Week 6 Stats: 297 all-purpose yards, 23 carries, 257 rushing yards, 11.2 yards per carry, 1 rushing TD
Howard put together one of the finest rushing games in the NEC this season, and as a result, the sophomore takes home NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. The Virginia Tech transfer and Knoxville, TN product torched the gridiron after he ran for 257 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for an average of 11.2 yards per rush. In addition to producing the Blue Devils’ first 200-plus yard outing since Nasir Smith had 218 against Stonehill in 2022, Howard posted the most rushing yards by an NEC running back against a Division I opponent in nearly half a decade, when Sacred Heart’s Jordan Meachum ran for 318 yards against Bryant on Oct. 27, 2018. Boosting his total yardage was an 80-plus touchdown run — the third longest rush in the circuit this season — that gave Central Connecticut a 41-33 advantage in the early part of the fourth quarter. It marked the second time in as many games that Howard posted an 80-plus-yard touchdown run. Most impressively, the 5-11 running back accounted for more than half of Central Connecticut’s 497 yards on the ground, which shattered the program’s previous record of 462, set 17 years ago in 2006. The 497 rushing yards were also the most by an NEC team since Sacred Heart put up 538 against the Bulldogs in 2018. With back-to-back 100-plus yard rushing performances, Howard has boosted his season average to 100.0 yards per game and 500 total, which are both good for second in the circuit. He becomes the first Blue Devil to take home NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season.