SALISBURY, Md. – The TCNJ football team tasted defeat for the first time on Saturday, falling 55-10 at No. 6 Salisbury in the NJAC opener for both programs.
 
The Lions (3-1, 0-1) had stormed through non-conference play but ran into a buzz saw in the high-flying Sea Gulls (4-0, 1-0), who have defeated their first four opponents by a combined margin of 214-44.
 
TCNJ trailed 12-0 after a pair of first-quarter touchdowns by Salisbury, but a 45-yard scamper by quarterback Dean Licari set up Tim Willever's 32-yard field goal as the blue and gold got on the board on the first play of the second quarter.
 
Salisbury essentially put the game to rest with a blitz to end the stanza, scoring four unanswered touchdowns before halftime to extend its lead all the way out to 41-3 at the break. Darrell Walter scored on short touchdown runs just two minutes apart, and quarterback SyRus McGowan took one in himself from 3 yards out with 1:56 left in the period. After a quick Lions three-and-out, McGowan found Mason Fisher on the next play for a 46-yard touchdown.
 
Matthew Sims' 58-yard touchdown strike to Daniel Clark made it 48-3 before Joe Visaggio stopped the bleeding with a 2-yard touchdown run with 11:48 left to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
 
The matchup was a juicy one, pitting two of the nation's top-10 rushing attacks against each other; Salisbury, perennially one of Division III's most lethal ground games with its triple-option scheme, came in 2^nd at 356.3 rush yards per game, while TCNJ was 9^th at 284.0 yards per contest.
 
TCNJ held Salisbury well below its average, though the hosts did rack up 205 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The surprise difference-maker was the Sea Gulls' aerial attack.
 
McGowan (7-for-11, 202 yards, 1 TD) and Sims (2-for-3, 62 yards, TD) combined to throw for 264 yards and a pair of scores on just 14 passing attempts, while the Lions were just 4-of-9 for 56 yards through the air. Salisbury averaged 18.9 yards per attempt and 29.3 per completion, and the Sea Gulls punted just once while finishing 6-of-9 on third downs and 2-for-2 on fourth.
 
Visaggio managed a touchdown for the third time in four games, but TCNJ was held to just 135 yards on 49 attempts, not counting a 25-yard loss credited to punter Jake Ware on a punting miscue.
 
Ryan Gill led the receivers with three catches for 49 yards, both season highs. Max DiPietro had the other reception, the first of his career.
 
Justin Kurc and Dave Giulian tallied eight tackles apiece, while Corey Baglivo finished with six and the first forced fumble of his career. Sam Kuhns notched his first career interception, and Dylan Patscher blocked an extra point. Chimmy Ozokpor finished with a season-best seven tackles.
 
UP NEXT

• TCNJ welcomes William Paterson to Lions Stadium next Saturday for Homecoming