EWING, NJ - Christopher Newport University scored two early touchdowns Saturday, and then had to rally late to emerge with a 21-14 triumph over the College of New Jersey. The Captains, now 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, recorded their second straight victory on a cool and mostly overcast afternoon at Lions Stadium. 

"I thought we showed a lot of grit today, and really stepped up when we needed to," Head Coach Art Link said. "Our defense has shown great improvement the last couple weeks and our offense today did what we needed them to do. We knew TCNJ would be tough to run the ball against, so a lot fell on Matt Dzierski, and he again showed what he's made of."

Dzierski, Christopher Newport's sophomore quarterback, threw for two first quarter scores, and then dove into the end zone for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 4:18 to play in the fourth quarter. He finished the day 15 of 25 passing for 176 yards, and also topped the team in rushing with 59 yards on 15 carries.

CNU opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when Dzierski connected with senior tight end Brandon Johnson on a 27-yard scoring pass. The touchdown was the first of Johnson's career, and concluded a six-play, 53-yard drive. The Captains then constructed a seven-play, 50-yard scoring drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass from Dzierski to fifth-year senior Garrison Mayo and the Captains had a 14-0 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. The touchdown was the 13th career score for Mayo.

TCNJ, now 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the NJAC, got on the board with just 1:15 remaining in the first half when sophomore quarterback Trevor Bopp scored on a two-yard scamper to make it 14-7 at the intermission. Following a scoreless third quarter, the Lions pulled even when Bopp scored again, this time on a five-yard run to tie the game at 14-14.

The Captains then strung together the longest drive of the day by either team, traveling 61 yards on nine plays for the deciding score. Dzierski's five-yard run included a dive across the goal line as the Captains broke the tie to take a 21-14 edge with 4:31 to play. CNU's defense then sealed the victory in the final minutes. A crowd of 758 watched the Captains capture their third straight win over the Lions, and fifth victory in six all-time matchups of the programs.

Sophomore wide receiver Michael Bailey, who recently returned to the lineup following a leg injury, caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 40-yard reception. Sophomore defensive back Kindrick Braxton led the defense with 13 tackles, including six solo stops. Fifth-year senior linebacker Sean Wilkinson posted 12 tackles.

Christopher Newport plays its final home game of the season next Saturday, October 30, hosting Salisbury University at Kelchner Field at TowneBank Stadium. It will be Senior Day, and part of CNU's Homecoming Weekend celebration. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Salisbury tops the NJAC with a 3-0 conference mark, and the Gulls are 5-1 overall following a 38-6 win over Kean University on Saturday.