NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut State University football shocked NCAA Division I Central Connecticut State University, 28-21, in its 2021 season opener at Arute Field in New Britain, Conn., in front of 4,500-plus fans, half of which traveled from New Haven, Conn. The Owls open the year at 1-0 while CCSU starts the season at 0-1.
Izaiah Sanders (Stamford, Conn.) had three catches for 109 yards and a 51-yard touchdown, the longest of his career, while first-year Owl
Tylon Papallo (Meriden, Conn.) had a team-best five catches for 81 yards.
Jackson Ostrowsky (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) was 16-for-32 for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
On defense, Hasan Dominick (Jersey City, N,J.) finished with a game-high 11 tackles, including eight solo take-downs and a sack, while
Richard Williams, Jr., had nine tackles and a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown.
How It Happened
- Central Connecticut jumped out to an early lead when Kenyata Huston capped off a 14-play, 87-yard drive with a 42-yard touchdown on the Blue Devils first possession of the game.
- FIrst-year Owl and UConn transfer Timothy O'Shea, Jr found the endzone for the first time in his collegiate career on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Ostrowsky. The Owls capitalized off a fumble caused by a vicious hit by Kwadir Delgado-McIntyre that was scooped up by Cameron Belton. Ostrowsky needed just three plays to tie the game.
- The Owls took a 14-7 lead after Harrison Smith crushed the Blue Devils' punter off a botched snap, setting up the Owls' offense inside the CCSU 20-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Ostrowsky faked the hand-off, pump faked to the center of the field and then found Tye Hodge all-alone in the corner of the end zone for Hodge's first career touchdown.
- Central scored with nine seconds to play in the half when Tyshaun James took a pass from Romelo Williams 33-yards to tie the game at 14-14 heading into halftime.
- With just under 11 minutes to go in regulation, Richard Williams, Jr picked off Romelo Williams on the Owls' 10-yard line and returned it 90 yards to give the Owls a 21-14 lead.
- Central answered when Tyshaun James scored on a short pass across the middle to cut the Owls' lead to 28-21 with 5:29 to play.
NOTES
- William, Jr.'s was the second-longest in Southern Connecticut history behind Rich Falcigno's 100-yard return on an interception against Geneva in 1961.
- The last Southern player to return an interception for a touchdown was David Campbell, on a 40-yard return, against Gannon on Aug. 30, 2008.
- Dating back to the 2019 season, Jackson Ostrowsky has now thrown for three touchdowns in four-straight games.
- Graduate student Kwadir Delgado-McIntyre (Hamden, Conn.) finished with eight tackles and force fumble while first-year Owl Robert Nunez (Meriden, Conn.) had nine tackles and a sack. Joe DiGello (Orange, Conn.) had three quarterback hurries, a sack and also blocked a punt.
