November 21, 2024
Football Hosts Duquesne With NEC Crown On The Line
A Blue Devil win on Saturday gives the Blue Devils their seventh NEC Football championship and the league's automatic berth to the FCS Championship.
The Central Connecticut State football team was picked last in the preseason Northeast Conference Coaches Poll. On Saturday, the Blue Devils host #19 Duquesne and a victory would give them the NEC Championship.
CCSU Game Notes | Watch NEC Front Row | Livestats | Tickets
CCSU enters the game at 6-5 overall and 4-1 in NEC play. The Dukes have not lost an FCS game this season and are 8-2 on the year and 5-0 in league play. The teams are meeting for the 17th time with the Dukes holding a 9-7 advantage in the series all-time.
Game time on Saturday is set for 12:00 pm. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance onlines at CCSUBlueDevils.com/CCSUTickets
CCSU is 4-0 at home this season, after its 35-33 2OT win over Robert Morris. CCSU last went undefeated at home in 2019 (5-0), which included an overtime NEC win (CCSU 38, SFU 31) in the penultimate home game on the way to an NEC Championship 2019 is also the last time CCSU finished .500 or better, going 11-2 and going to the FCS Championship.
NOTES
• Duquesne enters Saturday as the top scoring offense in the NEC, averaging 31 points per game, while CCSU ranks third at 25.3 points a game. In conference play the Duke scoring average jumps to a league-best 41.2 a game, while the Blue Devils average 25.6 an outing.
• The Blue Devils and Dukes are two of the most storied programs in NEC history. They, along with RMU, have both won six NEC Championships - tied for the most in league history
• Duquesne is the top scoring defense in league play, giving up 17.8 points a game, while CCSU allows 21.6 a game to NEC opponents. When taking non-conference play into account, Duquesne gives up 24.3 points per outing and CCSU gives up 25.0 a game.
• CCSU had its four-game streak of not allowing a sack broken by RMU and have now allowed just five sacks over 11 games this season. The Blue Devils are second in the FCS allowing .45 sacks per game. CCSU has not allowed a sack on seven occasions this season.
• The Blue Devils are averaging 3.18 sacks per game, which is 4th in FCS. The Blue Devils have 35 sacks this season, with 24 in league play. The Blue Devils are 9th in FCS at 7.3 TFL a game,. Both numbers lead the NEC.
• The Blue Devils are +3 in scoring overall this season, with a 278-275 point total.
• For the second consecutive season Jack Barnum has tied the school single-season record for field goals made, with 13. Paul Flynn set the mark originally in 1987, and holds the career mark with 32. Barnum has 26 field goals in two seasons at CCSU.
• Christopher Jean was named the NEC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week on Monday. He forced a fumble and recovered two, returning the second 49 yards for a game-tying touchdown in the comeback against RMU. Jean also had two tackles and a PBU. In eight games this fall, he has 23 tackles, 2.5 TFL, four fumble recoveries and seven pass breakups. He is tied for second in FCS with four fumble recoveries. He forced his first fumble in the win over Fordham and recorded two fumble recoveries as well.
• The Blue Devils defense has recovered more fumbles, 15, then any two other NEC schools combined
• CCSU has three defensive touchdowns this season, most in the NEC and eight in the NCAA. Christopher Jean, (vs. RMU), Kimal Clark (at SFU) and Vincent Thomas (vs. Fordham) all have defensive touchdowns.
• Kimal Clark had 13 tackles in the win over RMU, surpassing 200 for his career and now has 108 this season. It is the most tackles for a Blue Devil since Randall Laguerre recorded 116 tackles in the 2016 season. Clark, who has 212 career tackles, has recorded 10 or more tackles five times this season and nine times in the past two seasons. Clark made a career-high 18 stops at UMass, rand has a career-best 58 solo tackles this season. Clark is 10th in solo tackles, 5.3, and total tackles, 9.8, in the FCS.
• Elijah Howard put up 99 APY in the win over Robert Morris and his sixth rushing touchdown of the year propelled the Blue Devils to the 2OT win. He is averaging 80.3 rush yards a game this season, with 723 net yards on the ground and is currently tied for 13th in program history with 1,713 rush yards. Howard averaged 104.8 APY a game which is the top average in the NEC entering the final weekend. Howard had his third 100+ yard effort of the season versus Mercyhurst with a season-best 169 yards. At Yale Howard put up 215 APY, which was second in the league through that weekend. Howard is second on the roster with 18 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.
• Jadon Turner picked up NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after averaging 28.3 yards per KOR, with a long of 35 yards at Stonehill. He is 2nd in the NEC, 15th nationally with his 25.7 yard per KOR this season. He is second on the team, ninth in the NEC with 69.82 APY a game. Turner has rushed for 363 yards and three touchdowns, on 68 carries. He had his first 100+ yard rushing game at CCSU in the win over Mercyhurst. He carried the ball 11 times, a season-best, for 114 yards, including a 59-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
