September 11, 2025
Football Opens NEC Play Saturday Versus Saint Francis
Blue Devils will host Red Flash at noon on Arute Field
The Central Connecticut State football team begins its defense of the NEC title when Saint Francis University visits Arute Field on Saturday. Game time is set for 12:00 pm.
CCSU GAME NOTES | WATCH NEC FRONT ROW | LIVESTATS | TICKETS
The Blue Devils come into the game with a 1-1 mark, after defeating AIC at home last weekend. The Red Flash are 0-2 and are playing their third consecutive road game to open the season. The teams are meeting for the 32nd time, with CCSU holding a 24-7 advantage in the series, including a 27-20 win in Loretto last season. The game marks the final matchup between the two teams as conference rivals as the Red Flash will begin the transition to Division III following the season.
NOTES
• The Blue Devils have won six consecutive home games, with six more to play this season
• The Blue Devils are 5-5 in NEC openers in the past 10 seasons, with a win over SFU last season.
• Donovan Marcus had a rushing (1-yard) and receiving (54-yard) touchdown in the win over AIC and is the first Blue Devil to accomplish that since Elijah Howard did so at UMass last season.
• The CCSU defense recorded 11 TFL versus AIC, the fourth time in the last 14 games that the Blue Devils have reached double-figures. It is the fifth time since the 2023 season opener. CCSU had 16 TFL last season versus Fordham and then followed that with 13 TFL in the win at SFU.
• CCSU is 8-8 when it reaches the red zone this season, with four touchdowns and four field goals. The Blue Devils were 5-5 versus AIC.
• CCSU is averaging 3.0 sacks per game this season, which ranks ninth in the NCAA. CCSU had 5.0 sacks versus AIC in the home opener.
• Ten different players made at least one catch in the win over AIC for 247 receiving yards. Blue Devil receivers totaled 106 yards after catches. Paul Marsh Jr. had a team-best three catches for 67 yards. Michael Trovarelli had two catches, including a touchdown.
• The CCSU defense has now held five opponents to seven or fewer points since 2022, allowing 7 to Wagner at home in 2022, and AIC this season, The Blue Devils shut out AIC in 2023, and giving up just a field goal to Wagner (2023) and Fordham (2024).
• Elijah Howard has run for 1,983 yards in his 23 games in New Britain, and ranks eighth all-time in rushing at CCSU. He is 17 yards shy of becoming the seventh Blue Devil to reach 2,000 career rush yards and would be the first since Cameron Nash in 2018. Howard averaged 5.4 yards per rush on his 11 carries, with a long carry of 15 yards in the opener. He now has 14 career TD's, and nine 100+ rushing games including a career-high 257 yards in the win over Delaware State in 2023.
• Jack Hennessey is 4-4 in field goal attempts in his first two games, and 5-5 in PAT attempts. He kicked a season-long 33 yard field goal in the opening quarter versus AIC and has a team-best 17 points. Hennessey is one of 38 players that has made every field goal attempt thus far on the season in FCS, and is third at 2.0 field goals made per game, while his 8.5 points per game is 44th in FCS. He was named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow Rookie of the Week as a result on 9/1.
• CCSU held AIC to 79 yards on the ground on 9/6. A season ago, the Blue Devils defense held five teams to under 100 rush yards. CCSU defeated Duquesne in part to allowing just 58 yards on the ground. CCSU held three teams under 50 yards on the ground during the campaign, with a season-best rushing effort against Mercyhurst, allowing only 17 yards.
• Brayden Hall and Malachi Wright are two of 10 FCS players leading the nation through two weeks, averaging 0.5 forced fumbles per game.
• Brady Olson, who made is 15th start in the last outing, was 15-21 passing versus AIC for 247 yards. That was his second-highest passing yardage total as a Blue Devil, and threw two TD passes. Olson has a QB efficiency of 150.7 through two games, 24th nationally, with 23-40 completions, two TD passes and no interceptions. His 9.13 yards per pass attempt ranks 15th in FCS. He is contributing 192 yards of total offense a game.
• Dave Pardo has caught four passes for 80 yards this season. His 20.0 yards per catch is tops in the NEC and 20th in FCS.
• Christopher Jean has made 12 tackles this fall, 11 of them solo stops. His 5.5 solo tackles per game ranks 30th in FCS through Saturday. Jean also broke up a pass at UConn, his first after leading the team with 10 (and four INT) a season ago. CCSU, which recorded 16 interceptions and 36 pass breakups a season ago, has seven PBU this fall.
• Peter Cleary had the third multi-catch game of his career at UConn, with two receptions for a career-best 47 yards. His 34-yard reception in the opener is the longest of his career. Cleary has three catches for 51 total yards, 17 yards per reception.
• Top returning tackler Jack Stoll is averaging 5.0 tackles per game this season. He averaged 7.7 tackles per game over the last four outings last season including his first double-digit tackle game as a Blue Devil, 10, in the win at Stonehill. He finished the campaign with 75 tackles, 35 of them solo, 7.5 TFL and two sacks.
• Rookie Deonte Douglas made an impact versus AIC racking up seven tackles, five solo in the victory. He recorded his first TFL as a Blue Devil in the win. Douglas had one tackle at UConn, his collegiate debut.
• Rookie Davon Smith, Jr., crossed into the end zone for the first time in college in the win over AIC, with a five-yard score that put Central in front 10-7 in the second quarter. He finished with 30-yards on eight carries in that game. Over his first two collegiate games, Smith has rushed 12 times for 43 yards.
