NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Down by 10 with under two minutes to go? No problem.

Averett University football scored two touchdowns late to stun host Christopher Newport University 24-20 in a non-conference matchup Saturday night.
 
Down 20-10, with under four minutes to play, Averett (1-1) drove down the field in a little over two minutes to score a touchdown on a 4-yard pass from senior quarterback Bryce Jackson to junior receiver Tavien Goffigan to help pull the Cougars within 20-17 of the Captains with only 1:37 remaining in the game.

Averett's comeback continued moments later when the Cougars recovered senior Will Caviness' perfectly-played onside kick. The Cougars got down to the CNU 26-yard line with under a minute left, and Jackson then found sophomore receiver Marquise Woodruff down the right side in the end zone for a 26-yard go-ahead score with 46 seconds remaining.

Up 24-20 after the Caviness extra point, Averett still needed help from its defense to hold off CNU (1-1) late. The Captains connected on a 39-yard pass to get down to Averett's 35-yard line with 18 seconds to go. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, CNU quarterback Matt Dzierski fumbled the ball but recovered it for a 4-yard loss. Following a timeout with 11 seconds to go, Averett senior Isaac Mosby broke through the Captains' offensive line for a sack-fumble that landed in the hands of CNU's Adam Luncher, who was then tackled by senior Johnathan Terrell. With no timeouts remaining, the clock ran out as Averett celebrated the comeback victory.

"I'm so proud of our kids," Averett football head coach Patrick Henry said. "They didn't quit. They picked each other up when one side of the ball was struggling and it took all three phases to come together at the end."

The game was filled with several emotional roller coaster moments for the Cougars. After CNU hit a field goal to extend its lead to 10-3 in the third quarter, Averett gained some momentum thanks to a 64-yard kickoff return by sophomore Nick Haitz that put the Cougars deep in Captains territory. Averett found the end zone several plays later on a 1-yard touchdown toss from Jackson to freshman running back Shyheim Watlington, which helped tie the game at 10-10 with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

Averett freshman cornerback Damien Payton picked off CNU on its ensuing possession, but the Cougars couldn't capitalize and punted on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Captains then drove 68 yards on 11 plays, capped off by a 24-yard touchdown run to go back in front, 17-10, with 8:28 to play.

Averett's next drive ended in a turnover after Jackson's pass was knocked out of the receiver's hands and into the hands of defensive lineman Deven Norman, a bystander on the hit. CNU only went 7 yards on the possession, but it set up a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Castle to give the Captains a 20-10 advantage with 3:52 to play. For many in the crowd of more than 3,000, that field goal to go up by two scores appeared to be the final dagger before Averett had other plans.

"I'm so proud of our staff," Henry said. "They stayed together, they made the right changes, they made the right adjustments and put in the right substitutions. It was a hard-fought football game today with a lot of hard-hitting physical football."

CNU took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Dzierski's 16-yard touchdown run. Averett got on the board with a 19-yard field goal from Caviness in the second quarter to get the Cougars within 7-3 by halftime.

Jackson finished the night with 24 completions on 44 attempts for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Goffigan was his top target with 10 catches for 115 yards — his first career 100-yard receiving game.

Averett's defense was led by senior JaVon Lofton's eight tackles and Terrell's seven tackles. Haitz also surpassed 100 yards on special teams returns for the second consecutive week.

For Averett, it was the second consecutive win over CNU after edging the Captains 30-27 in overtime last season. It was the fourth win overall in 16 total meetings for the two former USA South Conference schools, and it is only the second time Averett has beaten CNU in Newport News (2010 was the other time).
 
The Cougars return home to play Brevard College in the final non-conference matchup of the season on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.
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