Smith College

NEWPORT NEWS, VA. -- A two-point conversion off a last second touchdown was no good as #23 Rowan had its six-game winning streak come to an end in a close 13-12 loss at #10 Christopher Newport in a New Jersey Athletic Conference showdown.

Trailing 13-6 late in the contest, the Profs (6-2, 4-1 NJAC) drove 68 yards with just under a minute to the CNU two-yard line where Nate Maiers hit Michael Zarfati on a quick slant for the late score. Rowan went for two to try and win it, but Maiers' pass to Zarfati was knocked away.

Maiers finished with 233 yards on 26-of-40 passing with a TD and interception. Zarfati (64 57 yards) and Nunes Bukula IV (64 yards) were his favorite targets with seven receptions each. Nigel Jennings had a team-high 35 yards on five carries including a 10-yard TD run in the second quarter.

On the other side of the ball, Ezra Williams-Thomas turned in a career-best 10 tackles. Jackson Ferrante added nine tackles and a forced fumble while Xavier McBride had a sack and a tackle for loss among his five stops. Kam Brown also added an interception, his team-leading fifth on the year.

Rowan out gained the Captains (8-0, 5-0 NJAC), 314-285, while the teams had nearly identical time of possession figures.

The defense blocked a field goal on the game's opening possession, as AJ Ryker got a hand on a 40-yard attempt in the first quarter. The Profs looked to get on the board later in the stanza, but Gavin Wray's 44-yard try was wide left, keeping things scoreless.

CNU's Jordin Lennon ran in from one yard out at the 8:50 mark of the second for the game's first points, but Dylan Cross's extra point was no good. Rowan rebounded on its next offensive series, going 74 yards on 13 plays over nearly seven minutes before Jennings found the end zone. However Wray's extra point attempt was blocked. Christopher Newport tried a last-second field goal from 29 yards out, but Brandon Prater's kick was off to the right, keeping it a 6-6 game at the half.

A scoreless third quarter moved things to the fourth where the Captains took a 13-6 lead on a 10-yard TD pass from Brandon Pena to Braylon Addy from the Rowan 15-yard line.

Maiers' turnover had a taste of some bad luck as his throw on a third and 8 near midfield was deflected back towards the line of scrimmage where Charlie Clawson, a defensive lineman, was able pull in the pick. The defense held CNU to a three and out, getting the ball back with 8:42 to play. Maiers then took the offense from its own 12-yard line to the Captain red zone. On a fourth and 4 from the 15, Maiers could not connect with Zarfati, giving the ball back to the home squad.

Again, the defense held, where CNU punted back to the Profs where the team started at its own 30 with 56 seconds in the game. Bukula IV made a pair of impressive one-handed catches during the drive, including a 26-yard gain down the right sideline to put the ball at the CNU two.

Pena was 14-of-21 with 159 yards passing and added 32 yards on the ground. Addy (57 yards) and Ethan Barham (90 yards) caught five passes each.

Rowan will travel to William Paterson in a conference matchup with the Pioneers next Saturday from Wayne, NJ in a 1 p.m. kickoff.