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ALLIANCE, Ohio -- In the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division III Football Championship, the USA South champion Christopher Newport University Captains succumbed to the top-ranked Mount Union Purple Raiders, falling 72-14. A pair of seniors scored for the Captains, as fullback Zack Stevens caught a 17-yard scoring strike in the first quarter and tight end Cameron Bertrand added an 8-yard catch in the fourth. 

The Captains (6-5) made their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in just their 12th year of existence, while the most storied football program in Division III history earned their 65th straight home victory and will advance in their 24th NCAA appearance. Mount Union improves to 11-0 on the season. 

The Purple Raiders, ranked No. 1 in the nation by the D3football.com National Top 25, flexed their offensive muscle early in the game, scoring on their first six drives of the game to open up a big first-half lead. A 10-yard touchdown run by T.J. Lattimore and an 80-yard punt return on the Raiders first two touches gave the home team a 14-0 advantage just 5:04 into the game. 

The Captains offense looked to get moving late in the first quarter after Mount Union added an 11-yard touchdown strike to pull ahead 21-0. CNU pieced together a fine drive, advancing 59 yards on seven plays to get into the red zone. A big 35-yard reception from Morrast to rookie Paul Dukes set up 1st & 10 from the 17-yard line. After a rush for no gain and an incomplete pass in the endzone, sophomore QB Marcus Morrast hooked up with Stevens for the senior's second touchdown on the year. 

The score was just the seventh allowed on the season by Mount Union, who was holding opponents to just 4.5 points per game coming into the contest and boasted six shutouts on the year. Sophomore kicker Mason Studer converted the PAT as CNU closed within 21-7 in the first half. On the ensuing kickoff, Studer converted a beautiful onsides kick, but the Captains were called offsides and were forced to kick it away. 

The home team continued to add to its lead,  finishing out the half with a 49-7 advantage over the Captains. In the second half, the CNU defense slowed the Mount Union attack, which managed just nine points in the third quarter. Then, after two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Captains showed their heart while trailing 72-7. On Mount Union's lone punt of the afternoon, rookie Tyrell Eaton got through the line and put a hand on the punt for a block, recovered by junior defensive leader Evan Moog. It was the first time this season the Purple Raiders had given up a blocked punt. 

With just 2:32 on the clock, CNU started the final drive of the game. The Captains converted a fourth-down for their fifth 1st down of the game when backup QB Lyndon Garner found Storm Parker through the air. With less than a minute remaining, the Captains kept pushing, getting a nine-yard rush from Parker, but was stopped for a loss of one on the 2nd down play. That set up 3rd and 2 with less than 20 seconds remaining and the clock ticking, when Garner found senior tight end Cameron Bertrand open in the end zone for CNU's second score of the afternoon. 

The TD was Bertrand's first of his career and gave CNU double figures against the top-ranked Purple Raiders. It was just the third game this season that an opponent reached double figures against Mount Union and CNU became just the second team to throw for more than one score against them. The Raiders finished out the game and came away with a 72-14 win. 

Morrast led the way for the Captains, passing for 78 yards on 6-of-15 with a touchdown and one interception. USA South Rookie of the Year Paul Dukes caught one ball for 35 yards and also rushed for a team-high 14 yards. 

The special teams had a solid day, as Justin Williams and Storm Parker combined for 12 kick returns for 284 yards (23.7 avg). Kicker Mason Studer converted both extra-point attempts and set a program record with 11 punts, averaging 32.1 yards per punt. Defensively, senior linebacker Daniel Lewis had a team-high eight tackles.

For the Purple Raiders, Kevin Burke threw for 264 yards on 11-of-15 with three touchdown strikes. T.J. Lattimore rushed for a pair of touchdowns and finished with 94 yards on 10 attempts, while three other Mount Union Players added rushing TDs. Jasper Collins and Julius Moore each had 100+ yards receiving with three touchdowns combined. As a team, the Raiders piled up an impressive 641 total yards of offense for an average of 9.3 per play. 

CNU closes the season with a 6-5 overall record, falling to 82-45 all-time and 2-9 in NCAA Tournament action.