Image courtesy of NCAA FCS
In 2019, you could make an argument that CCSU was the best college football team in New England.
Actually, there probably wasn’t even much debate.
The Blue Devils were 11-2 and the Northeast Conference champions. The next two seasons (excluding the pandemic), CCSU went 4-7 in 2021 and 2-9 in 2022.
Enter Adam Lechtenberg.
After going 3-8 a year ago in his first season, Lechtenberg has the Blue Devils back on top of the NEC at 7-5 with a berth in the FCS playoffs this weekend. CCSU has a difficult first matchup with a URI team that just ended a 39-year playoff drought.
This turnaround may seem stunning to some, but it was a year in making.
“We talked about this in our exit meeting last season on the Monday before Thanksgiving just after we were embarrassed at homes. St. Francis,” Lechtenberg told NEFJ in an interview on Tuesday. “We laid out a pretty strong expectation and our guys didn’t back down from those expectations. We had a great spring and summer. We knew we had one of the toughest schedules you could have with two FBS games and really quality non-conference games. But, our guys competed and believed in each other all the way through those tough losses and it made us a more resilient team.
“This season has been a lot of fun for me. We have great kids and it’s been fun to see them push through adversity and achieve things they weren’t sure they could. CCSU has always had great people and the players are the best part of my job. Our alums and former players have been outstanding as well. It’s been great to see them so excited for our kids and proud of their program.”
There isn’t one specific moment that Lechtenberg can pinpoint when it comes to when he knew this team would be special, but going through some not-so-normal things for a D1 program has hardened this team quickly.
“Two years ago our weight room was under construction all summer, so we didn’t have good options to train. Most of the guys first met each other during fall camp my first season,” he explained. “So, we’re an older team that’s been through more tough stuff together compared to last year. Thanks to the administration and our strength program, we had a great summer.
“We have great team chemistry right now and that’s hard to get, even when you work hard at achieving it.”
Not only is this a culmination of some rough days for the upperclassmen and staff members that suffered through some ugly seasons, but this experience is huge for the future of the program too. Young guys getting a taste of the postseason this early can only help moving forward and recruits may be more inclined to head to CCSU than in years past if they know they can compete for championships.
“Hopefully our younger guys are learning what it takes,” Lechtenberg added. “You can win a lot of games and still not win a championship. Those take a lot of extra work and toughness. We have a bunch of young players that have played vital roles in practice and in games.
“It takes everyone.”