WEEK 9 STATS: 164 rush yards, 13 rushes, 3 TD rushes
Chestnut followed teammate Jordan Meachum’s lead and ran wild during Sacred Heart’s runaway victory over NEC rival Bryant. Contributing to the Pioneers’ single-game NEC record rushing total (538 yards), the freshman ball carrier gained 164 yards on 13 attempts. Accounting for his first multiple-touchdown game since the season-opening win over Lafayette, Chestnut ran for three scores and would have had a fourth touchdown had his 69-yard scoring scamper not been negated due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty behind the play. The rookie averaged 12.8 yards per carry en-route to becoming the sixth different NEC player this season to rush for more than 150 yards against a Division I opponent. His first run to pay dirt, a 75-yard scamper, tied the game at 14-14 with 2:03 left in the opening quarter. Chestnut broke that 14-14 deadlock on a 10-yard run that capped a 15-play, 92-yard drive with 9:08 remaining in the first half. He bumped the lead to 40-20 in favor of the Pioneers when he broke free for a 62-yard touchdown on a 2nd-and-21 play in the third quarter.