Cougars looking for third win in a row
The Averett University Cougars, under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Mike Dunlevy, take on conference foe Christopher Newport University on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The Cougars (4-4, 3-2 USA South) are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since 2006 after beating Shenandoah University 33-21 last Saturday. Christopher Newport (6-1, 5-0 USA South) is fresh off a 27-26 victory over N.C. Wesleyan last weekend.

Christopher Newport holds a 6-1 advantage in the overall series. Averett's lone win against the Captains came in 2005 in a 38-30 victory in Danville.

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Last time they met
Christopher Newport rode a steady wave of touchdowns through the first three quarters and went on to beat Averett 45-14 last season in Danville. The Captains got three rushing touchdowns from Tunde Ogun, including two in the first quarter.Their other three touchdowns came on Todd Faison passes.

Meanwhile, Averett was limited to 169 total yards of offense. The Cougars' only touchdown on offense came on a 20-yard pass to T.J. Hammond from Philip Kwiatkowski in the second quarter. Their other score came on a school-record 100-yard interception return by Randy Bianchi in the third quarter.
   

How they stack up this season
Both Averett and Christopher Newport enter Saturday's game on winning streaks. The Cougars have won two in a row, while the Captains have won six straight. Christopher Newport ranks second in the USA South in both scoring offense (28.9 points) and scoring defense (20.4 points). A big part of Christopher Newport's success has been with its rushing attack. The Captains rank second in the conference with 268.7 yards on the ground a game. Most of that has come from Tunde Ogun, who has 1,225 yards and 12 touchdowns on 171 carries. The junior running back leads the USA South in both categories. With Ogun carrying the load, the Captains prefer to run rather than pass. Led by quarterback Matt Long, CNU ranks seventh in the conference in passing offense.

While the Captains rely on one main running back, the Cougars have spread the load among three. Dontavious Watson, Mark Williams and John Ellison have at least 289 yards each. Watson leads the way with 518 yards and five touchdowns.

At quarterback, Philip Kwiatkowski has started all five games he's played and has completed 55 of his 114 passes for 558 yards and four touchdowns. However, Kwiatkowski has missed three games due to injury or illness, including last week against Shenandoah. Shan Fairbanks filled in nicely and led Averett to victory. Fairbanks has 63 completions in 115 attempts for 674 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receivers Anthony Squillini and Jeremy Dixon have been their favorite targets. Squillini has 38 catches for 405 yards and eight touchdowns, while Dixon has 28 receptions for 360 yards and one score.


Squillini closing in on Averett receiving record
With a pair of touchdown catches last weekend against Shenandoah, Anthony Squillini has upped his season total to eight touchdown receptions. With two games to play, it leaves him four shy of the Averett school record of 12 in a season, which was set by Jeff Hughley in 2004.

Squillini currently ranks fifth in the USA South in touchdown scoring this season.

For his career, Squillini has already moved into second place all-time on Averett's career receiving yards (822) list and career touchdown receptions (11) list. He trails only Hughley (2,945 yards/31 touchdowns) in both categories.

   
Cougars among the best in the conference at causing turnovers
Averett's defense has picked off 12 passes this season, including three by Clyde Robinson and two by both Frederick Reid and Jeremy Clifton. The Cougars' total number of interceptions ranks second among USA South teams. Averett has also recovered 12 fumbles on defense, which also ranks second in the conference. Overall, the Cougars are tied with Christopher Newport and Ferrum with a plus-seven turnover ratio.


For a complete version of the Averett/Christopher Newport Game Notes, click here.