Fowler and Mallory Earn Northeast Conference Football Honors on Monday

A pair of Central Connecticut State University running backs were honored by the Northeast Conference on Monday. Junior Brian Fowler was named the NEC's offensive player of the week, while senior James Mallory was named the league's special team player of the week. The Blue Devils defeated Robert Morris 42-21 at home on Saturday, and the teammates became the first pair of running backs to each rush for 100 or more yards in a single game since the 2000 seasons.

Fowler made his presence in the Central backfield known on Saturday. He rushed just 19 times for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also caught two passes for 15 yards and a third touchdown as the Blue Devils won for the third straight week. Fowler's 66-yard touchdown run, the longest run of the season for the Blue Devils, helped put the game away in the fourth quarter. It was his third touchdown of the game.

He averaged 8.4 yards per carry on the day and is averaging an amazing 8.5 yards per carry this season. He has 355 rushing yards on only 42 attempts this season. Central rushed for 332 yards as a team in the victory. Fowler had 121 yards on 11 carries in the second half alone. He had nine rushes for at least seven yards in the game, and four over 10 yards, including his 66-yard scoring run.

Mallory, quickly becoming the top special teams threat for the Blue Devils, blocked a pair of first half punts in the win.

Mallory, the team's leading rusher on the season, has now blocked three punts in the last three games.

With Central down 7-0, Mallory blocked a punt deep in RMU territory in the first quarter. Four plays later Central had gone 22-yards and tied the game at 7-7. In the second quarter, on the second punt attempt of the game for RMU, Mallory broke through again, blocking his second punt of the game. On the first play of the quarter he blocked the punt and the Blue Devils got the ball back at their own 40. Eleven plays later the Blue Devils scored their second touchdown of the game and made it 14-13.

Mallory also rushed 23 times for 113 yards in the game. He had a successful two-point conversion run in the second half. He moved into second place all-time on the Central rushing list. He now has 2,387 career rushing yards.