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 Rentschler Field, 2 p.m.

“It’s a big stepping stone for our season, and how we see ourselves,” Howard said. “We know we have the potential to win the NEC and the FCS championship, so this is going to be a great game to go against some great competition and see just to see how we are mentally and physically.”

Central always has a lot of in-state players on its roster, and for them the chance to go up against UConn carries extra meaning. Howard is from Tennessee, but he found a football home when he came to New Britain to play for Lechtenberg, who’d recruited him as an assistant at Virginia Tech, so it’s as much a rivalry game for him.

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“I was willing to take a chance, I didn’t know anything about Central Connecticut,” Howard said. “But knew it was D-1 and I knew coach Lech, so I was willing to sacrifice some things to get here.”

With two seasons under his belt, Howard might well have entered the transfer portal again, but he decided not to mess with happy. He is on pace to earn his degree in December.

“I thought about it, but I’m getting used (as a ball carrier) right here,” he said. “I know the system. It’s like, it’s home, so I wanted to come here and graduate and try to win the FCS championship.”

Elijah Howard, has found an opportunity and a football home at Central Connecticut, runs up against UConn Saturday. (Dom Amore/Hartford Courant)

Central reached the playoffs last year, after earning the conference’s automatic berth, but lost in the first round to Rhode Island, 21-17, despite 101 yards on 19 carries from Howard. In the previous game, we went for 110 yards and TDs vs. Duquesne as Central clinched the title, two of his five 100-plus yard performances. In October 2023, he rushed for 257 yards in a game against Delaware State.

“He’s a very special back,” quarterback Brady Olson said. “He can make guys miss when he’s face-to-face with them. Just giving him the ball and letting him do his thing is a very special thing for us.”

Howard has added some weight and muscle, so the Central coaches expect him to be improved from last year. He is one of 30 players on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the national FCS offensive player of the year.

“I just want the (the fans at Rentschler) to see greatness,” Howard said. “I’ve put in the work. You’re going to see a guy who’s ready for the NFL.”

Central played at UConn in 2022. The Huskies’ 28-3 victory was Jim Mora’s first win as coach. UConn comes off a 9-4 season, with a win in the Fenway Bowl, and brings back many of its skill position players on offense. The Huskies are retooling on the offensive line and on defense. The Blue Devils’ defense, “opportunistic,” Mora calls them, noting 32 takeaways last season, is a concern coming in. Linebacker Malachi Wright, from West Haven, is a senior leader of the CCSU defense.

“On all cylinders, we’re fast, we’re physical, we’re really relentless,” Wright said. “We’re going to bring the intensity.”

Central rotates multiple running backs to keep Howard fresh, and Olson, who threw for 2,239 yards and 17 touchdowns, is back for his second year to provide a passing threat.

“It’s all about pride,” Olson said. “Playing an FBS opponent, it’s an opportunity and a challenge we embrace wholeheartedly. … The (FBS) guys are bigger, a little faster, but football is football.”

For Central, there is much to gain and little to lose at Rentschler Field. The game can certainly toughen and speed the Blue Devils up for their conference season, and it will give the program a chance to showcase itself in the middle of an area where it draws a lot of its talent.

“What I expect from our guys is to be the hardest playing team every Saturday,” Lechtenberg said. “If we’re not the hardest playing team, then I’m very disappointed. We’re a blue-collar, hard-nosed bunch and that’s what I expect them to put on display. No matter what the situation or who the other team is, we should play harder every time.”

https://www.courant.com/2025/08/28/ccsu-and-its-star-running-back-looking-to-make-a-mark-vs-uconn/