What Do We Really Know About CCSU?
Through four games, the league’s official favorite has gone 2-2. But with how strange out of conference schedules in the NEC can be, it’s an open question- well, what have we learned about CCSU to this point?
The Blue Devils have a win over in-conference Saint Francis, out of division AIC, a loss to FBS UConn, and a loss against non-conference Merrimack. It would be very hard to find a more diverse opponent pool than those four. Fortunately, I do think there are some insights to glean, even if nothing at this point in the season can really be concrete- especially when you’ve got four games against four categories of opponents. Here are three things we’ve picked up on so far:
Brady Olson Understands Ball Security
It’s hardly a surprise that the Blue Devils are valuing possession and taking care of the football. They had a monstrous +14 turnover margin in 2024, and with that being a now-proven recipe for success, there’s no reason to do anything except try to replicate it. Fortunately, they’ve got the right QB at the helm to manage that. Olson isn’t flashy- he’s not likely to be in the conversation for NEC First Team at the end of the season- but he’s not giving the ball away, either. He’s spreading the ball out and, of course, letting Elijah Howard get the ball downfield on the ground and through the outlet passes. It’s been enough to score points against AIC and, in the second half, Saint Francis. Most importantly, he’s not putting CCSU’s defense in bad situations. Football is a long game, not a sprint. If you can control the pace of the game, win field position, and win the turnover battle, you’re usually able to win.
Chris Jean Picked Up Where He Left Off
Jean has looked like the ballhawk he ended the season in 2024 as. It’s as though something fell into place for him at the tail end of last season. Sometimes those stretches look like variance, but the evidence is only compounding that Jean is a real force for CCSU- and that the opportunistic defense we saw last season might still be there in Hard Hittin’ New Britain. He’s already got 3 interceptions (including 2 against Merrimack) just 4 games into the season. He also picked up a blocked field goal in Merrimack game and returned it the length of the field, but a penalty brought it back to the 40 (Elijah Howard was able to score). Had the Blue Devils not had to spend the time marching down the field, the game against the Warriors could certainly have gone the other way.
The Defense Is Not A Problem
We had wondered about the defensive line being able to reload in New Britain. It’s not clear that they’ll be able to replicate the absurd success they had last season, but what is clear is that the Blue Devils defense can keep them in any game. Flush away the UConn game and you’ve got a 7 point outing against Saint Francis, 7 points against AIC, and 16 points against Merrimack- but with a huge asterisk. Merrimack blocked a CCSU punt and recovered on the 5 yard line to set up the first touchdown of the game, followed by Olson’s only interception on the year setting up a field goal. Finally, an Elijah Howard fumble returned to the CCSU 29 set up another field goal. The Blue Devils are used to being on the winning end of these kind of turnover battles, but came out on the wrong side against Merrimack. This won’t happen every game, and those 13 points off of turnovers were the only reason Merrimack was able to come out on top. The defense looks stellar early in this season, and they’re certainly good enough for the Blue Devils to repeat in 2025.
