Central Connecticut football used a crucial fourth-quarter defensive stand inside their own 10-yard line to propel them to victory against conference foe, Saint Francis (PA), winning 30-14 and keeping their hopes of a Northeast Conference Championship repeat alive.

The Blue Devils have won two straight games and are now 6-4 overall for the season and 4-1 in NEC Play.

They remain in the race atop the conference as they enter the final week of the season tied with Sacred Heart and Duquesne, with each team having one conference loss.

But the Blue Devils do not control their own destiny going forward.

They host Duquesne in the final week of the season and if they hope to repeat they do not only have to win the game, but they also need Sacred Heart to lose their final game against the Red Flash.

Central’s week eight loss to the Pioneers may prove to be extremely costly, but the Blue Devils still have hope and showed strongly on Saturday.

Central used a fourth-quarter DJ Exilhomme goal-to-go interception to blow a one-possession game wide open.

The sophomore defensive back is one game removed from being awarded NEC defensive player of the week and followed it up with another big day.

Exilhomme led the team with nine total tackles to go along with one fumble recovery, forced by fellow defensive back Grant Ibeh and the interception.

The defensive unit played well overall as they held a Saint Francis offensive attack that averages 28 points per game on the year to only 14, doing it with stellar execution and forcing turnovers.

Senior quarterback Jacob Dolegala tossed two touchdowns on the day and threw for 153 yards while completing just five of 14 passes attempted.

Tight end Arthur Gilmore Jr. was the recipient of one touchdown pass as he went 47 yards to the house right before the end of the first half.

The touchdown was Gilmore Jr.’s fourth on the season and he finished the day with 53 yards receiving.

But once again, the leading receiver on the team was junior running back Drew Jean-Guillaume. Though he only had one ball, he proceeded to take it 86 yards for his first receiving touchdown of the season. He now stands with eight total touchdowns.

After breaking numerous school, conference and NCAA records the last time he stepped on the field, running back Aaron Dawson did not follow that performance with another record-breaking day. He did, however, have a strong one.

Dawson got the bulk of the carries among the running back group after last week’s performance as he received 19 carries Saturday afternoon, compared to Jean-Guillaume’s  1o and Enyce Walker’s seven. It is only the third time he has gotten more than 15.

In total, Dawson ran for 90 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns, giving him a team-high 13 on the season.

The Blue Devils return home for the last game of the season on Nov. 17 to host Duquesne, with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m.

If the Blue Devils hope to repeat as champions, they are going to have to take care of business and hope that the Pioneers drop their second straight game.