NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University concluded the 2024 football season Friday night with a resounding 70-31 victory over the College of New Jersey. The season-ending win at TowneBank Stadium shattered the highest point total mark in program history as the Captains won their fifth straight game to finish the year at 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
Running backs Jordin Lennon and Gunner White each scored four touchdowns as the Captains scored 35 points in each half and registered 458 rushing yards vs. the Lions. Lennon, a sophomore from Yorktown, Va., carried the ball 15 times for 234 yards, averaging 15.6 yards per carry. White, a junior from Virginia Beach, rushed 27 times for 183 yards as the Captains notched their seventh win in front of 2,708 fans on Senior Night.
The 70-point outburst surpassed CNU's previous scoring record of 58 points at Ferrum College on November 16, 2013, in a 58-12 victory in Ferrum, Va. The Captains scored ten touchdowns, five in each half, and the 458 rushing yards is the second-highest rushing total in program history behind a 509-yard effort at Averett on October 10, 2009.
In addition to the offensive outburst, the Captains also had a memorable defensive effort. Junior defensive back Eli Sherfield intercepted three passes, giving him five for the season, and freshman defensive back Eddie Henderson made his first, returning a TCNU quarterback Trevor Bopp pass 28 yards for a score in the second quarter. In all, the Captains picked off five of Bopp's passes, with sophomore Noah Martin also intercepting his fourth pass of the season. Martin led the Captains defensive effort with 14 tackles, followed by senior Andrew Worsham, who logged 11 stops.
"Obviously running the football was going to be an important aspect of this game, and we had two remarkable performances," Head Coach Paul Crowley said. "We have three outstanding fifth-year seniors on our offensive line, Kadin McCants, Tyler Palmer, and Amaan Miller, and that kind of result doesn't happen without their efforts. I'm very proud of our whole senior group with three seven-win seasons in a row. These guys worked so hard and bought into what we as a coaching staff were striving for...I just can't say enough about the work they did and all they had to overcome."
Lennon's scoring runs came on efforts of 50, 6, 7, and 64 yards, and he concludes his first year as a Captain as the team's top rusher, finishing with 701 yards and eight scores. Lennon's 234-yard performance is the fifth-best rushing performance ever by a CNU player.
White, meanwhile, reached the end zone on runs of 11, 1, 5, and 4 yards, and wound up with 682 yards and 15 touchdowns for the year. White has now scored 35 times in 31 games at CNU, and is just three scores shy of Tunde Ogun's school record of 38 career touchdowns heading into his senior season. White went over the 2,000 yard mark for his career in the first half Friday night on a soggy field at TowneBank Stadium, and is now fifth on the all-time CNU rushing list with 2170 yards.
CNU quarterback Connor Barry connected with freshman tight end Noah Smith on a scoring pass in the second quarter from four yards out for Smith's first career score. Barry completed ten of 15 passes for 132 yards. Junior Colin Hart led the receiving corps with four catches for 68 yards.
TCNJ finished the year with a 6-4 record overall and a 3-3 mark in the NJAC. Bopp completed 35 of 56 passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
The 39-point victory on a cool and breezy night concluded the 24th season of Christopher Newport football. The Captains are now 149-92 all-time in 241 all-time games heading into the 25th season of CNU football in 2025.
Christopher Newport Sets New Scoring Record with 70-31 Victory over TCNJ
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241115_d7qq.xml
2024
TCNJ
31
Christopher Newport
70
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCNJ (6-4) | 3 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
| Christopher Newport (7-3) | 14 | 21 | 7 | 28 | 70 |
Nov 15, 2024