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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Christopher Newport University football team concludes the 2026 regular season Saturday afternoon, traveling to Salisbury, Md., to take on the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium. The Captains are 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Salisbury has a mark of 7-2 and 4-2 in league action.

Paul Crowley's squad has already captured at least a share of the NJAC Championship, and the Captains have secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. CNU is ranked tenth in the nation in the weekly poll fom D3football.com, and eighth in the rankings from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Captains have won 24 regular-season games in a row dating back to 2024.

Salisbury, meanwhile, has won its last two games over Kean University and William Paterson University but suffered defeats earlier in the season to both Rowan University and Montclair State University to fall out of the race for the NJAC crown. Crowley, however, isn't taking the Gulls lightly.

"They've been the standard in the NJAC for a long time, and really the standard of Mid Atlantic Division III football," Crowley said last Saturday after his team shut out the College of New Jersey, 42-0. "We know what their program is all about, and just how successful they've always been. They're a proud group and we're going to face a really tough test."

Christopher Newport and Salisbury will be meeting for the 25th time, and the Sea Gulls hold a 17-7 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the very first football game ever for the Captains in 2001. CNU has won two of the last three meetings, most recently a 45-42 triumph last year at TowneBank Stadium.

The Captains are coming off their second shutout of the season last week, and the defense has been spectacular week in and week out. Christopher Newport remains near the top of many national defensive categories, and leads the nation in kickoff return yardage, allowing just 11.7 yards per return. Christopher Newport is presently 7th in the nation in total defense, allowing just 215.8 yards per game. The Captains are 3rd in scoring defense, yielding just 8.4 points per game and 11th in rushing defense, giving up just 63.8 yards per game on the ground. CNU is also 5th in the country in third down conversion defense, allowing opponents to convert just 24 percent of the time. In red zone defense, the Captains are tied for 14th in the nation, allowing opponents to score just 60 percent of the time. CNU is also tied for 20th in first downs allowed, having given up 124 so far through nine games.

All Christopher Newport games are broadcast live on the Home of the Captains, Xtra 99.1 FM and CNUsports.com. The pre-game show Saturday will begin at 12:30 p.m. A link is provided at the top of this story to listen to the live CNU Radio Broadcast. Links are also provided to watch the game online, view the live stats, as well as to access the complete game notes package and ticket information.

Following Saturday's game, the Captains will begin preparations for the NCAA Division III Tournament. The trip to the tourney will be CNU's 13th, and third in the last four years. The bracket for the NCAA Tournament will be released on Sunday at 5:00 p.m., and you can watch the selection show on NCAA.com.