THE BASICS:
• Score: Holy Cross 20, Central Connecticut 7
• Records: Holy Cross 2-1, Central Connecticut 1-2
• Location: Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.
• The Lead: Sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals (Glenview, Ill.) accounted for 287 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, to lead the Holy Cross football team to a 20-7 victory over Central Connecticut.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Crusaders opened the scoring at the 7:28-mark of the first quarter, on a 24-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Diquan Walker (Clearwater, Fla.).
• Pujals then found sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieczorek (Cumming, Ga.) with a 13-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter, to give Holy Cross a 13-0 lead.
• The Blue Devils responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Nick SanGiacomo to Tyrell Holmes, and the Crusaders led 13-7 at halftime.
• Central Connecticut was able to move the ball across midfield three times in the third quarter, but the Holy Cross defense came up with a stop and downs and an interception, before the Blue Devils missed a 24-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
• The Crusaders then drove 80 yards in 10 plays, with Pujals throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jereme Murray (State College, Pa.) to put the game away.
• The Holy Cross defense would force two more turnovers in the final quarter to seal the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Sophomore free safety Luke Ford (Glenview, Ill.) led the Crusaders with 11 tackles, an interception, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
• Pujals rushed the ball 21 times for a career-high 131 yards, while completing 15 of 26 passes for 156 yards and two scores.
• Walker scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career.
• Junior linebacker John Zakrzewski (Traverse City, Mich.) added nine tackles and a forced fumble, while junior wide receiver Kalif Raymond (Lawrenceville, Ga.) finished with 104 all-purpose yards.
• The Blue Devils were led by SanGiacomo, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
UP NEXT:
• Holy Cross returns to action on Friday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Harvard for a 7:00 p.m. game.
