NEW BRITAIN — Elijah Howard came to Central Connecticut to run with the football, and he’s taken off with the opportunities.

“Every time he touches the ball,” coach Adam Lechtenberg said, “he can take it to house.”

The NEC player of the year in 2024, Howard, 5 feet 11 and 176 pounds, has been an explosive component for Central’s offense since transferring from Virginia Tech, where he was pigeon-holed a defensive back. He has run for 1,924 yards in 22 games for CCSU, scoring 13 touchdowns, from as far as 82 yards away.

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Now he has the chance to show what he can do against an FBS defense with a lot of Connecticut eyes on him. Howard and the Blue Devils are first up for UConn, and vice versa, on Saturday at

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