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Bridgewater, NJ — Two days after Central Connecticut sophomore
Davon Smith, Jr. (Baltimore, MD/Mervo) stole the show at Mercyhurst, the running back earned a spot in the national spotlight on Monday.
Smith, who delivered a clutch performance featuring 162 rushing yards, 25 carries and three rushing scores to lead the Blue Devils to a thrilling 43-40 comeback win in Erie, was named the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week. With the recognition, he became the first NEC player this season to receive a weekly award from the organization.
With two-time defending NEC champion Mercyhurst down 11 points with 9:39 left in the third quarter, Smith orchestrated the Blue Devils' comeback with 125 second-half rushing yards and three touchdowns in the final stretch of the game. Finding the end zone on 36- and two-yard runs within a span of three-and-a-half minutes in the third quarter, the Baltimore native put the eventual game-winning score on the board with a one-yard scamper at the 3:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
Smith, a three-time NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow's Office Rookie of the Week honoree, leads the NEC with five rushing touchdowns, 588 rushing yards and 7.4 rushing yards per carry, while with a league-best 98.0 rushing yards per game, he is knocking on the door of triple digits. He ranks 12th among all FCS players in rushing yards per game while his 7.35 rushing yards per carry are good for fourth in the nation and first among all FCS rookies.
Previously defeating Wagner in NEC play, Central Connecticut is 2-0 in the conference for the second time in as many seasons. The Blue Devils will look to preserve their undefeated record on Saturday when they host New Haven for the first-ever NEC meeting between the two squads.