NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The 2018 football season opened for Christopher Newport Saturday night, and the Captains registered a 38-9 triumph over Southern Virginia University. The victory at POMOCO Stadium was the fourth straight season-opening win for the Captains, and came in front of 2,958 fans on a warm and muggy night.

"This is a good start, we did a lot of good things," Head Coach Art Link said following the win to start his second season leading the Captains. "I liked our intensity and energy, and when we needed to we were able to pound the ball on the ground."

Junior quarterback Jack Anderson threw for three first-half scores, and CNU's defense allowed just 159 total yards to the Knights. The Captains led at the half, 21-0, and held a 31-3 advantage after three quarters. "Jack did some really good things," Link continued. "He's got a live arm and made some good decisions. I think the offense moved pretty well and we showed we've got a lot of weapons."

Link's highest praise came for his defensive unit. "We had a change in the offseason, with McNeil Parker taking over as our defensive coordinator, and tonight I felt like we really performed at a high level. We've got a lot of guys back and they really shut them down most of the night."

CNU opened the scoring just five minutes into the game when Anderson connected on a two-yard scoring pass to junior Nick Hunter. Early in the second quarter, Anderson found sophomore Garrison Mayo on a six-yard scoring strike. In the final minute of the first half, CNU went ahead, 21-0, when Anderson hit freshman tight end Michael Vandertulip on a one-yard scoring pass.

In the second half, Christopher Newport sophomore kicker Ben Garbarini booted a 25-yard field goal, and senior receiver Kyree Burton caught a 37-yard scoring strike from Hunter to make it 31-0. After the Knights spoiled the shutout by converting a field goal and scoring on a pass play, the Captains concluded the scoring with a two-yard run by freshman C.J. Donaldson for the 38-9 final verdict.

Anderson finished the night 23 of 38 passing for 278 yards. He threw for three scores and was intercepted once, which was CNU's only turnover of the evening. Sophomore Hunter Rogers led the CNU's ground game, rushing for 90 yards on 24 attempts. Senior Joshua Davis led the squad in receiving with seven grabs for 96 yards. Burton compiled 108 yards in receiving on five catches. The Captains totaled 467 yards and were five-for-five on red zone opportunities.

On defense, senior Julien Spence and junior Damian Jiggetts each posted five tackles. The Captains sacked SVU quarterback Tate Briggs three times, with Spence, junior Ben James and sophomore Kaden Woodward each recording one. 

The Captains are now 4-0 all-time vs. Southern Virginia. 2018 is the 18th season of CNU football, and the Captains are now 7-11 all-time in openers. Christopher Newport will travel to play at Hampden-Sydney next Saturday, with kickoff time set for 1:00 p.m.

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