After proving everyone wrong last year and winning the Northeast Conference as underdogs, the Blue Devils proved everyone right this season, winning the NEC as the favorite with their 35-28 victory at home over Mercyhurst on Nov. 22. They also punched their ticket to the NCAA FCS Playoffs with the win.
CCSU’s Brady Olson threw for 221 yards, and added three touchdowns. Running back Elijah Howard ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a receiving touchdown. Linebacker Jack Stoll and defensive back Eric Jackson led the team in tackles with 11 each.
Saturday’s game was a must-win for Central if they were going to make the postseason, as division rivals Duquesne still had a chance of taking the NEC automatic bid.
Entering game day, Central would clinch the conference bid by beating Mercyhurst at home regardless of what would happen between Duquesne and Robert Morris University. If Central were to lose to Mercyhurst, they would need a Duquesne loss to prevent them from taking the bid.
CCSU deferred the ball to the second half to start the game. The Lakers didn’t gain much on the drive and punted after only two minutes, where defensive back Brayden Hall ripped a 49-yard punt return that put CCSU in great scoring position, which they immediately capitalized on with a Howard 22-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Blue Devils on the board early.
Mercyhurst got the ball back, but their second drive mirrored their first, but Hall fumbled on his next punt return and the Lakers recovered the ball. They then rushed their way to the end zone to tie the game at seven.
Central went three-and-out to give the ball back to the Lakers, who overcame a fourth down to convert and later scored another rushing touchdown to take their first lead of the game.
Howard would again take the game into his own hands and pull a 39-yard rush to eventually put the Blue Devils into touchdown position, where he once again reached the end zone. During the drive, he eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season. He became the 12th back in Central history to reach this feat and praised head coach Adam Lechtenberg for believing in him.
“I just knew I trusted Coach Letch. I knew he was a man of his word,” he said. “He gave me the key to the program. [On the] first day he trusted me, and that’s all I ask for as an athlete.”
After a high-flying first quarter, a Mercyhurst turnover on downs gave the ball back to CCSU, who responded by punting. After getting the ball back, the Lakers’ rushing attack would turn up the heat as senior running back Brian Trobel ran for a 63-yard touchdown and with the extra point, it gave Mercyhurst a 21-14 lead.
The Blue Devils put together a methodical drive highlighted by Howard and Olson to eventually close with a touchdown pass from Olson to freshman receiver Michael Trovarelli to tie the game.
Mercyhurst punted the ball back to Central, and their drive looked promising, but Olson threw an interception. He stayed with the play and tackled the defensive back before he could reach the end zone. Because of Olson’s hustle, the Lakers had to settle for a field goal, and CCSU was able to block it as the first half expired.
On the first drive of the second half, Olson and Trovarelli connected twice on the drive for big gains which resulted in a receiving touchdown for running back Donovan Marcus to take a 28-21 lead. With 2:03 remaining in the third quarter, Mercyhurst was able to tie the game with an impressive grab by receiver Taylor Wright-Rawls.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers fumbled just a minute in and Howard caught Olson’s 50th career touchdown to give the Blue Devils a lead.
It looked like Central would put the game away while already up 35-28, but a field goal attempt with just under two minutes remaining sailed wide right off the cleat of Jack Hennessey, and suddenly the game was wide open.
Mercyhurst drove down the field with almost no stoppage until they got to Central’s 23-yard line, where CCSU’s defense showed up in style, deflecting a crucial pass on second down until Lakers quarterback Adam Urena missed his tight end for the fourth-down conversion, sealing the victory.
On Nov. 23, the NCAA announced the bracket for the 2025 FCS Playoff field, and Central was chosen to play the Rhode Island Rams. The Rams were the same team that played Central in last year’s playoffs, and the Blue Devils look to upset their ranked opponent this time around.
Lechtenberg now has two FCS Playoff appearances in three years of coaching at Central, and he had a lot of positives to say about the team following the game.
“Our young, inexperienced team kept finding ways to win close games, and I’m really proud of them. This is a relatively new team; it was a new experience for our guys.”
Lechtenberg “absolutely” agreed that a close game against a team like Mercyhurst was expected coming in but was very pleased with the result. He loved the performances he got from Howard and Olson.
“They’re the two best offensive players in the league. We’re very fortunate,” Lechtenberg said. “They do great things every week. They continue to make plays. Just really proud of them.”
Preceding the first playoff game against URI, Lechtenberg said their main goal is “to just try and figure out how to win the game” given the CAA champions’ impressive season.
Howard spoke highly of his time on the team and the people who helped him succeed, both in the game and in his career.
“Man, it feels great. Coach said we had the ability and team to do it. We just had to trust the process. It’s just a beautiful thing.”
He spoke on their upcoming game against URI and the challenges the team could face but remained confident.
“Coach Letch said it’s gonna be a close game, to the fourth quarter. We just gotta keep staying the course, keep trusting the process,” he said. “At the end of the day we’re trying to be the first NEC team to win a playoff game.”
Like his main back Howard, Brady Olson also played in his final regular-season home game on Saturday at Arute Field.
He described his time starting at Central highly and said he was blessed and grateful for the opportunity, and that reaching 50 total career touchdowns throughout his time as a college football quarterback was a definite goal.
Olson spoke highly of Howard as well.
“He’s a hell of a player, one-in-a-lifetime kind of player,” he said. “He just elevates everyone around him.”
Regarding the final regular season game and future playoff game, Olson would mention that although Mercyhurst is a “talented football team,” URI would be a much bigger opponent, and the team will need to work hard to get a win.
Central will play Rhode Island on Nov. 29 at Meade Stadium in Kingston, R.I.
