Marcus Morrast and Christopher Newport ended a decade of first-round playoff exits. Christopher Newport athletics photo by Jesse Hutcheson

By Adam Turer
D3sports.com

At 2:48 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, just 40 miles apart from one another, two placekickers lined up for field goal attempts. One kick would lead to a breath of relief for a home favorite. The other kick would send a road underdog into euphoria.

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Widener escaped with a 36-35 victory over Muhlenberg thanks to Ryan O’Hara’s 32-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play. At the same time, the Pride’s MAC rival Delaware Valley was spending its final two timeouts, clinging to the hope of overtime. Seconds after O’Hara’s kick sailed through, Christopher Newport kicker Mason Studer delivered the Captains the biggest win in program history, ending the Aggies’ season in front of their home crowd. Seconds after that, Muhlenberg’s final heave landed well short of the goal line, and set the second round matchup between MAC champion and No. 11 Widener and USA South champion Christopher Newport.

After two thrilling come-from-behind victories, the Pride and Captains will meet this Saturday in the second round of the playoffs. Both teams are hoping to avoid another slow start. Widener quickly fell behind 14-0, were outgained by the Mules, and did not hold a lead until the third quarter. Christopher Newport trailed 26-7 and took its first and only lead when Studer’s kick sailed through the uprights with nothing but zeroes on the clock to give the Captains a 29-26 victory.

“I had complete trust in my line, my snapper, and my holder. I knew everybody else would do their job,” said Studer. “I could tell my coaches trusted in me. My teammates believed in me and trusted me. It’s good when you know you’ve got a team full of guys behind you.”

The looks of reassurance he received from the sideline helped boost his confidence, especially in light of his earlier struggles. The Captains had a field goal blocked in the first quarter and Studer missed an extra point that could have given CNU a 27-26 lead with 6:26 to play. He remained upbeat, sure that he would get another opportunity.

“I thought I let the team down. I knew I couldn’t get down on myself, because I’d take myself completely out of the game if I did that,” said Studer. He didn’t remember much about his final attempt, other than focusing on the football and ignoring the 20-25 mile per hour winds. When the kick rocketed through the goalposts, “it was really an indescribable feeling.”

Studer’s confidence was emblematic of his team’s mentality all weekend. At the team’s dinner on the eve of the program’s 12th playoff game in its 14-year existence, even the coaches noticed a different vibe in the room.

“We had a pretty good feeling Friday night. We sensed that the players were quiet and confident,” said head coach Matt Kelchner. “We felt that there was a sense that they knew they would win. Once we got in the flow of the game, it became even more apparent.”

“I’ve never really seen our team like that before,” said Studer. “Everybody seemed so focused and relaxed and calm.”

That quiet confidence was on full display the next day, even when the Captains fell behind after giving up 19 unanswered points to the Aggies. Halftime was uneventful, although the Captains trailed 20-7.

“We didn’t make many major adjustments. We went through our normal halftime,” said Kelchner. “We didn’t have to say a whole lot.”

One record-setting player who led the Captains back to the postseason in his final campaign took it upon himself to make sure he was not playing his last game for CNU. Senior quarterback Marcus Morrast, who continues to shatter the program’s records for total offense and touchdowns responsible for, felt that it was up to him to lead his team to victory for the eighth time this season.

“Going into halftime, I knew I needed to step up,” said Morrast. “I tried to regroup and refocus, and we found a way to run the ball more.”

Morrast rushed for 108 yards and passed for 216 more. Daquan Davis added 80 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Storm Parker added 53 yards on seven carries. After passing to Rudy Rudolph for a score and rushing one in by himself in the fourth quarter to tie the game, Morrast told Studer before the Captains final drive that he would lead the offense into field goal range.  

“For us seniors, it could have been the last game we ever play,” said Morrast. “I told my teammates that we were going to have fun and enjoy ourselves, win or lose.”

“This was definitely the biggest win I’ve been a part of.”

It was the program’s third playoff win and first since 2004. With the Captains leaving the USA South to join Wesley and Salisbury as new NJAC members next season, the perennial conference favorite may not be back in this position next year. They missed the postseason last year for just the fourth time in the program’s young history. After losing at conference opponent Huntingdon on Oct. 11, the Captains went into playoff mode a few weeks early. They knew that a second conference loss would be very difficult to overcome. The program’s 19 seniors were determined to play together for a few more weeks.

“The team has grown closer together [since Huntingdon],” said Studer. “Everybody is playing with a chip on our shoulders this year.”

The Captains knew that few people outside the program expected them to go on the road and earn a playoff win. The program had lost its past six postseason games, dating back to a second round loss at Washington and Jefferson in 2004. Having a bye in the final week of the regular season helped Christopher Newport shift gears from conference favorite to playoff underdog. The Captains entered the postseason with a different mindset than they had in any of the previous ten Saturdays.

“When you feel like you’re supposed to win every week in conference play with the target on your back, it becomes something you have to deal with,” said Kelchner. “It makes it a little more fun [to play as the underdog].”

For the second straight week, Christopher Newport will travel north to their head coach’s home state to face a MAC squad that is expected to send the Captains packing. The week’s classes ended on Tuesday night, and many of the Captains live close enough to home to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. That leaves plenty of time to focus on football. They are eager to continue representing the USA South one last time. They don’t care if you think they belong in the second round, or in the final eight.

“We’re having fun, we’re excited, and we’re looking forward to it,” said Kelchner. “This gives us a chance to practice for another week. We’re going to have a whole lot of fun this week.”