EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ football team had 13
th-ranked Salisbury on upset alert for much of Saturday's NJAC opener, but the Lions went scoreless after the first quarter as the Sea Gulls slithered free of the hosts' clutches for a hard-earned 21-9 victory.
TCNJ (1-3, 0-1) had Lions Stadium rocking early, forcing a quick three-and-out for the high-powered Salisbury attack.
Jordan Morrell's 34-yard run through the middle set up the blue and gold from the Sea Gulls' 12-yard line, and
Sam Dech broke free of an ankle tackle and rumbled into the end zone for a 6-0 lead inside of five minutes.
Salisbury (4-0, 1-0), which rang up 121 points against its first three opponents, went backwards on its next possession, and
Dominic Passero's perfectly placed 56-yard punt backed the visitors up on their own 1-yard line for their next drive.
CJ Dingle's pass breakup polished off another three-and-out for the TCNJ defense, and a short punt set the Lions up on the Salisbury 36.
Morrell converted a 4
th-and-1 with a five-yard run up the middle before
Tim Willever's 31-yard field goal put the Lions on top, 9-0, with 4 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Salisbury finally got its vaunted triple-option attack out of neutral as the clock turned to the second quarter, marching down to the Lions' 18-yard line before Cassidy stacked up Sy'Rus McGowan a yard short of the sticks on fourth down. The Sea Gulls, however, forced a TCNJ punt and covered 64 yards on six plays to get on the board courtesy of McGowan's 9-yard keeper at the 3:59 mark of the period.
The Lions ran Morrell five times for 26 yards to get down into field-goal range at the end of the half, but Caden Bradford came off the edge to block Willever's 43-yard attempt and keep the margin at just 9-7.
The game turned early in the third quarter. Salisbury, remarkably, committed three personal foul penalties in a span of seven plays, giving TCNJ a golden chance to score as the blue and gold pulled into the red zone. Morrell lost the ball on a short run, but was initially ruled down by contact. The Sea Gulls, however, successfully challenged the play and were awarded possession after the officials ruled a clear recovery of the fumble, denying the Lions a chance to extend their lead.
Salisbury then went right down the field, churning up 86 yards in nine plays as McGowan called his number over and over on keepers, including three times for 26 yards around a 14-yard completion before Malachi Dokes powered into the end zone from four yards out to give the Sea Gulls a 14-9 lead – their first of the afternoon – at the 5:54 mark of the third.
TCNJ picked up several first downs in its attempt to regain the lead, including a completion from
Walker Bailey to
Bryce Cammarata to convert a 3
rd-and-10. Dech picked up seven on a third-down tote and the Lions moved to the Salisbury 22, but Bailey was sacked on a fourth-down try and Salisbury took over on downs.
McGowan continued to call his own number on the clinching scoring drive for Salisbury, picking up a pair of first downs on designed keepers in addition to two 13-yard runs by Jason Oakes before Oakes took an option pitch and eluded a tackle attempt before sprinting down the sideline for a 13-yard touchdown to make it 21-9 with 8:18 to play.
TCNJ put forth a valiant effort to get back in it,
Ryan Mendes picking up a 3
rd-and-10 with a 14-yard run before hauling in a 20-yard reception on the next play to get back into the red zone. But on a 4
th-and-3 from the 11-yard line, Bailey had a rusher in his face immediately and had his pass broken up for another turnover on downs. Salisbury then picked up three first downs on the ground to ice it.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Salisbury outgained the Lions by a slim 311-268 margin, but fell well short of its previous per-gam average of 399 yards per game and was held to just over half of its scoring average of 40.3 points per game entering Saturday
- Both teams dominated on the ground, with the Sea Gulls gaining 228 yards rushing to 211 for the Lions
- TCNJ was 4-of-11 on third down and held Salisbury without a third-down conversion (0-for-5)
- The Lions held possession for nearly 34 minutes
FOR THE FOES
- McGowan rushed for a team-high 95 yards and a TD while completing 6-of-9 passes for 83 yards
- Doakes picked up 40 yards and a score on eight carries
- Tyler Ohlmeyer racked up a game-high 13 tackles, while Nana Baidoo added 11 (including a sack) and Dylan Lyerly had 10
STANDOUT LIONS
- Morrell piled up a season-high 119 yards on 20 carries
- Dech produced 51 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushes
- Bailey was 7-of-13 for 57 yards through the air
- Cassidy, Dingle, and Kalinauskas all tied for the team lead with six tackles
- Mendes had 17 yards receiving and 15 yards rushing
NOTES
- Morrell notched his second career 100-yard rushing game
- Dech scored his fifth touchdown in four games to start his career; he has found the end zone in all four contests
- Willever's field goal was the 12th of his career
UP NEXT
- The Lions welcome Castleton next Saturday for Homecoming and Family Day, with kickoff set for 3 p.m.
