Clark Earns National Award; Howard, Clark Take Home NEC Weekly Honors As Well
Aidan Clark was named National FCS and NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, while Jalen Howard earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week
The Central Connecticut State football team took home several weekly honors as a result of their win at Northeast Conference foe Saint Francis University on Saturday. Aidan Clark was named the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week, as well as NEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Jalen Howard was tabbed as the NEC Defensive Player of the Week. The duo, along with Jaylen Anderson, added NEC Prime Performer honors as well.
Clark tied an NEC and set a CCSU school-record with an 84-yard punt. The punt is the longest in FCS since 2021 and ties the league record of Sean Dennis (Monmouth) set on November 1, 2003 in a game against CCSU. Clark had three punts on the day over 50 yards and averaged 51.7 yards per punt on the afternoon. Four of his punts were placed inside the SFU 20-yard line.
Howard finished with seven tackles for the Blue Devils, which allowed just one touchdown on defense. He recorded 4.0 tackles for loss, pushing SFU back 13 yards. He also recorded two sacks in the victory. Howard leads the NEC and is seventh nationall at 2.0 TFL per game, through three weeks. He is also the league leader in sacks, 1.33 per game, which is good for sixth in FCS rankings.
The Blue Devils, who received seven votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll on Monday, have recorded 29 TFL's in the past two games and their 10.0 per game is tied for the best number in FCS through Saturday. The Blue Devils 16 TFL on Saturday at SFU is the most in the nation this season, while the 13 recorded last week is the third-best number this season.
Anderson was recognized with Prime Performer after forcing the fumble that Kimal Clark returned for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 to play in the game. He also had five tackles and 2.5 TFL's in the win.
The Blue Devils, 2-1 overall and 1-0 in NEC play, travel to UMass this week. Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ and is set for a 3:30 pm kickoff.
