MONTCLAIR, N.J. - Christopher Newport University broke open a close game in the second half Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 33-10 victory at Montclair State University. The Captains are now 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The victory was the fourth straight for the Captains, who were playing their final road game of the season.
Sophomore quarterback Connor Barry threw for 249 yards and ran for 58, totaling 307 yards for the Captains on a sunny and cool day at Sprague Field. Barry completed 13 of 21 passes, and threw for a score and also reached the end zone on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter. His scoring pass went to junior Trey Hayes on a 59-yard strike late in the third quarter.
The 23-point final verdict was not indicative of the way the day went. The Captains held a slim 9-3 edge at the intermission before out-scoring the Red Hawks, 24-7, in the second half in front of 756 fans on Senior Day at MSU.
"Montclair State is a really strong defensive team, and they certainly showed that in the first half as they were getting after us up front," Head Coach Paul Crowley said following the triumph. "We were able to create some turnovers and get some big plays from our passing game in the second half and then really leaned on our offensive line and running game at the end to finish it off."
Both of Christopher Newport's running backs, junior Gunner White and sophomore Jordin Lennon, registered touchdown runs. White, who finished with 54 yards on 14 carries, crossed the goal line in the second quarter on a one-yard run. The score was White's 31st touchdown in 30 games as a Captain. Lennon, the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week last week, reached paydirt on a 15-yard scamper for CNU's final score of the day with just 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Lennon again led Christopher Newport in the rushing column with 79 yards on 13 carries.
The Captains top two receivers, juniors Colin Hart and Trey Hayes, both went over the 100-yard mark in receiving. Hayes posted 132 yards on five catches, while Hart caught six balls for 102 yards.
Christopher Newport's defense was led by senior linebacker Andrew Worsham, who recorded 13 tackles including six solo stops and a sack. The Captains logged two sacks, ony by Worsham and the other by fifth-year senior defensive back Logan Baker. Sophomore Noah Martin also picked off a pass for CNU.
Sophomore kicker Maxx Lawton started the scoring in both halves by connecting on two field goal attempts, a 35-yard effort in the first quarter and a 34-yard boot in the third quarter.
The victory gives the Captains a 5-4 edge in the all-time series with the Red Hawks, who are now 3-6 overall and finish NJAC play with a 1-5 conference mark. CNU concludes the 2024 season on Friday night, hosting the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) at TowneBank Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 6:00 p.m. The Lions are also 6-3 overall, and are 3-2 in NJAC play after winning Saturday at William Paterson, 21-14.
"It will be a short week and an emotional game on Friday as we honor our seniors," Crowley concluded. "We're going to have a productive week getting ready, and we're going to have to keep our emotions in check to beat TCNJ. They've got a great passing game, one of the best in the country, and we're going to have to be ready to defend that."
Captains Run Winning Streak to Four With 33-10 Victory at Montclair State
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241109_63hv.xml
2024
Christopher Newport
33
Montclair State
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Newport (6-3) | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 33 |
| Montclair State (3-6) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Nov 09, 2024