Josh Pitsenberger
Jack Warhola
22
Central Conn. St. CCS 2-3 , 1-0
23
Winner Yale YAL 2-1 , 0-1
Central Conn. St. CCS
2-3 , 1-0
22
Final
23
Yale YAL
2-1 , 0-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CCS Central Conn. St. 3 7 6 6 22
YAL Yale 10 7 0 6 23

Game Recap: Football | | Colleen Murphy

Bulldogs Triumphant in Home Opener Against CCSU

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – One point split the difference in a nail-biting 23-22 victory for the Yale football squad in its home opener. The Bulldogs defeated in-state foe Central Connecticut State University, and improved to 2-1 on the season, while the Blue Devils dropped to 2-3.

Key Player
  • Josh Pitsenberger was decisive on the field for the Bulldogs. After rushing 68 yards in Yale's loss to Cornell, Pitsenberger exploded for 127-rushing yards against Central Connecticut.
  • His 64-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, coupled with the extra point, gave Yale a seven-point lead heading into halftime.
  • 127 rushing yards in a single-game is the most Pitsenberger has had since Nov. 11, 2023 against Princeton when he had a career-high 131 yards rushed.
  • It was just the third time in his career that he has eclipsed the 100-yard marker in a single game. 
Turning Point
Down 22-17 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Joshua Tarver intercepted Brady Olson's pass attempt and ran for a 21-yard return. The Bulldogs went on to score in their next drive as Grant Jordan completed a 19-yard pass to Luke Foster for the touchdown.
Bulldog Bytes
  • Josh Pitsenberger rushed for a team-high 127 yards on 19 carries.
  • Quarterback Grant Jordan rushed for 51 yards in seven attempts.
  • Jordan completed 16-of-31 attempts for 146 yards and had one touchdown to Luke Foster, the first of Foster's collegiate career.
  • David Pantelis caught four passes for 45 yards. He has now caught 15 passes for 226 yards through three games.
  • Shamus Florio hit four of seven punts inside the 20-yard line and averaged 37.7 yards.  
  • Joey Felton accounted for 42 yards on two kick-off returns. He now sits at 956 kickoff return yards and has surpassed Kevin Brice (1986-88) (918) and Maurice Saah (1989-91) (939) to move into sixth in program history.
  • Abu Kamara had a team-high 12 solo tackles, and 14 in total.
  • Captain Dean Shaffer had 10 total tackles split evenly with five solo, five assisted.
  • Joshua Tarver's game-altering interception was the first of the juniors collegiate career. 

Hear from Coach Reno
"I'm just really proud of my team. I said to the guys that there's times in a season, in life really, that occur and you either capture them or you don't," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach. "The crazy thing is, we didn't know there was a moment (in the game) until it happened for us. What we decide to do with it is up to us. We really didn't play our best for 60 minutes, had a tough third quarter. Josh Tarver made a huge play, and the offense capitalized on it and put it (the ball) in the paint."
 
Looking Ahead
Yale will host Dartmouth on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for noon from Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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