Football stings Yellow Jackets in opening game

Mark Graziano/OCPR

The Christopher Newport football team started the first game of the season with defensive tenacity, led by senior defensive back Wayne Conner and senior linebacker Mike King. Conner had an interception and five tackles, while King led the team with 13 tackles and also came up with a tipped pass on a key third down in the second quarter

The defenses of both teams excelled through the first half, with the score tied 0-0 midway through the game. Waynesburg University came close to scoring points on the board and had two opportunities to take the lead, but were denied. Kicker Nick Cavell missed a 23-yard field goal on the Yellow Jackets opening drive and Waynesburg then drove the ball all the way to the CNU one yard line with a chance to score before halftime. Yellow Jackets sophomore running back Bertrand Ngampa ran the ball up the middle on fourth down, only to be stuffed at the line by King. While the Captains could not take advantage of the stop on offense, they showcased the stone-walling power of their defense.

CNU sophomore running back Markeese Stovall gained 67 rushing yards in the first half of play, but cramped up near the end of the second quarter. It was not clear how effective he would be coming in to the second half of the game, but he answered that question with the first play of the half. After a fake reverse, Stovall took the ball and exploded up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown run.
“The offensive line had it blocked perfectly,” Stovall said. “The hole was wide open.”

Three drives later, the CNU defense forced the Yellow Jackets into a throwing situation and sophomore defensive back Derek Britt snagged an interception that put the Captains in excellent field position at the Waynesburg 25-yard line.

After sophomore running back/wide receiver Justin Williams ran for 22 yards on three carries, Stovall powered the ball in from the one yard line for his second score of the game. After a failed two point conversion, the Captains had a 12-0 lead that looked secure going into the fourth quarter.

However, with 11:43 left in the game, Ngampa got a handoff and blasted the ball through the middle for a 72-yard touchdown run. The extra point made the score 12-7 with Waynesburg threatening to pull ahead of the Captains on their next possession. “One person didn’t hit their gap,” King said in reference to the blown coverage. “And that’s what happens.”

Even though the Yellow Jackets still had 10 minutes left in the game to make the go-ahead score, the defense for the Captains proved to be too much for Waynesburg to overcome. With 4:52 left, King sacked Waynesburg quarterback Josh Graham for a 9-yard loss to end the drive. The next time the Yellow Jackets touched the ball senior defensive back Malcom Jones knocked the football free, and junior defensive back Dorion Jackson scooped up the pay-dirt. After Waynesburg tried some desperation passes, the Captains took over the football with three seconds left and secured the win, 12-7.

The one area that the Captains struggled in was the quarterback play. The Captains had 59 yards of passing, and head coach Matt Kelchner commented that “it’s to be expected, we didn’t have any scrimmages because of the hurricane so we were a little off in the passing game.” The Captains dominated the rushing game as Stovall rushed for an incredible 170 yards and Williams chipped in with 41 rushing yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Captains had seven tackles for losses and two interceptions. The defensive line and linebackers were working as a single unit together, stopping the run and forcing hurried throws by Waynesburg. “That’s as good of a defensive football game as I’ve seen in a long time here at CNU,” Kelchner said.

The Captains head to Stevenson University on Sept. 10 and then host Salisbury University on Sept. 17 which will be part of the 50th anniversary weekend. This will also be the first night game in CNU history, and the squad will be looking to impress the crowd under the new lights in Pomoco Stadium.

Posted by Darryl Fetz on Sep 7 2011. Filed under Featured, Football, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.