CCSU 35, Mercyhurst 28
Brady Olson threw for three touchdowns and Elijah Howard ran for two scores and Central Connecticut clinched the Northeast Conference title beating Mercyhurst 35-28 on Saturday.
Olson threw an 8-yard touchdown to Howard with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter after a six-play, 12-yard drive set up by the Blue Devils’ defense. Eric Jackson tackled running back Brian Trobel to force a fumble that Dylan Jones recovered for the short field.
Despite 10-play and nine-play drives by Mercyhurst on their last two possessions, Central Connecticut’s defense managed both times to prevent the Lakers from scoring.
Adam Urena threw an 11-yard touchdown to Taylor Wright-Rawls with 2:03 left in the third quarter to bring Mercyhurst into a tie at 28.
Howard ran for 163 yards on 25 carries for the Blue Devils (8-4, 6-1).
Trobel ran for 166 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns for Mercyhurst (5-7, 4-3).
The win marks Central Connecticut State’s second consecutive FCS Championship berth.
In its first season carrying a full NEC slate, Mercyhurst entered Saturday’s game in contention of winning a share of the regular-season title.
Villanova 34, Sacred Heart 10
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Ja’briel Mace rushed for a pair of scores and caught a touchdown pass as Villanova defeated Sacred Heart 34-10 on Saturday in a regular-season finale.
The Wildcats (9-2) are ranked No. 7 in the FCS Coaches Poll and second in the Coastal Athletic Association at 7-1 behind Rhode Island. Villanova’s lone league loss came at Monmouth.
The Wildcats have won 22 straight home games dating to the 2022 season, the longest active streak in the FCS and longest in school history.
Sacred Heart (8-4) played an independent schedule this season and will play in the CAA next year.
Mace’s touchdowns — 80- and 18-yard runs plus a 10-yard reception from Pat McQuaide — all came in the first half, and the Wildcats took a 21-3 lead to the break.
Mace finished with 165 yards rushing on nine carries plus 21 yards receiving. McQuaide was 17 of 29 for 216 yards passing and two scores. Chris Colby had 112 yards receiving on five catches, including a 57-yarder.
Jack Snyder was 28 of 35 for 286 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Payton Rhoades had 113 yards receiving, and Jason Palmieri had 95 on 10 catches, including the Pioneers’ lone touchdown.
Yale 45, Harvard 28
NEW HAVEN – Quarterback Dante Reno threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns as Yale won a wild edition of The Game, beating Harvard before a crowd of 52,490 at Yale Bowl.
Nico Brown caught 8 passes for 189 yards as the Bulldogs balanced attack was relentless, jumping out to a 17-0 lead, then matching high-powered Harvard touchdown for touchdown.
Yale (8-2) won a share of the Ivy League title, and with the head-to-head win over Harvard, holds the tie-breaker to claim the league’s automatic bid to the 24-team FCS playoffs. The Ivy did not allow its teams to participate in postseason play until this season. Harvard (9-1) has a chance for an at-large bid. The playoffs begin next week.
Yale set the tone immediately. On the first play from scrimmage, cornerback Brandon Webster wrestled the ball out of the grip of Harvard’s Dean Boyd, giving the Bulldogs possession deep in Crimson territory. Yale’s first snap, Reno hit Jaxton Santiago for 21 yards and a TD.
The Bulldogs defense swamped Harvard’s offense for much of the first quarter, and Yale extended the lead to 17-0 with a 12-play, 79-yard drive, capped by Josh Pitsenberger’s 8-yard run early in the second quarter. Pitsenberger finished with 38 carries for 150 yards and three touchdowns.
Then Harvard’s explosive offense got in gear. Quarterback Jaden Craig threw for a touchdown, and ran for another. Yale responded to both scores. Reno threw a 64-yard pass to Nico Brown, who made an over-the-shoulder catch and took it to the end zone. On the last possession of the half, Reno and Brown hooked up for 31 yards to ignite the drive. Faced with 4th-and-goal with three second left, Yale gambled and won, Pitsenberger diving in for a 31-14 lead at the half.
Yale got the ball to start the second half and staged another 75-yard drive, Reno again passing efficiently and Pitsenberger scoring this third TD to extend the lead to 24 points. Reno finished the game 15-of-19 passing.
The back-and-forth continued throughout the game. When Yale’s Lucius Anderson took a shovel pass and scored from 12 yards out, Yale had a 45-20 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
–Dom Amore, Hartford Courant