EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ football team came agonizingly close to a share of the NJAC championship, falling a play or two short in an instant classic with Christopher Newport on Friday night as the visiting Captains escaped with a 27-21 victory and the outright league title.
 
Christopher Newport (7-3, 5-1) took the lead with 1:14 remaining and staved off a staunch final drive from the Lions (5-5, 3-3), who moved the ball down to the visitors' 23-yard line before Trevor Bopp's jump ball for Thomas Burke was intercepted at the 5 with 18 seconds remaining. The result gave the Captains sole rights to the NJAC crown and the accompanying NCAA Tournament bid; had the Lions won, they would have shared the title with the Captains, Montclair State, Rowan, and Salisbury in an unprecedented five-way tie that still would've sent CNU to the national tournament based on tiebreaker procedures.
 
Before the game, TCNJ honored 21 seniors and all six of its fifth-year players as part of its annual senior recognition.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions had one path to NCAA qualification: Lead by 34 points or more at halftime and have Rowan and Salisbury also win to force a five-way tie. The Captains put that to bed early, scoring touchdowns on each of its first two possessions as Matt Dzierski tossed scoring passes to Gunner White and Trey Hayes to open up a 13-0 lead less than eight minutes in
• CNU was in firm control and inside TCNJ territory on its next possession, but the momentum flipped completely when Amir Vick intercepted a fourth-down pass and returned it 64 yards for a pick-6
• Jameson Sessa's third-down sack killed the next CNU drive, and TCNJ cashed in the other way as Trevor Bopp completed four passes to Ryan Gill in a span of five plays, moving 73 yards down to the 8-yard line. On the next play, Bopp found Burke wide open in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown at the 9:58 mark of the second quarter
• CNU converted a fourth down and moved down to the TCNJ 3-yard line, but the home defense stood firm and forced a turnover on downs as Dzierski's fourth-down pass was well wide of its intended target
• The Captains took a 16-14 lead on a 22-yard field goal with 9:41 to go in the third, only for the Lions to answer right back as fifth-year captain Malin Jasinski got behind the defense for a 59-yard touchdown reception from Bopp to make it 21-16 just shy of the midway point of the frame
• TCNJ's red-zone defense came through again on the next possession as CNU stalled out at the 4-yard line and settled for a 21-yard field goal to get within 21-19
• The Lions' next drive was very promising, picking up a host of first downs and maneuvering all the way down to the CNU 7-yard line before Bopp's pass was intercepted in the end zone
• The teams traded punts from there, but CNU managed to down on of its punts at the TCNJ 1-yard line. After a three-and-out and a short punt by the Lions, the Captains took over at the plus-33 yard line, down just two with 2:30 to go.
• After a pair of TCNJ timeouts, the Lions' defense parted to let White score with 1:14 to go, and White converted the two-point try to give CNU a 27-21 lead
• The Lions had one last chance at glory and nearly got it done as Bopp completed back-to-back passes to Jasinski for 12 and 14 yards, respectively, before connecting on 13-yard gains to Burke and Ryan Gill. That moved the ball to the CNU 23 with 27 seconds remaining. Bopp opted to throw a lob to Burke near the left sideline, but Logan Baker came down with it to seal the title for CNU

FOR THE FOES

• Dzierski threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns, with Colin Hart (6 catches, 115 yards) and Hayes (10-92) proving difficult to cover
• White did damage as a runner and pass-catcher, rushing 16 times for 75 yards and a touchdown while adding seven receptions for 51 yards and another score
• Noah Martin and Baker each had an interception, while Yasir Geter broke up three passes

STANDOUT LIONS

• Bopp finished 20-of-38 for 280 yards and two touchdowns with two picks
• Ryan Gill led the Lions with six receptions for 93 yards, with Jasinski gaining 92 yards on four catches
• Seniors Steven Cassidy (10 tackles) and Jacob Maurice (9) led the TCNJ defense, while Dylan Patscher and Jameson Sessa notched 2.0 sacks apiece

NOTES

• TCNJ finished at .500 for the first time since the 2013 season
• Bopp wrapped up his career with 3,530 passing yards, good for sixth all-time. His 180 completions and 2,180 yards in 2022 both rank second in single-season school history
• Burke's last catch gave him exactly 1,000 yards for his career, which included 83 receptions and nine touchdowns (six of them in 2023)
• Gill finished the year as the Lions' leader in receptions (45) and receiving yards (636); the catches are tied for 8^th in a single season and the yards rank just outside the top-10
• Jasinski had 36 catches for 362 yards in 2023, giving him 70 receptions for his career
• Cole Groschel had six tackles in his final game, giving him 218 for his career to fall just outside the top-5 in TCNJ history. Fellow fifth-year captain Ryan McGuire had a half-sack in his last appearance, moving his career total to 24.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks