On Saturday afternoon, in front of a packed crowd at Townebank Stadium for CNU’s Family Weekend, the Captains defeated Salisbury 24-14. This ended a streak of seven consecutive wins by Salisbury over Christopher Newport. This game also ended Salisbury’s 21 game winning streak in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
The defense was the key in this game. On Salisbury’s first offensive possession, fifth-year senior defensive back Josh Uvodich forced a fumble which was recovered by the Captains in Salisbury territory. This gave the Captains a chance to open the scoring.
However, the subsequent possession did not go as well as they had hoped. After a completion from freshman quarterback Connor Barry to sophomore wide receiver Trey Hayes, the Captains were unable to move the ball further. On fourth down, the Captains elected to go for it but could not convert.
The Captains defense continued to overwhelm Salisbury. A sack from fifth-year senior defensive lineman Luke Nitowski on third down forced Salisbury to punt at their own 11-yard line. The punt was blocked by junior linebacker Ethan Rosen which gave the Captains offense a chance to open the scoring.
However, the Captains offense could not capitalize on this advantage. Another failed fourth down conversion kept the game scoreless.
Salisbury’s next offensive possession was more encouraging than their previous ones. Two first downs put them into Captains territory. Nonetheless, the Captains defense was able to force another turnover. After Salisbury recovered a fumble on the previous play, their offense went on to fumble on the very next play which was forced by sophomore defensive back Taizuan Brown and recovered by sophomore defensive back Gary Lane.
The Captains offense made this turnover count. A completed pass to Trey Hayes gave the Captains the lead. A sack from sophomore linebacker Masi Bruning gave the Captains offense a chance to build onto their 7-0 lead.
After both teams exchanged punts, the Captains offense got the football in Salisbury territory. A made field goal from senior kicker Ryan Castle extended the Captains lead to 10-0. This lead remained this way at the half as Salisbury was unable to create any momentum on offense.
In the second half, Salisbury began to make the game competitive. An interception thrown by Connor Barry was returned for a touchdown which trimmed the Captains lead down to three.
On the Captains next offensive possession, they got into a rhythm. Two completions to sophomore wide receiver Colin Hart put the Captains at the goal line. The Captains were able to score on a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Connor Barry that brought the Captains lead back up to ten.
Both quarterbacks were involved in this game. While freshman Connor Barry started the game, senior Matt Dzierski also featured. Despite Dzerski’s limited action, he completed a
