Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com
HAMPTON, Va. — Christopher Newport became the first football team in NCAA history to earn a spot in NCAA playoffs at any level of competition with a 14-11 win over Ferrum at Darling Stadium on Saturday.
Defensive back Josh Horn was named the Oyster Bowl's Most Valuable Player as he intercepted two passes and recovered one fumble.
In a game that saw the Captains never trail, CNU (5-3, 5-1 Dixie) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Kaveh Conaway broke several tackles and spun off others and scampered 10 yards for the score with 11:36 remaining in the first half.
The Panthers (6-4, 5-1) struck next on a 45-yard field goal with 2:55 remaining in the second quarter to cut the lead to 7-3 at halftime.
CNU came out of the locker room after posting fewer than 100 yards of total offense in the first half and pounded its way down the field, driving 82 yards in 16 plays before Eric Carlson found Conaway three steps ahead of his defender for a 21-yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead with 7:55 left in the third quarter.
"I wish I could say we devised some earth-shattering game plan (at halftime)," said Captains head coach Matt Kelchner, "but we did what we always do."
Ferrum then cut the lead to three when Phil Hairston connected with James Lomax on fourth down for a 6-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers then went for the two-point conversion and made it to trail the Captains 14-11.
CNU then took over and eventually punted which gave the Panthers another chance with less then two minutes to go in the game. Ferrum started their final drive at their own 21-yard line. CNU eventually sacked Hairston and took over deep in Panther territory and kneeled down for the win.
Conaway finished the game with 105 yards rushing on 26 carries and one touchdown. Carlson was 4-for-9 passing for 57 yards and one touchdown.
The win puts an exclamation point on a surprising inaugural season for Christopher Newport. "When the season started, we wanted to get 11 guys lined up and run a play," said Kelchner. "I figured we'd win two or three games if we got lucky."
CNU will learn who, where and when they play in their first ever NCAA playoff game Sunday afternoon.