NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference following a 13-3 triumph Saturday afternoon over Kean University. The victory at POMOCO Stadium came during Homecoming Weekend festivities at CNU. The Captains and Cougars staged a defensive struggle, with the Captains prevailing thanks to ten unanswered points in the second half.

"This was one of those days where you just want to come out ahead," Head Coach Art Link said. "We had quite a bit of rain on Friday and it was tough on snaps to just hold onto the ball. I thought we did a great job on the defensive side and did enough to win on offense."

Christopher Newport's defense, ranked seventh in the nation in overall defense and 13th against the run, held the Cougars to just 111 yards and 45 on the ground while allowing just a second quarter field goal.

"Hats off to coach McNeil Parker (defensive coordinator) and his whole staff for what they've been able to do all year," Link continued. "They're big on third downs, and held Kean today to just two of 13 conversions on third downs. They're playing their tails off and it's not just one or two guys...it's the whole defensive unit."

Senior kicker Dylan Curran accounted for the first score of the day, converting on a 47-yard field goal with 8:55 to play in the opening quarter. It matched the second-longest field goal in CNU football history behind only Mason Studer's 50-yarder at Maryville in 2014. Kean evened the contest with a 33-yard field goal with 4:29 to play in the second quarter.

CNU began the day without junior quarterback Jack Anderson, who suffered a knee injury last week in a 39-10 victory at William Paterson. Anderson had started the first six games of the year for the Captains, and sophomore Brock Carnes made his first career start in Anderson's place

"The diagnosis on Jack was he was having trouble pushing off on his passes and his knee was a bit tender," Link said. "We needed a spark in the second half and he looked at me and said he was ready to go."

With the game tied at 3-3 at the intermission, Anderson entered the game and played the entire second half. He threw for 100 yards and connected on 10 of 16 passes...leading the offense on a 13-play, 88-yard drive that resulted in the only touchdown of the game. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Anderson connected with sophomore Cole Blais on an 11-yard scoring pass to account for the 13-3 final verdict. "Once we got that touchdown, the game really switched gears in our favor," Link said. 

The defensive battle featured 13 sacks, seven by the Cougars and six by the Captains. Junior linebacker Conner Ryan posted 2.5 sacks and also tallied four tackles, forced a fumble, and broke up two passes. Junior defensive lineman Ben James made five stops, 1.5 sacks, and broke up three pass attempts. Senior linebacker Marckel Bonds led the team in tackles for the day with seven. CNU's defense also picked off two passes, one each by senior Torin Prentice and sophomore D.J. Wright.

"We looked at this game against Kean and next week's at TCNJ as games we really gave away last year," Link continued. "Our focus is really strong right now and I like the direction of our team."

The defeat dropped Kean to 1-7 overall and 1-6 in the NJAC. The Cougars now lead the all-time series with the Captains, 3-2.

CNU's five wins this season match its total for all of last season when the Captains finished 5-5. The Captains' losses have both come in overtime and at home, falling to Montclair State and Salisbury.

Christopher Newport travels to Ewing, New Jersey, next Saturday to take on the College of New Jersey. Kickoff at Lions Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.

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