The Central Connecticut State football team welcomes Fordham to Arute Field on Saturday, September 7th for the Blue Devils 2024 home opener. Both squads played on the road at FBS opponents last week and enter the tilt at 0-1. Game time is set for 6:00 pm.
Fans can purchase season tickets at CCSUBlueDevils.com/CCSUTickets. Beat the lines at the gate and ticket booth on SAturday by purchasing your tickets online in advance and using your mobile device as your ticket.
CCSU Game Notes | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Tailgate Information
CCSU holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Fordham, but is 0-1 in the series at Arute Field. The first-ever meeting of the two teams came in New Britain in 2017, a game that Fordham won 38-31. The teams played back-to-back years in the Bronx, with Central winning 24-13 in 2018 and 26-23 in 2019.
Jack Barnum tied the program record with a 50-yard field goal at CMU. It matched the 2018 mark of Cole Francis and earned Barnum NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. It is the 24th 50+ yard field goal in the NEC and is 4th longest in FCS through 8/31
GAME NOTES
• The Blue Devils are tops in the NEC after one week with 194 yards rushing. Eight players had positive yardage in the opening game, led by 61 yards from
Jadon Turner.
Donny Marcus (48 yards) and
Elijah Howard (37 yards) both carried 14 times in the opener.
• CCSU won its home opener a season ago, 44-0 over AIC, in Adam Lechtenberg's first game as head coach
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Brady Olson, a transfer from UMass, started under center for the Blue Devils at CMU and completed each of his first four passes. He finished the outing 12-20 including a 26-yard completition to
Jamir Robertson. Olson also ran the ball four times for eight yards.
• Howard had a three-yard touchdown run in the season opener for the Blue Devils. He averaged 2.6 yards per carry, with a long run of 17 yards on Thursday. Howard also had two receptions for eight yards in the opener.
• Turner returned two kicks for 40 yards in the opener and has 101 all-purpose yards, which is fourth in the NEC. Turner is second in the NEC at 20 yards per KO return and fifth with 61 yards rushing.
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Aidan Clark averaged 43.3 yards per punt in the opener, with a long of 59. He recorded one inside the 20 and one touchback. That average is 29th in FCS football through Sunday.
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Wayne Coleman and
Jared Massay combined for a TFL in the opener at CMU. It is the first TFL for either player in their career
• CCSU had two PBU's in the opener, with
Kimal Clark and Chris Jean both batting an intended pass away from the receiver.
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Elijah Howard returns after barely missing the 1,000-yard mark in 2023 on the ground. He accounted for 119.5 all-purpose yards per game, 19th best in FCS football. He averaged 90 yards per game on the ground, with four games over 100 yards, highlighted by a 257-yard rushing effort against Delaware State. Howard carried the ball 170 times for 990 yards in 2023, along with 165 yards receiving on 15 receptions. He also had eight returns for 159 yards
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Jack Barnum was impressive from day one for the Blue Devils, kicking a 48-yard field goal in the season opener, which was the longest of the opening weekend in FCS. He was 3-3 in that opener and was the first Blue Devils since 2006 to connect on two 40+ yard field goals in a game and the first since at least 2001 to do so in his CCSU debut. Barnum led the NEC in 2023 with a 72.2 field goal conversion rate and points per game, 6.3. Barnum tied the single-season school record for field goals made in a season, connecting on 13 successful kicks in 2023.
• A dozen Blue Devils were recognized on the Phil Steele Preseason All-NEC Teams. Highlighting the group was
Kimal Clark, who was named the NEC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. (read more)
