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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Only one team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference controls its own destiny heading into the regular season's final day on Friday. Christopher Newport University, with a record of 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the NJAC, can win the outright league title with a victory at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Friday's game in Ewing, N.J., is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Lions Stadium.

Paul Crowley's Captains are coming off a home loss last Saturday to Montclair State, 19-14, their first NJAC loss of the season. The defeat came on Senior Day and a victory would have wrapped up the league crown at Kelchner Field at TowneBank Stadium. Instead, the Captains will look to bounce back on the road with a chance to earn the school's first-ever NJAC title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.

"We've got to go out and win a football game, it's that simple," Crowley said as his team prepared for the regular season finale. "Every other team in the league needs help, but we know if we win, we're in. I think we're focused and ready to play, and we've put last week behind us. TCNJ will be a very tough opponent, and I think we'll again be facing a tough, physical test as we do most weeks in this conference."

The Lions are the hottest team in the NJAC, riding a four-game winning streak entering play on Friday. TCNJ has turned its season around after a 1-4 start and is now 5-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Captains and Lions will be playing for the eighth time, and CNU owns a 6-1 lead in the all-time series. Christopher Newport has won all three previous games played in the series at Lions Stadium.

Although Crowley and the Captains don't want to entertain the idea, they could still advance to the NCAA Tournament in the event of a loss to the Lions. CNU is already guaranteed at least a part of the league title by being the only team with one conference loss entering the season's final game. Friday's results, however, could produce a tie at the top of the standings of three, four, or even five teams, which would result in tiebreaker scenarios determining the school to advance to the 32-team NCAA Tournament. All seven conference schools will be playing in rare Friday night games, and by the end of the night, the standings will be final and an NCAA-bound squad determined. The full 32-team bracket will be released by the NCAA Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

"Again, all we're focused on is beating TCNJ," Crowley continued. "Last week we honored our great class of seniors, and they've given us tremendous leadership. They know better than anyone what's at stake when we take the field Friday, and I think their determination and toughness wil be a big factor."

All Christopher Newport games are broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The CNU radio broadcast can be heard by clicking the Live Radio link above. The game's video will be streamed live by the College of New Jersey and can be seen by clicking the link at the top of this story. Live stats can also be accessed by clicking the link above, and you can also access the complete CNU game notes package by clicking the appropriate link at the top of this story.