NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport and Salisbury have a long-running history on the football gridiron. The Captains and Sea Gulls met on September 1st, 2001, in the very first football game played by Christopher Newport, and have since met 13 more times. The schools will renew the rivalry on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at POMOCO Stadium during CNU's Homecoming Weekend.
"We sure do go back a ways with Salisbury," Head Coach
Matt Kelchner said. "We've had some really memorable wins over the years, and we're going to have to play extremely well on Saturday to beat them."
Saturday's New Jersey Athletic Conference battle, as well as the final two games of the season, hold playoff ramifications for the Captains, who are now 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the NJAC following last week's loss at Frostburg State, 17-6.
"Our offense has been just a bit off the last few weeks," Kelchner continued. "We've got to get back to limiting our mistakes and being consistent. Every week is like a playoff game, and there are five really good teams in this league capable of advancing to the NCAA's."
Salisbury is presently 6-1 on the season, and 5-1 in league action. The Gulls are tied with Frostburg State and Wesley at 5-1 atop the NJAC standings. Last year on Halloween, the Captains knocked off the previously-undefeated Sea Gulls in Salisbury by a 51-39 score. Sherman Wood's squad was able to recover and won its final two games to capture the NJAC title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Captains are currently tied with Rowan at 4-2 in the conference. The Profs also play a key conference game Saturday at Frostburg State.
The clash will be the 15th all-time meeting and the eighth at POMOCO Stadium with the Sea Gulls. SU holds a 9-5 edge in the series, and the Gulls are 6-1 all-time in Newport News.
Senior wide receiver
Taylor Loudan enters Saturday's game just five receptions shy of CNU's all-time record. Rudy Rudolph caught 163 passes for the Captains from 2011-14, and Loudan currently has 158.
Tickets for the Homecoming game will be on sale at the stadium Saturday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. Gates at POMOCO Stadium will open at 3:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 3:30 p.m. The action will also be streamed live at CNUsports.com/live.
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