Live video

Live stats

Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey and 24^th-ranked Christopher Newport University will meet up for just the second time in program history on Saturday afternoon in Lions Stadium.

The two teams clashed in Newport News, Va. in their inaugural bout last fall with the Captains securing a 31-21 victory in the season opener. Tomorrow (Saturday) will mark the first visit to TCNJ's campus for Christopher Newport and Head Coach Matt Kelchner.

Kelchner is the only head coach to ever lead the Captains onto the gridiron since the program's inception in 2001 and the 2016 season will mark the last in his tenure on the sidelines. Kelchner announced that this season will be his last and has accepted a position as associate athletic director at CNU. The Captains seem inspired to make this last season a memorable one as they have sprinted out to a 3-0 start.

At TCNJ, interim Head Coach Rocky Hager is amidst his first year commandeering the Lions' squad. His goal this weekend is to hand CNU its first loss, while TCNJ (and Hager) notches its first win of 2016. The Lions will take on their second ranked opponent in three games. They fell at #3 Wisconsin-Whitewater and will now face the Captains, who stunned #17 Wesley College last Saturday, 42-28.

Offense has been the main catalyst in the strong start for Christopher Newport. They lead the New Jersey Athletic Conference in offense, averaging 37.7 points per game. At the eye of that offensive storm is junior quarterback K.J. Kearney. He has thrown for 926 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions in three games. Kearney has also rushed for three scores and was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after completing 30-of-44 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns against the 17^th-ranked Wolverines.

A quality defense can contain an explosive offense and that is what the Lions' defensive unit will have to achieve to capture their first victory of the season. Senior Dan Naples, junior Troy Domenick, and sophomore Max Busca will lead the charge to bottle up the rush and passing game underneath for Kearny and company. The secondary will need to blanket receivers and make smart decisions. Senior Drew Dickison and junior Jordan Rogers are key factors in neutralizing the Captains passing attack. The Lions' defense put forth a strong effort last Friday night, holding Kean University to just 16 points on its home turf and will need to do an even better job this Saturday.

The offense in the hands of quarterbacks Michael Marchesano, Trevor Osler, Jeff Mattonelli, and Khani Glover to execute and make some big plays. Chase Vena has also become a target at the tight end position along with Thomas Keonig. TCNJ played two teams with strong defenses, but must find a way to win the possession game (to rest its defense) and put up points.

Next week, TCNJ will travel to face off against Salisbury University on Saturday, October 1^st at 1:00 PM. CNU will be at  Rowan University next Saturday, October 1^st at 6:00 PM