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.
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