NEWPORT NEWS — The longest-running rivalry in Christopher Newport University football history will be renewed on Saturday night, as the Captains travel to Maryland to take on ninth-ranked Salisbury University. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium.
CNU is 2-1 and coming off a 54-37 victory at Gettysburg College on September 21st. Salisbury is 3-0 and surged to a 41-13 triumph at Johns Hopkins University in its last game. Both squads were off last weekend, and return to the field to open play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
The game will mark the 23rd time the schools have met on the gridiron. Salisbury holds a 16-6 edge in the all-time series, but the Captains are coming off a 34-14 victory over the Sea Gulls last season at TowneBank Stadium. Paul Crowley‘s team went on to capture its first-ever NJAC crown last year, snapping a four-year run of titles won by Salisbury. The series with the Gulls dates back to Christopher Newport’s first game ever in 2001, a 21-6 SU victory.
“Salisbury has been one of the most consistent programs in the country over a very long period of time,” Crowley said. “They are going to pose an extremely difficult challenge for us.”
The Captains established a new offensive scoring streak in their last game on September 21st, and cruised to the 54-37 triumph at Gettysburg. For the first time in program history, a CNU squad scored touchdowns on each of its first six possessions, building a 40-7 halftime lead en route to the 17-point victory. The eight touchdowns scored vs. the Bullets also matched a program record.
While the offense stacked up big numbers its last time out, the CNU defense has been outstanding all season. The Captains have registered 13 sacks in their first three games, and at Trine in Week 1, CNU yielded just 298 yards and six points, and also posted four sacks and returned an interception for a score. Against Johns Hopkins in a home loss in Week 2, the Captains gave up just 14 points and only 180 total yards while posting six sacks. At Gettysburg in Week 3, CNU’s defensive starters gave up just seven first half points while logging three more sacks.
The Sea Gulls, meanwhile, have been posting huge offensive numbers in their three victories to open the season. Sherman Wood’s squad is averaging 49.3 points per game following the 41-13 victory at Johns Hopkins, then eighth-ranked, on September 21st. The Gulls have also won games over Washington and Lee, 48-26, and at Muhlenberg, then 18th-ranked, 59-38.
All Captains 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 5:30 p.m. Links are provided at the top of this story to the live Salisbury video of the game, as well as the live CNU radio broadcast. Live Stats and the full CNU game notes package are also available by clicking above.
