BELTON, Texas- The 2010 football season came to an end Saturday for the Christopher Newport University football squad. The Captains had their five-game winning streak snapped with a 59-7 loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

The Crusaders (11-0) jumped to an early lead on their home field and never looked back. UMHB, ranked #4 in the nation, led 49-7 at the half and added 10 more points in the second half.

 

"They are a tremendous football program," Head Coach Matt Kelchner said referring to the Crusaders. "They are a legit national contender in this tournament."

 

The Captains finish the season with a mark of 6-5 after a 1-4 start. The playoff appearance was the 7th in 10 years of CNU football.

 

 "I was happy with the way we competed," Kelchner continued. "We rallied at the half and played much better in the second half...but it obviously was not to be. It's tough to say goodbye to 21 seniors, but we have to move on and begin preparing for next season."

 

 CNU's only score came in the second quarter on a 27-yard scoring pass from Christian Woelfel-Monsivais (Fredericksbug, Va.) to T.J. Foster (Randolph, Va.). Foster finished with 175 receiving yards on 13 catches and became only the second receiver in CNU history to go over the 1,000-yard mark in a season.

 

Senior Keith Gaines (Roanoke, Va.) went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark with 33 yards for the day. Freshman returner Kentel Noel (Weems, Va.) set a school mark with 170 yards on eight kickoff returns.

 

The Crusaders out-gained the Captains in total offense, 477-271. Senior running back Quincy Daniels scored four times, all in the first half, and finished with 146 yards on 20 carries. The Crusaders were five-for-five in the red zone for the day.

 

Mary Hardin-Baylor will host Thomas More next Saturday in the second round.

 

The Captains are now 68-37 all-time in ten seasons of CNU football.