Mallory's Second Straight 100-yard Performance Leads Blue Devils in Defeat at #1/2 North Dakota State

Playing the FCS Coaches' Poll's top-ranked team in front of a sellout crowd of 18,868 people, Central Connecticut (1-1) lost 50-14 at North Dakota State (2-0). Junior James Mallory had carries of 21 and 36 yards and totaled 116 yards on 17 attempts to lead the Central Connecticut rushing attack. The Blue Devils are off next weekend. They will resume play on Saturday, Sept. 20, when North Carolina Central will come to New Britain for The NAACP Harmony Classic. The game, which will be played at Willow Brook Park, is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m.

Junior Hunter Wanket threw his first touchdown as a Blue Devil, hitting sophomore Josue Paul for CCSU's first score. Senior captain Josh Vargas added a three-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils totaled 304 yards of total offense. Wanket went 8-of-17 for 56 yards and the touchdown toss to Paul, while junior Aubrey Norris had 45 yards on 7-of-9 passing. Norris also carried the ball eight times for 40 yards. Junior Nick Colagiovanni caught five balls for 31 yards. Sophomore Jeff Marino led CCSU with 10 tackles. Senior captain Michael Bailey added nine, including a sack. Classmate Ralph McKenley also had nine stops.

The Bison, who are ranked second in The Sports Network FCS Poll, accumulated 246 yards of total offense and blocked a CCSU punt to help build a 27-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Nick Mertens connected with classmate Jordan Schultenover for the first score. The five-yard pass play ended a six-play, 67-yard drive. Senior Tyler Roehl carried the ball three times for 52 yards on the 2:54 drive.

Following a Blue Devil punt, North Dakota State went 87 yards in five plays and 2:09 to extend its lead to 14-0. Freshman D.J. McNorton's 13-yard touchdown run capped the drive. The Bison defense stopped CCSU on its next possession and blocked a Chris Scifo punt. Freshman Daniel Eaves recovered it in the end zone, and junior Shawn Bibeau's third extra point made it 21-0 with 6:24 remaining in the quarter. A 17-yard touchdown run by junior Pat Paschall at the 1:00 mark ended the quarter's scoring. Bibeau missed the extra point, making it 27-0 after the first 15 minutes.

Junior James Mallory carried the ball eight times for 47 yards, breaking a 21-yard run on the first CCSU drive. Roehl and Mertens led the Bison offense. Roehl had 100 yards on four carries, while Mertens completed 8-of-9 passes for 92 yards and a score.

The Bison extended their lead to 34-0 with a 10-play, 92-yard drive midway through the second quarter. McNorton got into the end zone on a seven-yard run. NDSU added to its lead with Mertens finding senior Jerimiah Wurzbacher on a seven-yard pass play. Junior Roberto Rodriguez blocked the point after to make it a 40-0 game.

Wanket and Paul connected for a 18-yard touchdown to get the Blue Devils on the board. The eight-play, 60-yard drive took 2:38, and sophomore Joe Izzo's point after cut CCSU's deficit to 40-7. Senior Shamen Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to get North Dakota State inside the Blue Devil 20. A Rodriguez sack forced a fourth down, but Bibeau hit a 37-yard field goal to give the Bison a 43-7 lead with under a minute left in the half.

Mallory ended the half with 68 yards on 11 carries. Wanket completed 5-of-11 passes for 40 yards and his first touchdown as a Blue Devil. Bailey and McKenley each had six tackles for the CCSU defense. Rodriguez added five stops, including the sack. Paschall (107) and Roehl (100) hit the 100-yard mark on the ground for the Bison. Mertens, meanwhile, was 11-of-16 for 133 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Senior Ramon Humber had a team-best seven tackles at the half.

Neither team posted a score in the third quarter. The Bison stopped the CCSU offense on the first drive of the second half, but McNorton fumbled the Scifo punt. Junior Greg Grochowski recovered at the NDSU 27 yard line. Humber forced a Wanket fumble, setting up a fourth and 10 after a Blue Devil recovery. The Bison took over on downs but were stalled by the Blue Devil defense. A roughing the kicker penalty extended the drive, but Central Connecticut forced another punt and took over at their own 20.

Mertens hit Wurzbacher from 11 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Bibeau's extra point gave the Bison a 50-7 lead. The Blue Devils went 67 yards in eight plays on its next drive. Vargas's touchdown, his second in as many weeks, and an Izzo point after cut the NDSU advantage to 50-14. Central Connecticut's defense stopped the Bison inside the Blue Devil five and took over on downs with 4:08 left. CCSU ran out the clock behind freshman running back Danny Williams, who carried the ball five times for 27 yards.

North Dakota State posted 524 yards of total offense, with Paschall and Roehl each rushing for 100 yards and Mertens connecting on 15-of-23 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Humber led the Bison defense with 10 stops, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.

Central Connecticut will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 20, when it hosts North Carolina Central in The NAACP Harmony Classic at Willow Brook Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.