2024 Central Connecticut Blue Devils football team

2024 Central Connecticut Blue Devils football
2024 Central Connecticut Blue Devils football
Conference	Northeast Conference
Record	2–2 (1–0 NEC)
Head coach	Adam Lechtenberg (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Caleb Gelsomino (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Ron DiGravio (6th season)
Home stadium	Arute Field
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Northeast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Robert Morris	2	–	0	2	–	3
Central Connecticut	1	–	0	2	–	2
Stonehill*	1	–	0	1	–	2
Duquesne	0	–	0	2	–	2
LIU	0	–	0	0	–	5
Wagner	0	–	1	2	–	3
Saint Francis (PA)	0	–	1	1	–	3
Mercyhurst *	0	–	1	1	–	4

* – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of September 30, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Central Connecticut Blue Devils football team represent Central Connecticut State University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Blue Devils are led by second-year head coach Adam Lechtenberg and play their home games at Arute Field in New Britain, Connecticut.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan*	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	L 10–66	18,055
September 7	6:00 p.m.	Fordham*	Arute Field New Britain, CT	NEC Front Row	W 33–3	3,784
September 14	12:00 p.m.	at Saint Francis (PA)	DeGol Field Loretto, PA	NEC Front Row	W 27–20	2,616
September 21	3:30 p.m.	at UMass*	McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	ESPN+	L 31–35	10,847
October 5	12:00 p.m.	at Yale*	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	ESPN+
October 12	12:00 p.m.	Mercyhurst	Arute Field New Britain, CT	NEC Front Row
October 19		at Dartmouth*	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	ESPN+
October 26	12:00 p.m.	at LIU	Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium Brookville, NY	ESPN+, NESN 360
November 2	12:00 p.m.	Wagner	Arute Field New Britain, CT	NEC Front Row
November 9	1:00 p.m.	at Stonehill	W.B. Mason Stadium Easton, MA	NEC Front Row
November 16	12:00 p.m.	Robert Morris	Arute Field New Britain, CT	NEC Front Row
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Duquesne	Arute Field New Britain, CT	NEC Front Row
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time

Source:^[1]

Game summaries

at Central Michigan (FBS)

Game One – Central Connecticut Blue Devils (0-0) at Central Michigan Chippewas (FBS) (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Connecticut	7	0	3	0	10
Central Michigan (FBS)	14	28	24	0	66

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI

Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
Game time: 7:00 PM
Game attendance: 18,055
Referee: Billy Williams
TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan Gutowsky (play-by-play) and Randy Buffington (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(10:31) CMU – Myles Bailey 7-yard run (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 4:04; Central Michigan 7-0)
(5:55) CCSU – Elijah Howard 3-yard run (Jack Barnum kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:37; Tied 7-7)
(5:40) CMU – Stephan Bracey Jr. 87-yard kickoff return (Tristan Mattson kick) (Central Michigan 14-7)

Second quarter

(11:50) CMU – B.J. Harris 9-yard run (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 46 yards, 1:33; Central Michigan 21-7)
(7:34) CMU – Evan Boyd 47-yard pass from Joe Labas (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:50; Central Michigan 28-7)
(3:16) CMU – Solomon Davis 17-yard pass from Joe Labas (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 2:57; Central Michigan 35-7)
(0:37) CMU – Myles Bailey 2-yard run (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 1:45; Central Michigan 42-7)

Third quarter

(11:17) CCSU – Jack Barnum 50-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 3:43; Central Michigan 42-10)
(8:45) CMU – Tristan Mattson 26-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:28; Central Michigan 45-10)
(7:04) CMU – Donte Kent 68-yard punt return (Tristan Mattson kick) (Central Michigan 52-10)
(3:45) CMU – Solomon Davis 72-yard pass from Joe Labas (Tristan Mattson kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 86 yards, 1:00; Central Michigan 59-10)
(1:48) CMU – Aakeem Snell 46-yard interception return (Tristan Mattson kick) (Central Michigan 66-10)

Fourth quarter

no scoring

Statistics	CCSU	CMU
First downs	16	22
Total yards	285	491
Rushing yards	194	113
Passing yards	91	378
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	34:57	25:03

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Connecticut	Passing	Brady Olson	12/20, 91 yards
	Rushing	Jadon Turner	5 carries, 61 yards
	Receiving	Michael Plaskon	4 receptions, 44 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Joe Labas	18/24, 342 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Myles Bailey	9 carries, 68 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Solomon Davis	4 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD

Fordham

Game Two – Fordham Rams (0-1) at Central Connecticut Blue Devils (0-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fordham	0	0	3	0	3
Central Connecticut	0	19	14	0	33

at Arute Field • New Britain, CT

Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:00 PM
Game weather: Rain, 60 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 3,784
Referee: Lance Carlen
TV announcers (NEC Front Row): Bruce Biel (play-by-play) and Marc Robbins (analyst)
Box Score Recap

Game information

First quarter

no scoring

Second quarter

(11:49) CCSU - Vincent Thomas 0-yard Fumble Return (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 4 plays, -39 yards, 1:49; Central Connecticut 7-0)
(6:55) CCSU - Elijah Howard 24-yard Run (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:26; Central Connecticut 14-0)
(1:15) CCSU - Team Safety (Drive: 3 plays, -16 yards, 0:50; Central Connecticut 16-0)
(0:00) CCSU - Jack Barnum 30-yard Field Goal (Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 1:04; Central Connecticut 19-0)

