The Central Connecticut State University football team struggled across the board on Saturday, Nov. 18, losing to Saint Francis University, 49-14, on Senior Day at Arute Field.
Central’s normally potent rushing attack was held in check, gaining just 101 yards as a unit.
Sophomore star running back Elijah Howard couldn’t break off a signature long run, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry on 19 rushing attempts.
Howard’s running mate, junior RB Malik Thomas, didn’t fare any better, contributing just 23 yards on the ground.
Junior quarterback Barry Brown, who came in to replace sophomore QB Matt Jenner, scored Central’s sole touchdown on a designed run.
Jenner struggled against the SFU secondary, completing only eight of his 19 passes for 59 yards, and was intercepted once in the first quarter.
Head coach Adam Lechtenberg took the blame for the offense’s lack of production.
“We didn’t play well,” Lechtenberg said. “At the end of the day, that’s my responsibility … We had too many penalties, too many turnovers, poor tackling. We just didn’t play very well.”
Central’s defense came out of the gate firing, with senior linebacker Luquay Washington and junior linebacker Harold Miles III securing interceptions. Washington’s interception resulted in the Blue Devils’ other touchdown of the day, as he ran it back 57 yards to score.
But the unit could not keep the pace, allowing SFU to put up 549 yards of total offense.
Central’s pass rush could not get through SFU’s offensive line, as the team came up with just one sack on the day, coming from junior defensive tackle Dan Toatley.
The Blue Devils celebrated senior day before the game, honoring the members of the 2024 graduating class. Lechtenberg gave his seniors much of the credit for a good first season as head coach.
“Unbelievable people,” Lechtenberg said. “They battled through adversity to be here. A lot of them are in their sixth year. I love the guys.”
Despite finishing their season with a 1-6 record in the Northeast Conference and 3-8 overall, the Blue Devils ranked highly in the NEC in total offense, giving the program something to build upon next season.
