The Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils lost a heartbreaking conference opener at home against rival Stonehill College by a score of 33-30.
After going down 23-7 early, CCSU fought back to even the score, just to have Stonehill’s kicker put a 52-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired.
The key to the game was CCSU’s inability to run the football, as the offense ran for just 121 total yards on 3.8 yards per carry, a far cry from Stonehill’s 236 yards on the ground and 5.6 yards per carry.
The Blue Devils’ feature running back, sophomore Elijah Howard, was bottled up all day, running for just 43 yards on 16 carries. Junior wide receiver Davion Johnson did most of the damage in the run game, totaling 48 yards and a touchdown on just three carries.
Junior quarterback C.J. Duell did everything he could through the air to offset the struggles on the ground, going 18-28 for 299 yards and a touchdown, caught by redshirt freshman tight end Naj Johnson.
Junior WR Isiah Williams also contributed through the air with seven catches for 95 yards, and senior TE Jadd Dolegala came up with a key two-point conversion late in the game.
“I just had to make sure I got the ball in my hands and got in that end zone in any way possible,” Dolegala said.
Despite the loss, the Blue Devil defense remained stout throughout the game. Junior defensive lineman Dan Toatley led the way with two sacks and six total tackles.
Junior linebackers Harold Miles III and Jayden Anderson also contributed half of a sack each to a pass rush that kept Stonehill’s QB on his toes all game, as the unit also forced four QB hurries.
CCSU allowed just 163 yards through the air and broke up four passes, two by junior LB Paul Yiadom. Although they allowed four touchdowns, the Blue Devil defense remained poised, forcing Stonehill’s kicker to hit a miraculously long field goal to win the game.
“Things don’t go your way all the time, but we’re a group of guys that are resilient,” Toatley said after the game. “We’re going to keep battling no matter what the score is and no matter how much time is left on that clock. Until it says zero at the end of the fourth quarter, we’re going to keep fighting.”
One of the biggest plays in the game for CCSU came midway through the fourth quarter when redshirt freshman special teamer Trey Howe blocked a Stonehill punt and returned it 32 yards for the touchdown. A two-point conversion by Davion Johnson would tie the game 23-23 with eight minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, things did not swing CCSU’s way after that.
“Whenever you lose, it’s not much fun,” head coach Adam Lechtenberg said. “Our kids played hard; they battled back. We didn’t play better. They played better than us today. You can want it more, you can play harder, but if you don’t play better, you’re not going to win. Today, Stonehill played better than we did.”
There were plenty of positives for this Blue Devils team to take into next week, an away game in Ohio against Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 16.
