UNION, N.J. – Christopher Newport dropped a 27-7 decision Saturday afternoon to Kean University. The Captains, now 5-3 overall, and 4-3 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference managed just a second-quarter score and were held to just 39 rushing yards on 34 attempts.
"Early on, we had the ball deep in their territory and threw the interception in the endzone and it went downhill after that," Head Coach
Art Link said. "We have two games left and we will see what we are made of. We want to send our seniors out on a good note and next Saturday will be a big game for us." The Captains return to POMOCO Stadium on Saturday as they will play host to the College of New Jersey in a 1 p.m. Homecoming kickoff.
After taking the opening kickoff, CNU put the Cougars on their heels as senior
Harrison Dandridge took a lateral from
Jack Anderson on the game's first offensive snap and connected with
Legend Hayes on a 57-yard completion to the Kean 18-yard line. The Captains kept pressing as Anderson connected with
Cole Blais on a completion to the 7-yard line. Taking the first and goal snap, Anderson lofted a pass to
Khiry Weaver in the corner of the endzone. Kean's David Jimerson went up with Weaver and came down with the interception, putting a stop to the CNU threat.
The Cougars, now 4-4 overall and 4-3 in NJAC play, would go on to score three times in the opening quarter to grab a 17-0 advantage. Kean reached the endzone on a 4-yard run by David Patterson and a 4-yard pass from Charles App to Kyle Rooney before concluding their first-quarter scoring on a 28-yard field goal from Marsin Zadlo.
The Captains put together their best drive of the day in the second quarter when they traveled 83 yards on eight plays for their lone score of the afternoon. The drive culminated with a 22-yard pass from back-up quarterback turned wide receiver,
Nick Hunter to a triple-covered Hayes in the back of the endzone. On the play, Hunter took an end-around pitch from senior quarterback
K.J. Kearney and while rolling to his right, connected with Hayes for the score. Hayes led the Captains on the day with seven catches 121 yards.
The teams went to the locker rooms at halftime with the score 17-7.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Cougars put the game on ice thanks to a solid defensive effort that led to a 35-yard field goal, Zadlo's second of the day, and a 16-yard fumble recovery by Marquis Oliver after he dropped Anderson for a 10-yard sack.
Anderson, who made his first start as the Captains quarterback, endured seven sacks by the Cougars defense and completed 11 passes in 27 attempts for 90 yards.
Kean quarterback Charles App was 21 of 28 for 214 yards and a score. The Cougars amassed 309 total yards of offense, to the Captains 272.
The victory, in front of 359 fans on a sunny and breezy day at Kean Alumni Stadium, was the third for Kean in four meetings with CNU and avenged the Captains 26-7 season-opening victory a year ago at POMOCO Stadium. The Captains have fallen in all three meetings in Union, New Jersey.
Christopher Newport returns home next Saturday for the final home game of the season against TCNJ and will celebrate Homecoming festivities and the pre-game senior day ceremonies with the 1 p.m. kickoff.
