NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- It's the first meeting ever...and likely the last, at least for the foreseeable future. But one thing is for sure. When Christopher Newport plays Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday, there will be much at stake.

The Captains are riding a three-game winning streak, and lead the USA South Athletic Conference with a 3-0 league record. The Hawks are 2-1, and can pull even with CNU with a victory at Samford Stadium. Both squads are 3-2 overall.

"When you only play ten games, every game is important," CNU Head Coach Matt Kelchner said. "Now we're in the second half of the season, and every game is essentially a playoff game. This is a long trip for us, and we need to be ready for a battle."

Every game has been a tight battle this year for CNU. In the first five games, no game has been decided by more than nine points, and the Captains' three wins have come by a grand total of just eight points.

Huntingdon is in just its second season as a USA South member, but was not scheduled last season to play the Captains. The Hawks finished 7-3 overall last season and are coming off a 51-14 thrashing of Greensboro last Saturday in Montgomery.

CNU escaped last Saturday night with a 21-19 triumph over Ferrum at POMOCO Stadium. The Captains were again led by senior quarterback Marcus Morrast, who threw for two scores and also ran for a touchdown. Junior linebacker Rahland Gordon recorded a dozen tackles and was named the USA South's Defensive Player of the Week this week. The 19 points allowed by CNU was the lowest total of the season to date.

"We took a little bit of a step back last week overall," Kelchner continued. "We still saw improvement in some areas, and that's the key. You have to get better every week. We've come a long way this year, and we still have a way to go."

The game will be the first ever for the Captains in the state of Alabama, which will become the 11th state to host a CNU football game (Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and Texas being the others). The matchup will be the first of back-to-back road games for the Captains. Christopher Newport will play at Averett next week.

Kickoff time is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 1:30 p.m. The action will also be available at CNUsports.com/live. 

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