NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University improved to 3-0 Saturday, fighting off the rain and 13th-ranked Susquehanna University, 41-27, at TowneBank Stadium. A Family Weekend crowd of 3,726 watched the Captains match a program record with their eighth straight victory, and record a win over a ranked program for the first time since 2016.

Junior quarterback Connor Barry threw for three touchdowns and 374 yards, and senior wide receiver Colin Hart caught four passes for 144 yards and a score, all in the first half, as the Captains handed the River Hawks their second loss in as many weeks. The meeting was the first of the programs, and was played in steady rain through the second half.

"The field conditions were certainly not ideal, but I give our kids a lot of credit for the way they played today," Head Coach Paul Crowley said following the win. "We stressed all week the importance of turnovers in a rain game like this, and to force five turnovers against a team like Susquehanna is a really good job."

The day did not start well for the Captains, as freshman Aaron Angelo returned the opening kick of the afternoon 93 yards for a Susquehanna score. CNU bounced back to take the lead later in the opening quarter thanks to a 42-yard field goal from freshman Jonathan Gates and a 22-yard scoring pass from Barry to junior tight end Jason Viernes. The River Hawks bounced back with second quarter touchdowns on a 53-yard pass from Tommy Wright to Frankie Mroz and a one-yard plunge from Wright that gave SU a 21-10 edge.

The Captains cut the lead to four, 21-17, thanks to a 43-yard connection from Barry to Hart. With exactly one minute remaining in the opening half, Susquehanna pushed the lead to 27-17 when sophomore Rahshan La Mons reached the end zone on a two-yard run, but the Captains were far from through i the first half.

CNU would score two touchdowns in a span of 33 seconds in the final minute to jump to a 31-27 lead at the break. Barry tossed his third scoring pass of the half, a 76-yard pass and run, to junior tight end Ethan Barham with 42 ticks on the clock. After a Susquehanna fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Captains took over at the 41-yard-line and three plays later scored again, this time on a one-yard run from senior Gunner White to put the exciting half to a close. The score was White's 40th career touchdown in just 34 games as a Captain.

Rain would intensify as the game moved through the third quarter, and the Christopher Newport defense would match the intensity. CNU did not allow a point after halftime to the high-scoring River Hawks, who came into Saturday's match up averaging 37 points per game over their first three. The Captains padded the lead with a 31-yard field goal from Gates late in the third quarter, and added a fourth quarter touchdown when Barry scored on a one-yard plunge to provide the 41-27 final verdict.

The Captains tallied 495 total yards, while holding SU to just 333 for the day. CNU turned the ball over just once, while the Hawks were plagued by five miscues in all (three interceptions and two lost fumbles). CNU's defense was led by junior rover Noah Martin, who registered ten tackles and also logged his first pick of the year and eighth career interception. Sophomore linebacker Nico Orlando and senior Eli Sherfield also intercepted Susquehanna passes, and junior defensive end Connor Estrella recorded two sacks and junior end Charlie Clawson, Jr., also contributed a sack.

The triumph over Susquehanna marks the first CNU victory over a ranked team since 2016 when the Captains won over 17th-ranked Wesley College at TowneBank Stadium, by a very similar score of 42-28. Christopher Newport concluded the 2016 campaign, the final for Head Coach Matt Kelchner, with a 7-3 record.

Saturday's victory matched the all-time CNU winning streak of eight straight games set in 2008, when the Captains opened with a loss and then won eight consecutive games before falling in the season finale. Christopher Newport will be looking for a new program record when the Captains open play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference next Saturday in Glassboro, N.J., against Rowan University. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. It will be the first of seven straight NJAC games, and Rowan was 2-0-1 in its non-conference schedule following a victory on Saturday at Lycoming, 34-23.

"It will be quite a turnaround for us next week playing on a fast turf field compared to what we saw today," Crowley said. "It's also a short week with the travel involved, so we've got to get back to work and focus on NJAC play the rest of the way."