Football Rolls To 40-10 Win Over Stonehill

The Central Connecticut State football team scored on its first four drives of the game on the way to a 40-10 win over NEC visitor Stonehill Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils improved to 7-3 on the year and 5-0 in league play. The victory gives the Blue Devils at least a share of the 2025 NEC Championship, with two games remaining.

Elijah Howard racked up 217 all-purpose yards, with 178 of those yards coming on the game. That helped the Blue Devils to 533 yards of total offense, the second time this season CCSU has eclipsed 500 yards in a game (SHU – 507). Howard ran for two scores on the afternoon. 

The CCSU defense held Stonehill to 60 yards rushing on Saturday, the fifth time this season they have kept an opponent under 100 yards on the ground. The Blue Devils recorded 8.0 TFL and had five sacks on the day. 

The Blue Devils remain the lone unbeaten in the NEC. A win in either of its last two games clinches the outright league crown and the league's bid to the FCS Championship.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE 

Score: CCSU 40, STONEHILL 10 
Records: CCSU (7-3, 5-0 NEC), STO (3-7, 2-2 NEC) 
Location: Arute Field | New Britain, CT 

KEY MOMENTS 

• Howard put the Blue Devils on top with a three-yard touchdown run that capped the opening drive of 12-plays that went for 78 yards. Brady Olson was 4-4 on the drive, for 53 yards passing and a four-yard rush, as CCSU took 6:05 off of the clock 

• After a quick three-and out, the Blue Devils offense went 66 yards on seven plays in 2:4 capped by a Donovan Marcus 11-yard touchdown scamper – giving him 23 yards on the drive and a 14-0 lead with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter 

• The third drive of the quarter resulted in a 30-yard field from Jack Hennessey for a 17-0 lead at the end of one period 

• The Stonehill offense ran seven plays in the opening quarter, and the Blue Devils held them to minus-17 yards in the period 

• The fourth drive was the shortest of the game for CCSU, when on 2nd and 16 early in the second quarter, Howard went to the right sideline and then cut back at midfield for a 93-yard touchdown run and a 23-0 lead 

• Stonehill broke through with 2:38 to play in the first half, when they scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from O'Connell to Clarke 

• Central drove to the Stonehill three-yard line with seconds left in the half, and came away with a 20-yard Hennessey field goal and a 26-7 halftime lead 

• Stonehill made a field goal on its opening drive of the second half, a 28-yard conversion to cut the deficit to 26-10 

• The Blue Devils scored on their next two possessions, touchdown passes to Sean O'Brien and Ricky Ortega, while not allowing a Stonehill score to seal the win 

NUMBER TO KNOW 

1 -  The number of games the Blue Devils need to win in the next two weeks to win the NEC Championship outright

NOTES & NUMBERS 

• Howard's 93-yard touchdown run is the third longest rushing score of the year in FCS entering this weekend's games and is the longest in the NEC 

• Donovan Wadley posted 75 APY, with 50 return yards and two catches for 25 yards 

• Eric Jackson led all players with 11 tackles, a career-high 

• Olson completed 20 passes for 261 yards and found 10 different players at least once 

• Jack Stoll has 2.5 TFL for the second straight game and a game-best six solo stops 

• Chris Jean broke up two passes on Saturday 

• The Blue Devils carried the ball 34 times on Saturday with not a single negative rush 

• Central has won nine consecutive conference games, the sixth longest conference win streak in FCS 

• Sean O'Brien and Ricky Ortega both had receiving touchdowns, the first of the season for them 

• Joe Crifasi (4-52), Damani Williams (4-45) and Howard (4-39) all head for receptions 

• CCSU allowed Stonehill one yard rushing and 69 yards of total offense in the first-half. 

• The five-game win streak is the longest since the 2019 championship team finished the year with eight consecutive victories 

UP NEXT 

• CCSU travels to Duquesne for a 12pm kickoff on Saturday. The Blue Devils will close the regular season at home against Mercyhurst on Nov. 22.