Balanced Attack Leads Blue Devils to 35-10 Northeast Conference Win over Wagner

Central Connecticut (4-1, 1-0) won its Northeast Conference opener, defeating Wagner (2-3, 0-1) 35-10 on Arute Field in New Britain. Junior quarterbacks Aubrey Norris and Hunter Wanket combined to go 8-of-12 for 171 yards passing and three touchdowns to lead the CCSU offense. Paced by junior James Mallory, the Blue Devils gained 243 yards on the ground. Mallory had 75 yards, while senior captain Josh Vargas and classmate Jermaine Roberts each rushed for scores. With a 69-yard reception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, junior Nick Colagiovanni became 11th player in CCSU history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards. Sophomore Alondre Rush had a game-high 10 tackles for the Blue Devils. Senior Ernie Greywacz added a sack and an interception for the Central Connecticut defense.

CCSU's offense stalled on its first drive, but Greywacz intercepted a pass by Wagner junior Adam Farnsworth three plays after the Blue Devil punt. Greywacz's second pick of the season gave Central Connecticut the ball at the Seahawk 35 yard line. Mallory ran for 17 yards on the first play of the drive, and Norris found Roberts for an 18-yard strike to put CCSU on the board. Sophomore Joe Izzo hit the point after to make it 7-0 in favor of the Blue Devils.

Central Connecticut added to its lead with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. Wanket completed a touchdown strike to junior Tyler Rossnagle from 19 yards out after getting the Blue Devils inside the Wagner 20 on a 14 yard run. Mallory carried the ball three times for 22 yards on the drive. Wagner answered on the ensuing drive, going 70 yards in 10 plays. Farnsworth found sophomore Morgan Mizell from seven yards out, and senior Eric Ortiz made the point after. Neither team scored over the half's final 13:08.

Wagner had 12 first half first downs, totaling 182 yards on 39 plays. The Blue Devils posted 114 yards on 25 plays. In addition to the Greywacz interception, senior captain Michael Bailey recovered a fumble for the CCSU defense.

Central Connecticut stretched its lead to 21-10 on its first drive of the second half. Ortiz made a 29-yard field goal to cut the Wagner deficit to 14-10, but CCSU marched 70 yards in 10 plays to extend its lead to 11 points with 5:21 left in the third quarter. Wanket had a 16-yard run and a 28-yard completion to sophomore Josue Paul during the drive. Vargas completed the drive on a fourth down run from inside the Seahawk one yard line. It was the captain's fourth touchdown of the season. The Ortiz field goal and Vargas's touchdown were the only scores of the quarter.

CCSU cushioned its lead in the fourth quarter.

An eight-yard completion from Wanket to Rossnagle ended the third quarter, and Vargas ran for 16 yards to start the fourth. Five plays later, Roberts took a reverse from Mallory and followed a block by junior Greg Grochowski around the left side for a 16-yard touchdown. Wagner was forced to punt on its next possession, giving the Blue Devils the ball at their own 10 yard line. After pushing out to the 31 yard line, Norris found a wide open Colagiovanni for a 69-yard touchdown. Izzo's point after made it 35-10 with just less than six minutes left.

With the catch Colagiovanni joined the now 11-player club of 1,000-yard receivers in Blue Devil history. He has 1,020 yards in two-plus seasons.

Central Connecticut held the ball for 11:39 during the fourth quarter, gaining 125 yards on the ground and 91 yards through the air. In addition to Colagiovanni's catch, freshman Danny Williams had a 46-yard run.

Williams finished with 51 yards on three carries. Wanket had 48 rushing yards on seven carries and completed 4-of-8 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Norris went 4-of-4 through the air for 100 yards and a touchdown. He also picked up 18 yards on the ground. Rossnagle led all Blue Devil receivers with 43 yards on three catches. Sophomores Jeff Marino and Dominique Rose each added six tackles on the defensive side of the ball. The Blue Devils sacked Wagner's quarterbacks five times. They also held their opponent under 100 yards rushing for the third straight game.

Farnsworth completed 13-of-20 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game late in the second quarter. Senior Matt Abbey went 11-of-22 for 102 yards after replacing Farnsworth. Sophomore Tyrone Collins caught 10 balls for 93 yards, while freshman Ryan Middleton had 86 yards rushing for the Seahawks. Seniors Adrian Adderly, Jason Haskins and Jeremy Spinks each had nine tackles.

The Blue Devils will head to Albany next weekend. The Great Danes welcome CCSU for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday, Oct. 11.