EWING, N.J. - Christopher Newport University will head to the NCAA Division III Championship with a 10-0 record following a 27-7 victory by the Captains over the College of New Jersey Friday night at Lions Stadium.
Paul Crowley's squad officially captured the outright New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship with the victory, CNU's second since joining the league in 2015, and had already secured the conference's automatic bid to the 40-team NCAA tourney.
"This senior group just came to work every day and showed incredible toughness," Crowley said following the triumph. "They've created an incredible culture, and the message to the guys has been to enjoy this because it doesn't happen very often. I think they were a little disappointed with the way we played tonight, but I told them to look at the big picture...they've done some things that have never been done before in our 25-year history, and I told them to enjoy every minute of it."
A crowd of 1,434 watched a scoreless opening quarter on a clear and chilly night before Christopher Newport built a 14-0 halftime advantage with two second quarter scores. Senior
Zavier Kennedy reached the end zone with 7:20 remaining in the first half on a two-yard run to open the scoring, and junior quarterback
Connor Barry flipped a pass to sophomore
Josh Powell, who ran 11 yards for a touchdown just three minutes later to push the lead to 14-0. Senior
Yasir Geter blocked a 35-yard TCNJ field goal attempt as time ran out in the opening half, and the Captains carried the 14-0 edge to the locker room at the break.
Christopher Newport stretched the lead to 21-0 on the opening drive of the third quarter, traveling 75 yards on five plays, with 53 coming on a pass from Barry to senior wide receiver
Colin Hart, who caught seven passes for 101 yards on the night and set a new school mark for career receptions. Barry ended the drive with a two-yard run to put the Captains ahead, 21-0. After a TCNJ score in the fourth quarter to spoil the shutout, the Captains slammed the door with 1:54 to play when Barry tossed a three-yard scoring pass to senior
Gunner White for the final score of the game. The touchdown for White was the 50th in his 41 games as a Captain, the most-ever by a CNU player. White finished the game with 83 yards rushing on 19 carries, and is one of just three active running backs in Division III responsible for 50 career touchdowns (joining Montie Quinn of Curry and Eddie Williams of Alma).
Barry completed 18 of 26 passes in the win for 201 yards and two scores, as well as his rushing touchdown. He completed the regular season with 34 touchdown passes and just three interceptions, while completing 167 passes in 240 attempts (69.6 percent). He also ran for nine scores in ten games this season.
Geter and junior
Maddax Lee led the CNU defensive effort, each contributing nine tackles as the Captains won their ninth game against the Lions in ten all-time meetings.
"There are a ton of people behind the scenes who have contributed to this great season," Crowley continued. "We've had such great support from the alumni and family and friends, it's really been an amazing ride. We're going to get some rest, get healthy, and start preparing for NCAA play. I know we're hungry to keep playing, and hopefully playing at home for a while to come."
In addition to the ten straight wins, the Captains have now won 15 straight games dating back to last season when they won their final five contests. CNU was 7-0 in NJAC play, and the tenth victory sets a new school mark for victories in a season (the previous high of nine came in a 9-3 campaign in 2006).
The 40-team bracket for the NCAA Division III Championship will be released on Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. on NCAA.com. Christopher Newport will be making its 12th NCAA appearance, and the Captains are 3-11 all-time in NCAA tourney games.CNU has not played at home in NCAA action since the 2006 season when the Captains fell to Washington & Jefferson, 27-23.
