Mallory Rushes Blue Devils to Victory in Season Opener, CCSU Defeats Bryant 42-35

Junior James Mallory posted 256 of Central Connecticut's 270 rushing yards and two touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils in a 42-35 season-opening home victory over Bryant at Arute Field. With the victory, CCSU is 1-0. Bryant falls to 0-1. Central Connecticut will be back in action next Saturday, Sept. 6, when it travels to Fargo, ND for a 7 p.m. EST match-up with North Dakota State, which is second in The Sports Network FCS national rankings.

Central Connecticut put the game's first points on the board without the offense taking a snap. After stopping the Bryant offense on its first drive, sophomore Alondre Rush blocked Bryant senior punter Brian Donnelly's effort, and sophomore Jordan Knight returned it 22 yards to give CCSU a 6-0. Sophomore Joe Izzo made it 7-0 with the point after. The Bulldogs blocked a kick of their own two drives later.

CCSU went 53 yards in 16 plays, including a 15 yard run by senior Josh Vargas on a fake field goal, and marched inside the Bryant 10 yard line. The Blue Devils could not get into the end zone, and Izzo came out to attempt a field goal. Senior Michael Morgan blocked the attempt to start a Bulldog drive. Bryant drove 52 yards in seven plays, and sophomore Chris Bird converted a 37-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

Vargas stretched the Central Connecticut lead to 14-3 with a two yard rushing score just under five minutes into the second quarter. A 37-yard Mallory scamper highlighted the drive. Mallory carried the load on CCSU's next scoring drive, carrying the ball eight times for 52 yards. His final rush of three yards put the Blue Devils in the end zone, and an Izzo extra point made it 21-3 with 4:23 remaining in the half.

Bryant responded with a 58-yard scoring drive in 1:36. Bryant junior quarterback Jay Graber connected with junior Vinton South for a 24-yard score. The extra point made it 21-10. Central Connecticut punted on its ensuing possession, and Bryant capitalized on a Blue Devil face mask penalty to move into field goal range. Bird drilled a 46-yarder to cut Bryant's margin to 21-13 at the half.

Mallory had 123 yards on the ground in the first half. Sophomore T.J. Radzilowski led the Blue Devil defense with six tackles in the opening 30 minutes. Senior captain Mike Cooke added four tackles, including half a sack and two tackles for loss.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, and Bryant tied the game with just under 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Graber hit sophomore Mike Canfora for his second touchdown pass of the game, and then found South across the middle to complete a two-point conversion and tie the game at 21-21. The Bulldogs went ahead on their next possession. A botched CCSU punt gave Bryant the ball on Central's 16 yard line, and junior Lindsey Gamble punched it in from a yard out on the three-play drive.

Mallory made it a short-lived Bryant lead, shedding tacklers on a 94-yard run following a one-yard loss. Izzo's kick tied the game at 28-28, and Central Connecticut regained the lead on its second blocked punt for a score on the game.

Freshman Nick Delgado got through to block Donnelly's punt, and senior Cory Robinson jumped on the loose ball in the end zone. A Graber to Canfora 20-yard pass play ended an eight-play, 70-yard Bryant drive to tie the game for the third time in the fourth quarter. Central Connecticut started what proved to be the game-winning drive with 4:34 left on the clock.

Junior Aubrey Norris, who finished the game 6-of-13 for 113 yards and one touchdown threw the air, connected with junior Nick Colagiovanni for a 70-yard catch and run. Bryant failed to force overtime in its final two drives. Rush sealed the Blue Devil win with an interception.

Graber completed 19-of-36 passes for 216 yards to lead the Bryant offense. Junior Jerell Smith paced the Bulldog ground attack with 93 yards on 14 carries. Junior Paul Polomski had 10 tackles, and classmate Don Smith added nine tackles, including two sacks, to lead their defense.

Cooke led the Blue Devil defense with 12 tackles, including two for loss. Radzilowski added 10 tackles and a pair of pass break-ups.

The Blue Devils will face #2 North Dakota State next weekend in Fargo, ND. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 6.