NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Courtesy of CNU Athletics) – It took a touchdown in the final minute for Dickinson College to prevail over Christopher Newport University Saturday afternoon, 31-28, at TowneBank Stadium. The Red Devils, now 3-2, spoiled CNU’s second half comeback bid and dropped the Captains to 2-3 on the season.
Freshman quarterback Ben Klassen stepped in for injured senior starter Presley Egbers, and led the Red Devils by throwing for scores in the final minute of each half. Klassen connected with senior receiver Rocco DiRico from 18 yards away with 21 seconds left in the first half to give the Devils a 21-14 halftime edge. Klassen and DiRico then hooked up again from 22 yards out with 57 seconds left in the fourth quarter for the deciding score. Klassen finished the day 21 of 35 in the passing department for 241 yards, and also ran the ball seven times for 72 yards.
“We failed to hold onto the lead, and put them away,” Head Coach Paul Crowley said. “I take full responsibility for that, and we definitely have some things to work on. It was uncharacteristic for us to make the mistakes we did down the stretch, we just didn’t play Christopher Newport football. I give Dickinson a lot of credit for the way they played today.”
Dickinson went up by ten points, 24-14, on a sunny and warm October afternoon before the Captains stormed back thanks to two third quarter touchdowns. Christopher Newport sophomore quarterback Connor Barry threw for two touchdowns and ran for two scores in the final non-conference game of the season for the Captains. Barry’s second rushing score of the day, a two-yard effort with four seconds remaining in the third quarter, put the Captains on top, 28-24, heading to the final stanza. Barry completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for 261 yards on the day, and also ran the ball three times for eight yards.
After the Captains failed on a field goal attempt that could have pushed the lead to seven, the Red Devils took over with just over five minutes to play and engineered a 16-play, 80-yard drive that led to the winning score with 57 ticks left on the clock. Dickinson’s defense then held the Captains from picking up a first down in the final minute to seal the win. CNU and Dickinson ended up exchanging the lead four times in the second straight back-and-forth battle for the Captains. CNU lost at Salisbury last Saturday, 42-38, in a game that featured ten lead changes.
Junior receivers Trey Hayes and Colin Hart were the recipients of Barry’s scoring strikes. Hayes caught an eight-yard touchdown pass to culminate CNU’s first possession of the day, capping a 12-play, 63-yard drive. Hart scored on a 50-yard bomb from Barry with 6:58 remaining in the third quarter to trim Dickinson’s lead to three, 24-21. Hayes logged 79 receiving yards on five catches in the loss, while Hart posted 70 yards on four grabs.
Sophomore rover Noah Martin led the CNU defensive unit by recording ten tackles, and also broke up three passes.
The defeat in front of 2,359 fans at TowneBank Stadium marks the second straight year the Red Devils have beaten the Captains by a three-point margin. Last year in Carlisle, Pa., Dickinson posted a 27-24 overtime victory over CNU in the first-ever meeting of the programs.The loss also marks the halfway point of the season for both squads.
Christopher Newport will host Rowan University (3-2, 1-0) next Saturday, October 19th, at TowneBank Stadium. The game will be a part of Homecoming Weekend celebrations at CNU. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.