NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The No. 7 Salisbury University football program fell 45-42 on the road against No. 13 Christopher Newport University Saturday night inside Townebank Stadium. Three first-half turnovers and four total for the Sea Gulls (8-1) helped lift the Captains (9-0) to the upset win in a game that had five lead changes.
The SU offense started the game with a nine-play scoring drive, which was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown run from
Andre Matthews. After the Sea Gull defense forced a three-and-out for the CNU offense, the ball was given right back to the Captains after a Sea Gull fumble. CNU tied the game 7-7 two plays later.
Salisbury would quickly regain the lead after
SyRus McGowan found
Micah Brubaker for a 31-yard touchdown pass. After another CNU punt, the Sea Gulls posted a seven-play drive in which
Darrell Walter finished it off with a two-yard touchdown run. SU led CNU 21-7 at the end of the first quarter of action.
After a Captain's touchdown early in the second,
Tucker Smack tacked on a 35-yard field goal to extend the SU lead to 10. CNU would rattle off 14 points following the field goal, which included a 21-yard scoop and score fumble return. The Sea Gulls responded quickly, with McGowan finding
Dario Belizaire for a 42-yard touchdown, giving SU a 30-28 halftime lead.
The Captains scored on three plays during their first drive in the second half to reclaim the lead 35-30. After another Sea Gull turnover, the Captains added a field goal, extending their second-half lead to eight. Walter would score another touchdown to end the third quarter, but SU would fail to convert on the two-point conversion, giving CNU a 38-36 lead heading into the final quarter of action.
With just over six minutes left in the contest, the Captains scored from 28 yards out to essentially clinch the win. The Sea Gulls would score with 16 seconds left as McGowan found
Daniel Clark from 16 yards out, but SU could not recover the onside kick.
Game Notes
- McGowan finished with 290 total yards of offense and three touchdowns.
- Walter posted 86 yards with his two touchdowns.
- Belizaire had 176 total yards of offense with one touchdown on five catches and five carries.
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Kilo Mack posted four pass breakups along with six tackles.
Andrew Gioia also posted six tackles with an interception.
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Oliver Morgan, Jayson Gary, Chase Lomax, and
Marquis Thomas all posted sacks for the Sea Gulls.
- SU posted 480 yards of total offense while CNU tallied 456.
The Sea Gulls will host Vermont State University Castleton for the 2025 season finale on Friday, November 14th, at 6 p.m. inside Sea Gull Stadium.
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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 206 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
