SALISBURY, Md. – It took all 60 minutes to decide a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Champion as the 25th-ranked Salisbury University football team earned its fourth consecutive conference crown as the Sea Gulls came back from a first-half deficit to secure the 36-33 win over the Christopher Newport Captains on a beautiful Saturday night at Sea Gull Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• CNU marched down the field on its opening possession. Matt Dzierski used play-action to hit a wide-open Gunner White for a 16-yard touchdown pass.
• On Salisbury's opening play of the game, the handoff from Ben Hutchins to Joey Bildstein was fumbled and returned for a 16-yard touchdown by Shawn Hamilton for the early 14-0 lead five minutes into the game.
• Two plays into Salisbury's ensuing possession after the fumble, Hutchins was intercepted by Logan Baker on the Salisbury 47. However, CNU couldn't capitalize on the good field position as Ryan Castle's kick was from 37 yards went and wide left.
• Salisbury got on the board with just over two minutes left to go in the first half as it was the superback show to get the ball in the end zone. Bildstein capped it off with his first touchdown of the day from a yard out to cut the CNU lead in half heading to halftime.
• The Sea Gulls got out of the gates hot to start the second half. After Bildstein broke off a 52-yard run to put the maroon and gold in a goal-to-go situation, Bildstein bookended the drive with a five-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.
• The two teams traded touchdowns for the rest of the third quarter. After Dzierski connected with Gunner White for a touchdown, the extra point was blocked to keep it a six-point game. Right as the third-quarter time hit zeros, Bildstein plowed through for his third touchdown of the day to give the Sea Gulls the 21-20 lead at the end of three.
• The back-and-forth continued in the fourth quarter. A play after Dzierski ran for a 65-yard gain, he capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The two-point attempt failed to make it a 26-21 game with 13 minutes left in regulation.
• Salisbury regained the lead with 6:38 left when Bildstein crossed the goal line for the fourth time in the game. Bildstein also converted the two-point conversion to make it a field-goal game, 29-26.
• Dzierski gave CNU the four-point lead, 33-29, with three and a half minutes left when he kept it himself on a quarterback sneak from a yard out.
• Helped by a short kick and a pair of CNU penalties, Bildstein scored his fifth touchdown of the game to give Salisbury the 36-33 lead with 1:45 left in regulation.
• After being pinned deep on the kickoff, Caleb Brubaker intercepted Dzierski to ice the game and clinch a trip to the NCAA Playoffs.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Salisbury was built on Joey Bildstein throughout the game as he rushed for a career-high 239 yards on 36 carries and five touchdowns. It is the first time that an SU player has rushed for five scores since the 2010 season. It was also SU's first 200-plus yard game since the 2018 season.
• As a team, the Sea Gulls totaled 432 yards of total offense, including 404 yards on the ground.
• Dario Belizaire and Jaden Davis notched 53 and 38 rushing yards respectively. Belizaire also recorded 20 receiving yards.
• Caleb Brubaker had a game-high nine tackles with his league-high seventh interception in the fourth quarter. He also added a pass breakup and a blocked extra point.
• C.J. Wood and Jimmy Celentano each tallied five tackles. Celentano added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
• Aaron Jahnke and Frank Giannetti also recorded four tackles apiece.
• Andrew Petrino made all four of his extra-point attempts.

CNU GAME NOTES

• Matt Dzierski was 17-for-22 passing for 204 yards. He threw two touchdowns through the air and ran in a pair of touchdowns on 105 rushing yards.
• Gunner White combined for 114 yards of total offense. He caught two touchdowns from Dzierski.
• Kindrick Braxton made 21 tackles to lead the Captains defense.

UP NEXT

• As the NJAC Champions, Salisbury will receive the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for tomorrow at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.
 
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.