Football Grabs Win over CCSU

The Sacred Heart University football team, behind three second-half touchdowns from junior running back Malik Grant, scored 24 consecutive points en route to a 27-17 victory over in-state Northeast Conference (NEC) rival Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on Saturday, Oct. 16. 

It was a second half explosion for the Pioneers, who trailed 7-3 at halftime. 

“Our execution was a lot better in the second half,” Head Coach Mark Nofri said. “Once we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot, we were able to get it going.” 

The three-touchdown performance from Grant earned him NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors, the second straight week he has won the award, and the third time this season. Senior punter Noah Gettman also won NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. 

Grant, who is filling in for the injured Julius Chestnut, has taken the starter’s role and run with it–his 853 rushing yards are the most in the country according to the NCAA. 

“Obviously, having these accolades feels amazing, it feels great to get out there and do stuff like that,” Grant said. “With that said, I can’t do this stuff without my offensive line. They’re amazing up front and they work their tails off.” 

Junior quarterback Marquez McCray helped carry the load offensively, going 11-19 for 178 yards through the air. 

“In the first half we were just one block away from scoring big, and in the second half we knew what we had to do,” said McCray. “Malik ran well, the o-line blocked well and the receivers caught the ball extremely well.” 

For McCray, this is his first full season as the starting quarterback for the Pioneers, after taking over for the final three games in 2019 and going through 2020’s abbreviated campaign. 

“My leadership skills have gotten a lot better since then. I’m a lot more vocal than I was then, and I’m a lot more confident,” said McCray. 

The Sacred Heart defense also had a strong showing in the second half, forcing three CCSU turnovers. Senior safety Shamere Collins had two of those turnovers, collecting both an interception and recovering a fumble. 

“Early in the season I felt I was struggling to make an impact in the game, so having those two turnovers in such an important game felt tremendous for me as a weight off my shoulders,” said Collins. 

The Pioneers’ defense has been stout so far this season, ranking second in the NEC in scoring defense (6.7 points allowed per game), total defense (288 yards allowed per game), and passing defense (132.3 passing yards allowed per game) according to the NEC website. 

“Even though the statistics say we are [playing well], when we go into our meetings we always feel like we could’ve done more,” Collins said. “Right now we aren’t content with where we are.” 

The Pioneers currently sit at 4-3* overall and are 2-1* in NEC play. They enjoy their only bye week of the season this weekend, before finishing their season with three more NEC matchups, the first of which will come against St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa. on Nov. 6. 

Sacred Heart Athletics contributed to this article.

About the author

Staff Writer

Leave a Reply