SALISBURY. Md. - The No. 3 Salisbury University football program saw its NCAA Tournament end in the quarterfinal round with a 38-17 loss against No. 6 Mount Union Saturday afternoon inside Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls got the scoring started on their first drive after stalling the Purple Raiders offense at mid-field.
Mason Fisher capped off a 12-play drive for SU with an eight-yard scamper for his first touchdown of the season giving the Sea Gulls an early 7-0 lead.
On the second play of Mount Union's second drive,
Dylan Lyerly picked up his first interception of the season, handing the ball right back to the offense. The SU offense turned the ball over on downs and the Purple Raiders put together a six-play drive to tie the game 7-7 heading into the second quarter.
Mount Union was able to take a 14-7 lead with nine minutes remaining before halftime after a passing touchdown on a nine-play drive. The Sea Gulls answered back with a
Tucker Smack 33-yard field goal cutting the lead to 14-10 with just over three minutes left to play in the half.
The Sea Gull defense earned a stop but a running into the punter penalty gave Mount Union a much-needed first down. They capitalized on the Salisbury mistake extending its lead to 21-10 before the halftime break. Only seven points were scored in the third quarter as the defenses made both offenses work for everything. The Purple Raiders headed into the final quarter of action with a 28-10 lead.
A field goal to start the fourth for Mount Union gave them a 31-10 advantage but the Sea Gulls answered quickly with a
Dario Belizaire score from five yards out. The score was set up from a 33-yard pass from
SyRus McGowan who found
Daniel Clark on a deep post. The SU offense struggled to continue putting together drives as the hole was too big to dig out of.
Game Notes
- The SU defense held the Purple Raiders to just 59 yards on the ground
- McGowan tallied 156 passing yards and 29 yards on the ground
-
Ben Spiess earned a team-high 11 tackles
- Along with the interception, Lyerly had seven tackles and a pass breakup
The Sea Gulls finished the season 12-1 completing the fifth undefeated regular season in program history and earning its sixth NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 201 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
