NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - In a battle of two of the top defenses in Division III, tenth-ranked Christopher Newport University escaped with a 13-12 victory over 23rd-ranked Rowan University Saturday at TowneBank Stadium.
Paul Crowley's squad improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 atop the NJAC, while the Profs fell to 6-2 and 4-1 in league play.
The Captains never trailed in the game, but needed a key defensive play with just three seconds left to hold on. With the Captains leading 13-6, Rowan mounted a five-play, 70-yard drive in the final minute...scoring with just three seconds left to pull within one, 13-12. The Profs elected to go for two to try to win the game in regulation, but freshman defensive back
Jayden Miller deflected a pass attempt for the conversion in the end zone to secure the victory.
"Jayden's been doing that for us all year," Crowley said following the Halloween thriller. "He had been banged up earlier in the game, but came back and made the play when we needed it most. It was a phenomenal job by our entire defense today. We stopped the run, created a turnover, and just played at a high level all day."
Miller, senior
Tahir Johnson, and freshman
Dray Waller led the defense with seven tackles each. Senior
Noah Martin logged seven stops, and senior
Charlie Clawson, Jr., picked off a pass following a deflection, CNU held Rowan to just 81 yards on the ground on 24 attempts, and also stopped the Profs on ten of 14 third down plays in the game.
The victory marked CNU's 23rd consecutive regular season win dating back to 2024, the longest streak in the nation. The win also snapped an eight-game Rowan road winning streak also dating back to 2024.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Christopher Newport opened the scoring at the 8:50 mark of the second quarter when senior running back
Jordin Lennon surged into the end zone on a one-yard plunge. The extra point was missed to keep the score at 6-0. The Profs pulled even with just 1:49 remaining in the half when Nigel Jennings scored on a ten-yard run to even the game at 6-6. The Profs were also unsuccessful on their extra point attempt, and the squads went to the locker rooms even at the intermission on a sunny and cool day.
The defensive battle continued with a scoreless third quarter before the Captains re-gained the lead with 11:40 to play in the fourth. A 10-play, 34-yard drive culminated with a ten-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Brandon Pena to senior tight end
Ethan Barham. Freshman
Brandon Prater tacked on the extra point to give CNU a 13-6 edge.
The Profs would not go away quietly, and mounted a last-minute rally that carried them down the field 70 yards in five plays, all in just 53 seconds. Quarterback Nate Maiers found wide receiver Michael Zarfati with a two-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 13-12. RU Head Coach Pat Ruley elected to go for two, leading to the dramatic defensive denial by Miller.
"Rowan is a really good football team, very tough and gritty," Crowley continued. "Kudos to them for going for it, that was certainly the right call, we just made a play when we needed to to."
Christopher Newport sophomore quarterback Brandon Pena completed 14 of 21 passes for 159 yards, and also ran for 32 yards on five carries in the win in front of 2,202 fans.
"I thought this was his best game of the year," Crowley said of Pena's performance following the win. "It may not show it on the stat sheet, but he made some plays outside of structure, made some big third down plays and a fourth down conversion, and also made some plays with his feet that you really need a quarterback to make in a game like this."
Barham led the Captains in receiving with 90 yards on five catches. Freshman
Braylon Addy also caught five balls for 57 yards, and senior
Alex Jreige topped the rushing column for CNU with 60 yards on 15 carries.
The victory was the sixth straight for the Captains over the Profs, and CNU now leads the all-time series with Rowan, 9-8.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Christopher Newport takes sole possession of first place in the NJAC standings at 5-0, while Rowan and Montclair State are now tied for second at 4-1. The Captains can wrap up the regular season NJAC title with a win next week. They conclude the home regular-season schedule next Saturday, November 7th, when they host the Lions of the College of New Jersey. It will be Senior Day at TowneBank Stadium, with pre-game ceremonies prior to the 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
