The Central Connecticut State football team opens the home portion of its schedule Saturday night, welcoming AIC to Arute Field. Game time is 6:00 pm.
The Blue Devils, 5-0 at home last season, are 0-1 on the season, while AIC is playing its season opener.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now, by visiting the CCSU Digital Ticket Office. Purchase tickets online and save time by skipping the line with your ticket sent directly to your phone.
CCSU Game Notes | Tickets | Livestats | Watch NEC Front Row | Tailgate Information
QUICK HITS
• The Blue Devils have won back-to-back home openers under the direction of Adam Lechtenberg, who is 2-0 at the CCSU head coach in home openers
• CCSU has won its last two home openers by a combined score of 77-3, defeating AIC 44-0 in 2023 and Fordham last season, 33-3
• The Blue Devils did not commit a turnover in the season opener at UConn. Last season, CCSU did not commit a turnover in five games on the way to finishing third nationally at +1.08 turnovers per game. The CCSU defense led FCS in fumbles recovered in 2024, finishing with 16 over 13 games played.
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Elijah Howard has run for 1,983 yards in his 23 games in New Britain, and now ranks eighth all-time in rushing at Central. He is 17 yards shy of becoming the seventh Blue Devil to reach 2,000 career rushing yards and would be the first since Cameron Nash eclipsed the mark in 2018, finishing with 2,350 yards.
• The CCSU defense has held four opponents to seven or fewer points since 2022, allowing 7 to Wagner at home in 2022, shutting out AIC in 2023, giving up just a field goal to Wagner (2023) and Fordham (2024)
• Four different defenders broke up a pass at UConn, equaling the 2024 average of four passes defended per game. CCSU recorded 16 interceptions and 36 pass breakups a season ago. Chris Jean led the team in both categories a season ago (4 INT, 10 PBU) and had one of the four PBU's in the season opener.
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Jack Hennessey was good on all three of his kicking attempts, with 20 & 29 yard field goals and a PAT. He was the only player in the league to convert two FG's in week one and his seven kicking points is most in the conference. He is one of 22 FCS players to make two or more FG in the opening weekend. He was named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow Rookie of the Week as a result on 9/1.
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Brady Olson made his 14th start at QB for the Blue Devils at UConn, and was 8-19 passing for 118 yards. His long pass was a 37-yard completion to David Pardo. He leads the NEC, and is 12th in FCS, at 14.75 yards per completions. Olson also averaged 6.7 yards per rush on Saturday, totalling 20 yards on three rushes.
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Wayne Coleman, Jr. gave CCSU its first sack of the season. The sophomore had 1.5 sacks in 11 games last season. Last season the Blue Devils finished with 37 sacks, for an average of 2.85 per game, which ranked ninth in FCS. CCSU recorded nine sacks in the home opener last season, versus Fordham, which was the second most of any team in a single-game last season.
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Peter Cleary had his third multi-catch game on Saturday, with his two catches going for a career-best 47 yards. His 34-yard reception is the longest of his career.
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Eric Jackson had a career-high 7.0 tackles in the opener, with six solo stops. The sophomore had 15 tackles in the previous two seasons (15 games). Jackson also broke up a pass in the UConn game.
• Seven rushers carried the ball at UConn and all finished with positive yardage. Rookie
Davon Smith, Jr., carried six times for 13 yards in his debut.
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Zach Bonini made his CCSU debut at UConn, averaging 36.1 yards per punt on his seven efforts. He recorded a 57-yard punt and one touchback.