EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ football team went blow for blow with one of the most prolific offenses in Division III, but visiting Salisbury had enough in its arsenal to outduel the Lions in a 52-35 shootout at Lions Stadium.
 
The Lions (5-3, 2-2) gave the crowd plenty to cheer about on Senior Day, with fifth-year quarterback Trevor Bopp becoming the all-time leader in career passing yards and top target Malin Jasinski breaking a longstanding record for receiving yards in a season. TCNJ got off to a 14-0 start in the first quarter and did not trail until the second half, but the high-powered Sea Gulls began to impose their will after intermission and pulled away to clinch the NJAC's automatic NCAA bid.
 
TCNJ started fast, stopping the Sea Gulls a yard shy of the sticks on fourth down in the hosts' red zone on the opening possession. The Lions went 89 yards in 10 plays on their first trip, capped by Jayson Schmidt's 15-yard scamper into the end zone.
 
The Sea Gulls (8-0, 5-0) - ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Power Index ratings - fumbled at their own 17, and Bopp hit Jasinski for a wide-open TD on the very next play to put the Lions in front, 14-0.
 
Salisbury righted the ship from there, scoring touchdowns on its next two drives and pulling even on Dario Belizaire's meandering run across the field for a 25-yard score early in the second quarter.
 
A 37-yard strike from Bopp to Ryan Gill got TCNJ into striking distance, and six plays later Schmidt scored on a 2-yard shovel pass from Bopp for a 21-14 lead. That kicked off a stretch of four straight touchdown drives between the teams, with the visitors equalizing on a 45-yard run by Jaden Davis before the Lions pulled out a trick play to go back in front. Jasinski caught a backwards pass from Bopp, took a few steps forward, then hit Gill wide open down the left side for a 54-yard touchdown.
 
The Sea Gulls tied it a third time on SyRus McGowan's 10-yard pass to Micah Brubaker with 11.3 seconds left in the second quarter, sending the teams into the locker rooms locked in a 28-all stalemate.
 
Salisbury went ahead for good on  a 23-yard TD pass from McGowan to Daniel Clark on its first drive of the second half, then moved ahead by double digits on a 42-yard field goal late in the third.
 
TCNJ turned it over on downs near midfield, and the Sea Gulls scored two plays later to go up 45-28.
 
Bopp engineering one last scoring drive for the Lions, capping it with a 1-yard TD pass to Jasinski, and Amir Vick's interception gave TCNJ the ball back at its own 31 with just under 9 minutes left. Bopp, however, was picked off three plays later, and Salisbury put the game away with a 5-minute TD drive to keep its unbeaten season alive.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Salisbury, which came in ranked top-10 in Division III in a host of offensive categories, racked up 464 rushing yards at a 7.6-yard clip, and finished with 596 total yards
• The Sea Gulls had the ball for nearly 38 minutes and were 8-of-14 on third down
• McGowan was 9-of-13 for 132 yards and two TDs through the air, adding 138 yards on the ground
• Belizaire (5 rush, 101 yards, TD), Davis (2 rush, 93 yards, TD), Ronald Clark (14 rush, 80 yards), and Michael Cox (14 rush, 50 yards, 3 TDs) all had big days on the ground
• Bopp finished 23-of38 for 269 yards and three TDs to two picks
• Jasinski had 13 catches for 105 yards and two scores
• Gill had 91 yards on two catches, while Thomas Burke finished with five grabs for 72 yards
• Dominick Nocero led TCNJ with 10 tackles and a half-sack, with Dave Giulian posting nine tackles and a sack
• Patrick Frawley recovered both Salisbury fumbles

NOTES

• With 6,130 career yards, Bopp surpassed Chris James' former record of 5,871
• Bopp is one TD pass shy of Flip Faherty's program-record 48
• Jasinski, now with 1,123 yards on the year, eclipsed John Aromando's former single-season receiving yards record of 1,090, which had stood since 1982
• Jasinski, who posted his third straight game (and sixth of the season) with at least 10 catches and at least 100 yards, matched his career high – set three times this fall – for catches; he needs 17 to tie John Aromando's program record of 165
• Jasinski threw his third career TD pass; he started two games at QB in 2022
• Gill went over 1,000 receiving yards for his career and notched his 10^th career TD catch
• Schmidt now has 19 career rushing TDs and 25 total
• Vick notched his fifth career interception

UP NEXT

• TCNJ starts a two-game closing road swing at William Paterson next Saturday