SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University football team saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, 36-27, at the hands of The College of New Jersey Lions on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

• After the Sea Gulls fumbled the ball away on their first play from scrimmage, the Lions took three plays to gain 27 yards, reaching the end zone on a six-yard pass from Trevor Bopp to Malin Jasinski to go up 7-0.
• Salisbury answered with a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ate up 9:15 of clock. Down at the TCNJ 11 yard line, Ronald Clark found a seam up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown run to even the score, 7-7, at the 4:51 mark.

Second Quarter

• Taking over at its own 47, TCNJ took three quick strikes from Bopp to advance 53 yards, with Thomas Burke catching a 35-yard pass to get back to the end zone. Abdul Ouattara blocked the extra point to keep it a six-point margin at 13-7.
• The Sea Gulls then orchestrated another long drive, moving the ball 65 yards over 11 plays and 5:36 of clock. Ben Hutchins and Joey Bildstein combined to run the ball on 10 of the 11 plays, with Bildstein rumbling in from four yards out to give Salisbury a 14-13 lead with 8:20 until halftime.
• After forcing a three-and-out, SU got the ball back on its own 47, but Hutchins was intercepted by Vito Finetti and the Lions had life at the SU 42. TCNJ responded with a six-play drive, capped by a Jayson Schmidt three-yard touchdown run plus a two-point conversion to put the visitors back up 21-14.
• The Lions forced a quick three-and-out and executed an 85-yard two-minute drill, with Bopp connecting with Burke again from 13 yards out to extend the lead to 27-14 with 41 seconds on the clock.

Third Quarter

• TCNJ took the second-half kickoff and only needed two plays to drive 75 yards. Schmidt broke through for a 47-yard run, and Bopp connected with Ryan Gill for a 28-yard touchdown pass to make it 33-14.
• Both teams came up empty on their next drives, then Salisbury got the engine moving again starting from its own 35. After advancing to the TCNJ 28, Bildstein powered it in for his second rushing touchdown of the day to bring the Sea Gulls back within 33-21.
• The Lions countered with a push down to the SU 15, including a fake punt on fourth down at the TCNJ 47 that Joe Aliano ran for a first. Bobby Wortman kicked a 32-yard field goal to make it 36-21 as time expired in the third.

Fourth Quarter

• Salisbury opened the fourth by driving all the way down to the TCNJ 18, but the Lions' Jack Young broke up a Hutchins pass on 4th-and-6 and the drive stalled.
• The Sea Gulls found their rhythm again on the final drive of the game, with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Gage Katzenell-Hall to Jadyn Thomas on the game's final play making it 36-27.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Salisbury racked up 353 total yards of offense, including 259 on the ground.
• Ben Hutchins led the way on the ground with 129 yards on 26 carries. He also completed 2-of-12 passes for 24 yards and an interception.
• Gage Katzenell-Hall passed for 70 yards on 3-of-5 attempts and a touchdown.
• Joey Bildstein carried the ball 23 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth straight 100-yard, multi-score game. With 2,716 career yards, Bildstein passed Dan Griffin '12 (2,642) for eighth in SU history.
• Ronald Clark ran it in 11 yards for his for his fourth touchdown of the year.
• Mason Fisher caught a pass for 36 yards, while Jadyn Thomas brought in a 15-yard touchdown reception.
• Josh Barker led the Sea Gull defense with nine tackles (three solo).
• Brock Keeler and Patrick Sheil each managed five tackles.
• Abdul Ouattara blocked an extra point.
• The Sea Gulls failed to force a TCNJ turnover, snapping a 21-game regular season turnover streak that dated back to Oct. 23, 2021.

TCNJ GAME NOTES

• TCNJ accumulated 377 total yards of offense, with 239 yards coming through the air.
• Trevor Bopp completed 22 of 36 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns.
• Jayson Schmidt ran it eight times for 72 yards and one score.
• Thomas Burke racked up 55 yards on three receptions and two touchdowns. Malin Jasinski and Ryan Gill each caught a touchdown pass.
• Brayden Messinger totaled nine tackles (three solo) and two of the Lions' five sacks on the day.
• Dave Giulian managed nine tackles and a sack, while Bill Westerby added eight tackles and a sack.
• Vito Finetti hauled in an interception.
• The win marks TCNJ's first victory over Salisbury since Oct. 13, 2001, snapping a six-game Sea Gull winning streak.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will play their last road game of the regular season at McDaniel on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game will be played as part of the Centennial vs. NJAC Football Challenge.
• Kickoff from Kenneth R. Gill Stadium in Westminster, Md., is set for 2 p.m.

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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 and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.