November 5, 2025
Football Hosts Stonehill In Key NEC Matchup Saturday
The Central Connecticut State football team, the lone unbeaten in the NEC, hosts conference rival Stonehill on Saturday at Arute Field. The NEC contest will kickoff at noon. CCSU is 6-3 on the season and 4-0 in NEC play, while the Skyhawks are 3-6 overall and 2-2 in conference action.
CCSU will honor all veterans at the game with free admission. Veterans, and active military, will be admitted free to the game with their valid military identification.
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QUICK HITS
• CCSU's win over LIU secured the Blue Devils a .500 or better season and a winning NEC record for the 2025 campaign
• The 10 points in the victory over LIU is the lowest point total in a win for CCSU since 2002, a 10-9 win over Monmouth. The program record for fewest points in a win at Division I is nine, a 9-7 win over Saint Peter's in 1993. That was the eighth single-digit victory for the Blue Devils post-World War II, and have never won a game with fewer than six points.
• Jack Stoll was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, after equaling a career-high with 12 tackles and 2.5 TFL. He also had his first career blocked field goal.
• The Blue Devils have won four straight games, tied for 15th longest active streak in the nation. It equals the four-game win streak to end the regular season in a year ago and is the longest since 2019, when the Blue Devils won the final eight regular season games.
• CCSU has won eight straight NEC games, dating back to last season, which is tied for the 6th longest conference win streak in FCS
• Stylz Mitchell and Jack Stoll both blocked fourth quarter field goals against LIU, marking the first career block for both of them. CCSU has three blocked kicks this season - 13th in FCS.
• Chris Jean intercepted his fourth pass of the season at Wagner and is 4th in FCS at 0.44 per game this season, and his 2nd in passes defended at 1.56 per game, with nine PBU.
• CCSU is averaging 7.3 TFL per game, moving up to 9th in the nation after 9.0 versus LIU. Nineteen players have recorded at least 0.5 TFL, led by a career-high 10.5 from Jack Stoll, one of five players with 5.5 or more TFL. CCSU has 9.0 TFL in each of the past two games and reached that number four times this season - all in victories.
• Chris Jean is the FCS' active career-leader in interceptions/game, with 0.35 per game. He has 8 INT in 23 career games. His 1.22 passes defended per game is second in FCS and 10th among all NCAA divisions. Jean is tied for 8th in total passes defended, with 28 - the most of any player that isn't a senior (the next non-senior is 28th). He has two career multi-interception games and tied a CCSU record with three INT in the 2024 win over Duquesne.
• CCSU leads the league in red zone defense at .706 stopping foes 10-34 times. CCSU is 7th in the nation in that category, giving up 17 touchdowns and seven field goals.
• Elijah Howard enters the game with 3,368 all-purpose yards for his career, eighth among active FCS players, while is 112.27 APY/game average is 3rd. His 2,553 career rush yards is 8th among active players and ranks fourth all-time at CCSU, with 11 100+ yard rushing games.
• CCSU plays three of its four November games at home, where the Blue Devils are 9-1 the past two seasons and 4-1 this fall. Adam Lechtenberg is 11-4 in games coached at Arute as the head coach.
• The CCSU defense is allowing just 10.8 points per game in NEC action this season. NEC opponents have not scored against CCSU in the second quarter of a game this season.
• Elijah Howard leads the NEC in scoring at 6.8 per games, with six rushing and three receiving touchdowns. Howard also leads the league with 104.25 APY per game and rushing yards per game, 78.6. Howard has two 100+ yard rushing games this season, with a season-high 131 at RMU, and has four games over 100 all-purpose yards.
• Brady Olson has a 110.1 QB rating in NEC play, with 831 passing yards on a 53.5 percent completion rate. He has five touchdown passes in league play, as well as a rushing score. Olson is 76-142 in NEC games For the season he has 14 passing touchdowns, throwing 166-287 for 1,916 yards. Olson's season QB rating is 127.2 He has also rushed for 154 yards and two scores. Olson is averaging 230 yards of total offense per game.
• CCSU averages 5.22 penalties a game, 47 total, both of which are the lowest number in the league. The per game average is 25th nationally, while the total is 26th.
• Jack Stoll, one of three NEC players with a dozen or more tackles in at least two games this season, leads the team and is fifth in the NEC with 66 tackles. He is 11 tackles shy of his single-season mark of 77 last fall. Stoll has recorded a career-best 10.5 TFL this fall, tops on the roster and in the NEC and 28th in FCS.
• David Pardo has a career-high 25 catches this season, resulting in a team-best (and career-high 315 receiving yards). He has two touchdown catches, the first of his career, this season. He made a career-high six catches versus Dartmouth for 42 yards.
• The Blue Devils have a league-best 177 first downs this season, 99 in the air, 52 on the ground and 26 by opponents penalty.
• CCSU is first in the NEC, 14th nationally, allowing 16.55 yards per kickoff return. CCSU returns the ball 19.78 yards per kickoff return as a team, fifth in the league, led by Jadon Turner's 28 yards per return, which ranks 13th nationally and first in the league.
• Malachi Wright's 15 tackles versus RMU is the most in a single-game by an NEC player this season. He is second on the team with 58 tackles and his 7.4 tackles per game is fourth in the NEC. He has 7.5 TFL this fall, the third straight season he has had with at least that number, including a career-high eight last season. Wright is second on the team in TFL and has 3.0 sacks, as well as four QBH and a PBU.
• Jack Hennessey is 26-26 on his PAT chances this season and is 10-14 on field goals. He leads the team with 56 points. He is on the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The Jerry Rice Award is presented annually to the top rookie in FCS. Hennessey leads the NEC in field goals per game, 1.11 and is second in field goal percentage, 71.4 percent.
• Gavin Taylor notched four QBH, a career-best, in the win over LIU to bring his team leading total to 11. He has a team-leading 5.5 sacks this season, leading the league at 0.61 per game. Taylor has 25 tackles and 8 TFL, to go along with two forced fumbles and a PBU.
• CCSU has 28 QBH this season, led by seven apiece from Reggie Darkah and Gavin Taylor. Eleven players have at least one QBH.
• CCSU is +25 scoring on the year, 220-195 and have a scoring advantage in every period except the second. CCSU has scored twice in overtime (2 TD) this year, without allowing a point.
• CCSU has recorded 13 sack in the past four games to give the Blue Devils 21 for the season. Eight different players have at least one sack. The team averages an NEC best 2.33 sacks/game.
• Michael Trovarelli and Elijah Howard have both caught three touchdown passes for the Blue Devils this season. Brady Olson has completed a pass to 14 different players and six of them have caught a pass for a score. Donovan Wadley, David Pardo, Paul Marsh, Jr. and Donovan Marcus all have two TD catches this season.
• Central is one of three FCS teams to play two overtime games this season (North Alabama and Northern Colorado) and the only one of those three to go 2-0. The Blue Devils have won six straight overtime games and are 6-1 all-time in overtime.