Third quarter

(8:48) FORD - Bennett Henderson 20-yard Field Goal (Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 4:16; Central Connecticut 19-3)
(5:21) CCSU - Donny Marcus 18-yard pass from Brady Olson (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:20; Central Connecticut 26-3)
(0:42) CCSU - Eli Daniels 32-yard pass from Brady Olson (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 3:06; Central Connecticut 33-3)

Fourth quarter

no scoring

Statistics	FORD	CCSU
First downs	11	16
Total yards	188	284
Rushing yards	47	61
Passing yards	141	223
Turnovers	5	4
Time of possession	29:27	30:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fordham	Passing	CJ Montes	17/36, 141 yards
	Rushing	Julius Loughridge	15 carries, 127 yards
	Receiving	Mekai Felton	4 receptions, 48 yards
Central Connecticut	Passing	Brady Olson	15/31, 223 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Elijah Howard	19 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Sean O'Brien	2 receptions, 77 yards

at Saint Francis (PA)

Game Three – Central Connecticut Blue Devils (1–1) at Saint Francis Red Flash (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Connecticut	6	14	0	7	27
Saint Francis	7	7	6	0	20

at DeGol Field • Loretto, PA

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 12:00 pm
Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 69 °F (21 °C)
Game attendance: 2,616
Referee: Michael Quinn
TV announcers (NEC Front Row): Pat Farabaugh (play-by-play) and Jay Roberts (analyst)
Box Score Recap

Game information

First quarter

(11:12) CCSU - Jack Barnum 39-yard Field Goal (Drive:10 plays, 34 yards, 3:43; Central Connecticut 3-0)
(10:04) CCSU - Jack Barnum 40-yard Field Goal (Drive:4 plays, 1 yard, 1:01; Central Connecticut 6-0)
(9:50) SFU - DaMario Crawford 94-yard Kickoff Return (Mac Plummer Kick) (Saint Francis 7-6)

Second quarter

(12:39) CCSU - Brady Olson 7-yard Run (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 4:42; Central Connecticut 13-7)
(7:21) SFU - DeMarcus McElroy 97-yard Run (Mac Plummer Kick) (Drive: 1 play, 97 yards, 0:15; Saint Francis 14-13)
(0:25) CCSU - Michael Plaskon 11-yard pass from Brady Olson (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 1:48; Central Connecticut 20-14)

Third quarter

(5:32) SFU - Fran Brown Jr. 0-yard Fumble Return (Mac Plummer PAT failed) (Drive: 4 plays, 97 yards, 2:04; Tied 20-20)

Fourth quarter

(1:45) CCSU - Kimal Clark 10-yard Fumble Return (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 89 yards, 0:21; Central Connecticut 27-20)

Statistics	CCSU	SFPA
First downs	19	12
Total yards	297	248
Rushing yards	115	103
Passing yards	182	145
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	30:30	29:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Connecticut	Passing	Brady Olson	21/42, 163 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Elijah Howard	23 carries, 102 yards
	Receiving	Michael Plaskon	6 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD
Saint Francis (PA)	Passing	Jeff Hoenstine	12/16, 112 yards, INT
	Rushing	DeMarcus McElroy	9 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayden Ivory	5 receptions, 47 yards

at UMass (FBS)

Game Four – Central Connecticut Blue Devils (2–1) at UMass Minutemen (FBS) (0–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Connecticut	0	21	7	3	31
UMass (FBS)	7	14	7	7	35

at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, Massachusetts

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 3:30 pm
Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 10,847
Referee: Jerry Magallanes
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (analyst)
Box Score Recap

Game information

First quarter

(8:31) MASS - Jackson Paradis 1 Yd Run (Jacob Lurie Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 5:15; UMass 7-0)

Second quarter

(9:10) MASS - Jakobie Keeney-James 15 Yd pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Jacob Lurie Kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:41; UMass 14-0)
(6:15) CCSU - Ricky Ortega 3 Yd Run (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:55; UMass 14-7)
(4:08) CCSU - Elijah Howard 1 Yd Run (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 2 yards, 0:48; Tied 14-14)
(0:39) MASS - Owen Anderson 2 Yd pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Jacob Lurie Kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 3:22; Umass 21-14)
(0:07) CCSU - Elijah Howard 2 Yd pass from Brady Olson (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:25; Tied 21-21)

Third quarter

(10:12) CCSU - Paul Marsh Jr. 10 Yd pass from Brady Olson (Jack Barnum Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:48; CCSU 28-21)
(1:38) MASS - T.Y. Harding 57 Yd pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Jacob Lurie Kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:39; Tied 28-28)

Fourth quarter

(14:11) CCSU - Jack Barnum 25 Yd Field Goal (Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:13; CCSU 31-28)
(9:18) MASS - Brandon Campbell 3 Yd Run (Jacob Lurie Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:53; UMass 35-31)

Statistics	CCSU	MASS
First downs	11	27
Total yards	247	450
Rushing yards	90	163
Passing yards	157	287
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	22:14	37:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Connecticut	Passing	Brady Olson	12/26, 157 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Elijah Howard	14 carries, 46 yards, TD
	Receiving	Michael Plaskon	3 receptions, 65 yards
UMass	Passing	Taisun Phommachanh	20/30, 287 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jalen John	13 carries, 65 yards
	Receiving	Jakobie Kenney-James	5 receptions, 95 yards, TD

References

^ "2024 CCSU Football". Central Connecticut athletics. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

[1] "2024 CCSU Football". Central Connecticut athletics. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

[1]

v t e Central Connecticut Blue Devils football
Venues	Arute Field (1969–present)
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024