After falling behind by 14 points early in the first quarter, Central Connecticut’s football team was able to rally, scoring 48 unanswered points to defeat Bryant 48-14. The win puts the Blue Devils in sole possession of first place in the Northeast Conference.

It was Central’s offense that led the way again as their 48 points marked their third highest total of the season. They rushed for a school-record 442 yards while the offense as a whole gained 667 yards, just 32 short of the school record they set last week against Robert Morris.

Quarterback Jacob Dolegala had one of his best games of the season, completing 14 of 20 passes for 225 yards and a score. He also rushed for 76 yards and three touchdowns. After throwing a pick-six early in the game, the senior quarterback was able to bounce back and play mistake-free football in the victory. Dolegala is now just four passing touchdowns away from tying the school record of 45.

His one passing touchdown came on a 61-yard throw to Courtney Rush, as the senior receiver was able to break away from his defender and run easily into the end zone. Rush led all receivers with 146 yards through the air. His 520 receiving yards on the season rank third-best in the NEC.

On the ground, the Blue Devils were led by running back Drew Jean-Guillaume. Fresh off of earning NEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against RMU, the junior was able to rush 23 times for 203 yards and a score.

The 203 rushing yards marked a career higher for Jean-Guillaume.

Overall, four different Blue Devils scored on the ground in a record-breaking rushing day.

While its offense shined, the team’s defense put together one of their strongest performances of the season against the Bulldogs.

CCSU limited Bryant to just seven points, their lowest of the season, and just 292 yards of total offense, also a season-low. Despite giving up a touchdown in the first drive, the Blue Devils were able to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard with their only other points coming via an interception return.

Central was able to come away with two takeaways of their own, forcing two fumbles. One of the two fumbles came on a crucial play from safety Tymir Hinton who was able to strip sack Bryant quarterback Price Wilson in the red zone with little time remaining prior to the half.

The Blue Devils were able to fire all cylinders offensively and limited one of the NEC’s best offenses on their way to a victory. They now sit 2-0 in conference play and have put themselves in a strong position to earn their second straight NEC title.

Central will return to Arute Field for the first time in four weeks on Saturday as they take on Constitution State rival and NEC opponent Sacred Heart at the Homecoming game.