NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Salisbury University football team came up on the short end of its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener, falling to the Christopher Newport Captains, 24-14, on Saturday afternoon at TowneBank Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

• The Sea Gull defense stood tall in the red zone twice in the first quarter, stopping the Captains two straight times on short-yardage fourth-down situations. On fourth and three from the SU 12, Chase Lomax stuffed CNU quarterback Matt Dzierski to force a turnover on downs.
• After CNU blocked a Salisbury punt and got it down to the SU 14 on its next drive, Lomax and Brock Keeler snuffed out Gunner White on another fourth and three to again deny the Captains easy points.
• The Captains forced a fumble on the next SU drive, and new CNU quarterback Connor Barry found Trey Hayes for a 25-yard touchdown pass to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Second Quarter

• After each team punted on their first possession of the second, the Captains made it down to the SU 20 to set up Ryan Castle for a 37-yard field goal, boosting the CNU lead to 10-0.
• Salisbury made it into CNU territory inside of two minutes to go until halftime, but Micah Brubaker ran for just one yard on a fourth and two from the CNU 40 and the Sea Gulls turned it over on downs.

Third Quarter

• On third and five from the CNU 49, A.J. Butler stepped in front of a Barry pass and took it 53 yards to the house for an interception-return touchdown, getting Salisbury back into the game at 10-7 with 6:33 to go in the third.
• The Captains answered on their next drive, marching 75 yards in just under four minutes with Barry running it in from four yards to rebuild the CNU lead to 17-7.

Fourth Quarter

• Dzierski landed a haymaker with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Gunner White to make it 24-7 within the first minute of the final quarter.
• The Sea Gulls countered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive for their first offensive touchdown on the day. A 17-yard rush from Ronald Clark eventually set up Brubaker's six-yard scamper to the end zone, pulling SU within 24-14 at the 8:31 mark.
• SU made two straight defensive stands but could pull no closer as Josh Uvodich grabbed interceptions to end each of the Sea Gulls' final two drives.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Salisbury managed 162 yards of total offense on the day.
• Ben Hutchins completed 2-of-7 passes for 28 yards and one interception. Micah Brubaker went 0-for-6 throwing the football and was picked off once.
• Brubaker led the Sea Gull rushing attack with 75 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Hunter Hruz and Ronald Clark ran for 39 and 34 yards, respectively.
• Gabe Williams caught one pass for 27 yards, while Hruz recorded a one-yard catch.
• Casey Counts and Brock Keeler put up identical lines of six tackles (two solo) apiece to lead the defense. Counts also forced a fumble.
• Ryan Muller recorded four tackles with one pass breakup and one QB hurry.
• A.J. Butler returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown, the second pick-six of his career. Butler's first was also a 53-yard return at Christopher Newport on Oct. 30, 2021.
• Frank Giannetti and Michael Iduma Jr. teamed up for a sack, and Gianetti recovered a fumble.
• The loss snaps the Sea Gulls' 21-game NJAC winning streak, which spanned the 2019-22 regular seasons. The last time SU lost to an NJAC opponent was at Frostburg State on Nov. 10, 2018.

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT GAME NOTES

• CNU netted 298 yards of total offense, including 228 through the air.
• Connor Barry passed for 163 yards on 10-of-20 completions with a touchdown and an interception. Matt Dzierski threw two passes, one of which went for a 65-yard TD.
• Gunner White and Dzierski rushed for 33 and 25 yards, respectively, to lead the Captain ground game.
• Colin Hart caught six passes for a team-high 116 yards. White caught two passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, while Trey Hayes notched 40 receiving yards on two catches with a score.
• Kindrick Braxton recorded a team-high nine tackles, including eight solo.
• Carson Turner made six tackles, including two for a loss, and a sack.
• Luke Nitowski sacked the quarterback twice.
• Josh Uvodich picked off two passes in the fourth quarter to save the game for the Captains. Uvodich also recorded two pass breakups, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls return home to face William Paterson on Saturday, Oct. 7.
• Kickoff from Sea Gull Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.
• Next Saturday will serve as the football team's Community Youth Day. There will also be a silent auction during the game to benefit Special Olympics Maryland Lower Shore.

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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.