NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The 2023 season opened with a bang Saturday as Christopher Newport University blanked Southern Virginia University, 45-0. The dominant performance by the Captains at Kelchner Field at TowneBank Stadium came in the opener for both schools.
CNU's defense held the Knights to just 54 yards in the shutout performance, including just 28 rushing yards on 24 attempts. The Captains also gave up just three first downs, and the final score of the game came on a defensive touchdown by virtue of an interception return.
"Overall we're very pleased with the performance," Head Coach Paul Crowley said. "Except for a few penalties here and there that we have to clean up, we accomplished what we wanted to today. Now we have to build on it and continue to get better."
The Captains set the tone on the very first possession of the game. After receiving the opening kick and starting on the 25 after a touchback, the offense traveled 75 yards on 14 plays for the first score of the new season. Senior quarterback Matt Dzierski, the Offensive Player of the Year in the New Jersey Athletic Conference the last two seasons, scored on a three-yard run to culminate the drive and the Captains were on their way. The 14-play trip down the field took nine minutes and 11 seconds off the first quarter clock.
Dzierski would score again early in the second quarter on a one-yard plunge, and later reached the end zone in the third quarter on a three-yard effort. His three touchdowns give him 24 career rushing scores in a 21-game span over the last three seasons. The Lorton, Va., product rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries and also completed 13 of 15 passes for 129 yards.
Sophomore running back Gunner White crossed the goal line twice, both times in the second quarter, on runs of six and seven yards. The Virginia Beach native posted 69 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Colin Hart caught six passes from Dzierski for 87 yards..
The Captains final score of the day came late in the third quarter when freshman defensive back Taizuan Brown scampered 32 yards after catching a deflected pass to reach the end zone and complete the 45-0 verdict. Brown was one of three Captains to record a team-high four tackles, along with sophomore defensive back Yasir Geter and freshman linebacker Gavin Hall.
"We've challenged our guys to play a tough, but clean, brand of football, and I think we did that today," Crowley continued. "We have a lot of young guys on our defensive line, and I think they did a good job overall, and our offensive line was fantastic at the point of attack."
Christopher Newport has now won five straight home games dating back to last season, when CNU dropped its first two games at TowneBank Stadium before winning the final four. The Captains are now 71-38 all-time playing at home for a winning percentage of .651.
The Saturday opener, played in front of 3,374 fans, was the fifth meeting all-time of the programs, and the Captains have captured all five games in the series.
Christopher Newport, opening its 23rd season of football, recorded its 12th all-time shutout, and the first in 11 games with Crowley at the helm. CNU's last shutout came on October 16, 2021, when the Captains blanked Montclair State, 28-0, at TowneBank Stadium.The victory also marked the third straight season the Captains have won their opener, and CNU is now 10-13 all-time in season openers.
The Captains figure to have a much tougher task next Saturday when they travel to Baltimore to take on Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are also 1-0 after a 27-17 victory over Ithaca College Saturday in their season opener. Johns Hopkins was ranked 18th in the preseason poll from D3football.com. Next Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff, and will be the first-ever of the two programs.
Captains Open 23rd Season of Action with 45-0 Win over Southern Virginia
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230902_8gq2.xml
2023
Southern Virginia
0
Christopher Newport
45
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Virginia (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christopher Newport (1-0) | 7 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 45 |
Sep 02, 2023