and had 30 yards after catch. Alves now has 12 catches this season, for 97 yards.
• Kimal Clark extended his stretch of five or more solo tackles in a game active, with seven solo stops, eight total, at LIU. He remains the league leader in total tackles, 81, and solo stops, 47. He has 3.0 TFL this fall and had his first 0.5 sack of the season at LIU. He recorded his first TFL of the season versus Dartmouth, finishing with 2.5. Clark has 185 career tackles and with 13 versus Fordham and a career-high 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 completed 20 passes on Saturday, his second game with 20 or more completions, throwing for 185 yards. Olson is averaging 15.3 completions per game, third in the NEC and his 1,399 total passing yards ranks him second in the league, 46th in FCS. He threw for 288 yards at Yale, the most he as accumulated in a game as a Blue Devil. Olson, a transfer from UMass, has thrown 12 touchdowns, with a season-best three coming in the Mercyhurst win - where 1/3 of his completions (3-for-9) were touchdowns. Olson completed 21 passes, on 42 attempts, in the win at Saint Francis and has 15 or more completions in five games.
• The Blue Devils defense has 22 TFL in the past three games, bringing the season total to 54. The Blue Devils are averaging 7.3 per game, first in the league and eighth in FCS. The Blue Devils recorded 16 TFL in the win at SFU, the third most in a single-game this season. They also had 13, 11th most in a game, versus Fordham. CCSU is the only team with 13 or more TFL in two games.
• CCSU held an edge in TOP in six of eight games this season. The Blue Devils were +9:02 at Yale and were +9:54 in the opener at CMU. The +6:24 at LIU is the most in league play this season for the Blue Devils, who average CCSU averages 30:39 TOP a game.
• The Blue Devils 9.0 sacks versus Fordham remains the most in a single-game this season in FCS. Eleven Blue Devils have recorded at least 0.5 sack this fall and three of them are ranked in the top-10 in the NEC in that category.
• 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. He did not play at Dartmouth or LIU.
• Jalen Howard remains the league leader in sacks, with 6.5, after recording 1.5 in the Mercyhurst win. He is 17th nationally, first in the NEC, at 0.81 sacks a game. He was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 4 TFL, 3 sacks and 7 tackles in the win at SFU. Howard is fourth on the roster with 31 tackles, has three QBH and a fumble recovery to his credit this fall.
• Jack Barnum leads in the NEC in scoring, averaging 6.5 points per game. He is good on 71.4 percent of his field goal attempts, which is 1.25 per game - both tops in the conference. Barnum is 10-14 on field goals and 22-23 on PAT this season. 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 23 field goals in 18 games as a Blue Devil. The school record is 32 by Paul Flynn (1987-89). Barnum tied Flynn last season for the single-season field goal mark of 13.
• Jayvis Rayside made a team-best 12 tackles in the game at Dartmouth, a single-game career-high for the transfer from Bryant. He has made 17 stops in the past two games and has 24 for the year. Rayside has two interceptions, tops on the team, and a fumble recovery this fall. He had the Blue Devils first INT of the season, picking off the SFU quarterback and returning the ball 13 yards in the NEC season opener. He then had an interception in the win over Mercyhurst.
• Isaac Boston has played in each of the last five games and has nine catches for 128 yards in that time. One third of his receptions have been for touchdowns and he has a TD catch in each of the last two games. He is averaging 14.2 yards per reception and his three TD catches are tied for the team lead.
• Malachi Wright is second on the roster with 48 tackles, highlighted by a career-high dozen at UMass. He has 13 tackles in the past two games and is seventh in the NEC with 6.0 tackles per game. Wright has an interception and three PBU this fall as well has 4.0 TFL and a sack. 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's interception came versus Mercyhurst and he returned it 15 yards.
• Mike Plaskon continues to be the top receiving option for CCSU, with a team-best 32 receptions for a team-leading 408 yards. A dozen of those catches have come in two league games, with six apiece versus SFU and LIU. His touchdown catch came in the win at SFU. He averages 4.0 catches per game, sixth in the NEC & his 51 receiving yards/game is seventh.
• 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, which is good for sixth in the NEC. Marsh had a season-best four catches versus Mercyhurst, for 67 yards.
• The CCSU defense held Mercyhurst to just 17 yards rushing, on 21 yards rushing. 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). It is the fifth opponent that CCSU has held under 100 yards rushing in the past two seasons.
• Elijah Howard is 13 yards shy of 17th all-time in rushing at CCSU, with 1,502 in his time with the Blue Devils
