Christopher Newport University

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University scored three touchdowns in the second quarter Saturday and added three more in the third quarter en route to a 42-0 victory over the College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The victory at TowneBank Stadium clinched the automatic NCAA Tournament bid from the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) for the 11th-ranked Captains, who improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 atop the league standings.

Paul Crowley's squad has now won 24 consecutive regular season games dating back to 2024, and the Captains delivered their second shutout performance of the season in the Senior Day triumph.

"I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team, and especially our senior class," Crowley said following the victory. "A lot of these seniors came in as I was just taking over the program, so they were there at the beginning...and they've come so far as young men and football players. Again, I just couldn't be more proud of this group."

Senior Noah Martin, who was honored before the game along with 25 other seniors, led the Captains on defense with nine tackles, including six solo stops. Sophomore James Howard posted eight tackles, and sophomore Makari Brown-Porter logged seven as Christopher Newport allowed just 144 total yards for the day.

Sophomore quarterback Brandon Peña threw for two scores, and ran for a touchdown as the Captains posted 412 total yards for the day. Peña opened the scoring early in the second quarter with a four-yard run, and later in the quarter connected with freshman wide receiver Braylon Addy on a 25-yard scoring pass to give the Captains a 14-0 edge. CNU took advantage of a TCNJ fumble, and scored in the final minute of the half when Peña connected with sophomore tight end Fred Cowell IV on a four-yard TD throw to make it 21-0 at the intermission.

A crowd of 3,019 saw the second half open with a bang when sophomore returner Lavell Winston raced 89 yards to the end zone with the second half kickoff to push the lead to 28-0. Senior Jordin Lennon registered his 16th career touchdown as a Captain on a 20-yard scamper just three minutes later. Addy later tacked on the final touchdown of the day for CNU, his second of the day and eighth of the year, when he cut loose on a 48-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter to provide the 42-0 final verdict.

TCNJ fell to 3-6 overall with the loss on a sunny and cool day at TowneBank Stadium, and the Lions are now 2-4 in NJAC play. CNU has now won ten of 11 all-time games with TCNJ, and the Captains have captured the last eight games played in the series.

Christopher Newport concludes the regular season next Saturday, November 14th, when the Captains travel to Maryland to take on Salisbury University. Kickoff time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium. The Gulls are now 7-2 overall and 4-2 in NJAC play following a 21-12 win on Saturday at Kean University. 

"We definitely want to stay hot and continue our momentum," Crowley continued. "Salisbury is a great program and a proud group...it's going to be another solid test for our football team."

By wrapping up the NJAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Captains are now assured of advancing to NCAA play for the 13th time in program history, and the third time in the last four seasons.