The autumn sun beat down relentlessly on Arute Field, Saturday afternoon, the unseasonable warmth created a sweltering atmosphere that seemed to match the intensity building between Central and Sacred Heart.
As temperatures climbed and tensions rose, the Blue Devils found themselves in the kind of pressure-packed battle they desperately needed to win, and when overtime arrived with the score knotted at 35, quarterback Brady Olson delivered the knockout punch that had eluded CCSU all season long.
Olson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Howard on the first play of overtime, and the Blue Devils’ defense sealed a thrilling 42-35 victory by stopping Sacred Heart on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, giving CCSU a critical momentum-building win heading into Northeast Conference play.
“We needed this,” head coach Adam Lechtenberg said. “Every week is hard, like there’s no easy games in college football, and we needed to find a way to win a close game. And we were able to do that.”
The victory was particularly sweet for the Blue Devils (2-3), who had dropped their previous two games by one score and entered Saturday’s contest desperate to reverse their fortunes before NEC play begins Oct. 11.
What made the triumph even more impressive was the adversity CCSU overcame, playing without numerous players due to injury.
“We had 15 or 20 guys out for the game or during the game,” Lechtenberg said. “I mean, one of our guys playing D-line at the end of the game was playing O-line this week in practice. So we were just thin. We kept fighting, we kept finding a way, and I’m really, really proud of the effort.”
Olson authored a career day, completing 28 of 40 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns while adding 58 yards and another score on the ground. The senior signal-caller showed his experience throughout the game, especially considering the makeshift offensive line protecting him featured three freshmen, a sophomore, and a player who hadn’t seen game action in a year.
“He’s been playing better and better. He’s been running the ball more. He’s making plays,” Lechtenberg said. “We had three freshman offensive linemen start today, a sophomore and a guy that hadn’t played in a year, and he didn’t blink an eye. He kept making throws.”
Olson credited his offensive line for the career-best performance. “It’s all thanks to the guys up front, without them, I mean I’m nothing back there,” Olson said. “They’ve had great protection. Great job picking it up from the running backs, and great job [to] the guys outside making plays.”
Howard again proved to be Olson’s most reliable weapon, rushing 18 times for 102 yards while also leading the team in receiving with five catches for 69 yards and the game-winning touchdown. The overtime score came on a play the Blue Devils had hit earlier in the game, with Howard making a crucial adjustment when the Sacred Heart linebacker overplayed his assignment.
“We kind of hit it. We scored on it early in the game, and Coach thought it was a good play call,” Howard said. “Actually, the linebacker overplayed it, and I’m supposed to stay outside, [but I] slipped inside and got him… and Brady kept with the play and trusted me and got it to me.”
The game started sluggishly for both offenses, with defenses dominating early. CCSU’s defensive line, led by Gavin Taylor and Wayne Coleman, consistently pressured Sacred Heart quarterback Jack Snyder, forcing multiple three-and-outs in the first quarter.
The Blue Devils broke through late in the opening frame when Howard juked a defender and raced for 48 yards, setting up a seven-yard touchdown pass from Olson to David Pardo.
Central built a 13-0 lead on two Jack Hennessey field goals before Sacred Heart (4-1) responded.
The Pioneers cut the deficit to 13-7 on a one-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback John Michalski. It was set up by a 51-yard pass from Snyder to Kevin McGuire.
The Blue Devils answered with a methodical 90-yard drive capped by Olson’s 29-yard touchdown strike to Michael Trovarelli, extending the lead to 20-7.
But Sacred Heart wasn’t finished.
The Pioneers drove 75 yards in just 1:06, with Snyder hitting Payton Rhoades for a 22-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half, cutting CCSU’s advantage to 20-14 at halftime.
The second half became a heavyweight fight, with neither team willing to back down. Sacred Heart took a 21-20 lead when Trey Eberhart III capped a 60-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
CCSU answered with a 72-yard march highlighted by Howard’s power running. Olson found running back Donny Marcus wide open on the left sideline for a 32-yard touchdown, and Pardo caught the two-point conversion to make it 28-21.
The game turned into a track meet in the fourth quarter. Sacred Heart tied it at 28 on a 15-yard Snyder touchdown run with 6:04 remaining.
CCSU then regained the lead 78 seconds later when Olson scrambled to his right and dove into the right pylon from nine yards out, making it 35-28.
With 1:55 remaining, Sacred Heart drove 76 yards in seven plays. Snyder evaded pressure and found Jason Palmieri wide open, with no one within five yards, in the right corner of the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown, tying the game at 35 with 59 seconds left.
“We didn’t quit,” Howard said of the team’s resilience. “We might have bent, but we ain’t folded at all. So, you know, I’m proud of the guys, and we can go celebrate this one for sure.”
In overtime, CCSU got the ball first and needed just one play.
Olson called Howard’s number, and his guy delivered.
“Safety blanket, that’s all I gotta say,” Olson said about Howard. “He makes plays like he shouldn’t have slipped inside, but he did. He had to make a play. I put it on him. I trusted him, and he made a great play on that one.”
Sacred Heart, starting at its 25-yard line, drove to Central’s two-yard line in five plays, but on fourth down, Snyder’s pass to the right corner of the end zone fell incomplete, setting off a celebration on the CCSU sideline.
“Man, it’s a great win, just for our morals of the team,” Howard said. “You know, we know we got a great team, and just about the fourth quarter finish, and today, the guys finished… offense, defense made a goal line stop, you know, it’s beautiful.”
The victory provides significant momentum as the Blue Devils prepare for conference play through the end of the season.
Howard, the NEC’s leading scorer, credited his offensive line for his success. “Man, that’s to my O-line. Man, without them, nothing is gonna happen,” he said.
For Olson, the win validated the team’s belief in itself. “I mean, it’s a must win. This is a must win,” he said. “So to pull it out in the close game, something we haven’t [done] in a while. So I’m really proud of us for doing that.”
Olson and Hennessey were recognized by the NEC as the Offensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, on Oct. 6.
It was Olson’s first career weekly honor and Hennessey’s second this season, the first coming Sept. 1.
Central Connecticut will look to carry this momentum into next Saturday’s NEC opener against Robert Morris, while the Pioneers will play the Howard Bisons at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
