MARYVILLE, TN.- In its final game as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference, the Christopher Newport football team captured its 10^th league title in 14 seasons Saturday. The Captains held off the Scots of Maryville College, 37-27, to end the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 7-1 mark in league play. The victory assures CNU of its 10^th trip to the Division III National Tournament, which will begin on Saturday, November 22^nd.
 
"This is one of the happiest days of my football career," Head Coach Matt Kelchner said following the triumph at Thornton Stadium. "We beat a good team following a long road trip on their Senior Day for a conference title. I have to hand it to our team and our whole coaching staff, this was a great win."
 
CNU, which will have a bye next week after 10 straight weeks of action, was again led by senior quarterback Marcus Morrast, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score. Morrast has now thrown 21 scoring passes and run for ten touchdowns this year.
 
Senior kicker Mason Studer connected on all three field goal tries to also power the offensive attack. Studer booted a 50-yard field goal, the longest in CNU football history, in the fourth quarter to help the Captains pull away. He also delivered two well-placed short kickoffs that were recovered by CNU.
 
"Our special teams and defense really helped us today," Kelchner continued. "They made some big plays to keep our offense on the field. We knew coming in that Maryville was a great running team, and if our defense could make them throw the ball, we would be in good shape. "
 
Maryville, now 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the USA South, came into the game allowing just 19 points per game on defense and was the top rushing team in the league on offense.
 
The Scots jumped to an early 6-0 lead only to see the Captains surge ahead midway through the first quarter. Morrast completed a seven-yard scoring pass to fullback Austin Browne with 5:38 to play in the opening quarter, and Studer's extra point gave CNU a 7-6 lead. The Captains would not trail again all day.
 
By halftime, Christopher Newport had opened a 24-13 advantage thanks to a 21-yard field goal from Studer, a 16-yard scoring pass from Morrast to sophomore Daquan Davis, and a four-yard touchdown run from Morrast, his 10^th scoring scamper in as many games this season.
 
Studer provided the only points of the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal that pushed the Captains lead to 27-13. Morrast threw his third touchdown of the game in the final quarter, a 30-yard scoring strike to sophomore Taylor Loudon with 14:16 to play. Studer completed CNU's scoring when he nailed the 50-yarder with 7:44 to go.
 
A late comeback effort by the Scots fell short, even though backup quarterback Nick Myers was able to throw two touchdown passes in the final quarter to make the final 37-27. Sophomore tailback Trenton Shuler rushed for 119 yards on 17 carries in the losing effort for last season's USA South champs.
 
The Captains, who will move into the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football beginning next fall, set a new school record for points scored in a season with their 37 scored Saturday. CNU has posted 361 points in ten games this year, shattering a mark of 337 set in 2004 by a Christopher Newport squad that advanced to the second round of the post-season tournament and ended up playing 12 games.
 
Senior wide receiver Rudy Rudolph became the USA South's all-time leading receiver with two catches for 62 yards. Rudolph is CNU's all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions, and touchdown catches, and also holds the single season mark for receiving yards.
 
The Captains conclude their tenure in the USA South with an all-time mark of 78-17, and a 39-8 road record in conference play. The Captains are now 8-2 all-time vs. Maryville and 5-0 all-time at Thornton Stadium.
 
"It's a great way to go out, and with a bye week next week we will have some extra time to prepare for NCAA play," Kelchner said. "We'll enjoy this victory tonight and then take tomorrow off before getting back to work."
 
The USA South will conclude the 2014 season next Saturday with four games that will have no bearing on post-season play. The NCAA's 32-team bracket for the 2014 Division III Tournament will be released next Sunday, November 16^th.