SALISBURY, Md. — Christopher Newport University and Salisbury University opened New Jersey Athletic Conference play in grand style Saturday night, exchanging the lead ten times before the ninth-ranked Sea Gulls held on for a 42-38 victory. The victory improved the Sea Gulls to 4-0, while the Captains fell to 2-2.
Sophomore quarterback Connor Barry threw four touchdown passes for the Captains and ended the night with 34 completions and 443 passing yards, second most in CNU single game history in both categories.
“I’m really proud of what our guys have done and the culture we’ve been able to build,” Head Coach Paul Crowley said. “We competed at a very high level tonight and battled to the end. It’s a tough loss, but we’ll build on this and there’s a lot of football to be played.”
A crowd of 2,089 at Sea Gull Stadium watched the NJAC rivals trade punches to the very last minute of the final quarter. The Captains and Sea Gulls combined for 1,033 total yards and 11 touchdowns. Neither team punted after halftime, as the Gulls scored touchdowns on all four of their second half possessions, while the Captains reached the endzone on their first three possessions after the half. Salisbury’s defense was finally able to thwart CNU’s drive in the final minute to hold on for the four-point victory.
Barry’s incredible performance saw him complete 34 of 44 attempts with four scores and no interceptions. His 443 passing yards is second only to Jack Anderson’s 478 at TCNJ in 2018. His 34 completions is second only to K.J. Kearney’s 35 at Southern Virginia in 2017.
Christopher Newport had two receivers go over the 100-yard mark, as freshman Josh Powell caught four balls for 131 yards and two scores in the first half. Barry connected with Powell on scoring plays of 65 and ten yards. Junior Trey Hayes caught nine passes for 109 yards, including a 15-yard scoring play in the third quarter. Junior Colin Hart made eight grabs for 92 yards, and scored in the first minute of the fourth quarter on a 24-yard scoring strike from Barry.
CNU’s offensive surge also included a three-yard scoring run from junior Gunner White with 4:48 to play in the fourth quarter that put the Captains back in front, 38-35. The Sea Gulls, however, would rally and put together a six-play, 75-yard drive to complete the scoring. Senior quarterback Gage Katzenell-Hall connected with sophomore receiver Dario Bellizaire on a 48-yard pass play with 2:30 to play for what proved to be the deciding score.
The Captains out-gained the Sea Gulls in total yardage, 533-500. The back-and-forth battle was reminiscent of the game the squads played in 2022 at Sea Gull Stadium in what proved to be the NJAC title game. Salisbury battled from behind to post a 36-33 triumph to register its fourth-straight NJAC title. The streak was ended last year by the Captains, who captured their first-ever NJAC title by going 6-1 in the conference.
Christopher Newport will host its next two games at TowneBank Stadium. CNU plays Dickinson College (2-2) next Saturday, October 12th, in a 1:00 p.m. start.
