NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport's 14-year membership in the USA South Athletic Conference for football ends Saturday, and the Captains find themselves in a familiar situation. Matt Kelchner's squad can wrap up its 10th conference title and automatic NCAA bid with a victory at Maryville College. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Thornton Stadium in Maryville, Tennessee.

"We've had the opportunity to play in some big games over the years, and Saturday will be a great test for us," Kelchner said before departing with his team on Thursday night. "It's been a very successful run in this conference, and we want to go out in the right way."

Christopher Newport will play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference beginning next fall. The Captains have compiled a remarkable 77-17 all-time record vs. USA South teams for a winning clip of 82 percent. CNU is 38-9 (.809) in conference road games all-time.

The Captains are riding a three-game winning streak and are 6-3 overall and 6-1 atop the conference standings. CNU is coming off a 45-26 victory over LaGrange last Saturday at POMOCO Stadium. Christopher Newport's high-powered offensive attack is averaging 36 points per game, and the Captains are only 13 points shy of an all-time school record for points in a season.

Maryville is 6-2 and 5-1 in the USA South, and the Fighting Scots have won four straight. Maryville won the conference title last season after beating the Captains at POMOCO Stadium, 30-17. Christopher Newport has won seven of nine all-time meetings, and the Captains are 4-0 all-time against the Scots in Maryville.

"They're very good as you would suspect," Kelchner continued. "They can run the ball well and pass just enough to keep you honest. We'll have to play well on offense, defense, and special teams to win this game."

CNU senior quarterback Marcus Morrast has enjoyed an amazing senior season, and has completed 30 of 39 pass attempts in the last two games. Morrast has thrown for 18 touchdowns this season and also run for nine scores. He has already set a new school record for passing yards in a season (2,039) and is the all-time CNU leader in pass completions (267), yards passing (4,221), and touchdown passes (35).

Fellow senior Rudy Rudolph has also re-written the CNU record book for wide receivers. Rudolph has caught 61 passes this year, including seven for touchdowns. Rudolph has set new career school marks for receptions (148), yards receiving (3,098), and touchdowns (29).

The USA South showdown will be broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) and online at www.CNUsports.com/live. Saturday's pre-game show will begin at 1:00 p.m.

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