NEWPORT NEWS — In a game that most definitely lived up to the hype, No. 13 Christopher Newport University clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a draining 45-42 win over No. 7 Salisbury Saturday night at TowneBank Stadium.
Quarterback Connor Barry threw for 254 yards and ran for 65 more, while the Captains’ defense forced four turnovers and held the Sea Gulls’ offense to two touchdowns in the second half — the second with 19 seconds remaining.
As a result, CNU (9-0, 6-0 NJAC) clinched a playoff spot for the second time in three years. The Captains can win the conference championship outright, and likely at least one home game, with a win at The College of New Jersey in their regular-season finale.
And after the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans rushed the field.
“That feeling is something I’ve never had in my life before,” said CNU defensive end Connor Estrella, who had two sacks to raise his season total to a school-record nine. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
“I didn’t play a single snap last year because I was injured and truly thought my college career was over. This means a lot, seriously.”
CNU’s offense did its thing, but it was the defense that made the difference. Although the Captains gave up 42 points and 480 total yards, those numbers are both below Salisbury’s season averages. And only 12 of those points and 156 of those yards were in the second half.
But most important, the Captains’ D forced four turnovers.
On the first, CNU rover Noah Martin recovered a fumble at the Salisbury 26-yard line. That set up a two-play touchdown drive capped by Barry’s 9-yard scoring pass to Josh Powell.
On the second, defensive end Charlie Clawson Jr. caught a fumble by Salisbury quarterback SyRus McGowan in the air and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. That gave CNU a 28-24 lead with 8:42 left in the second quarter.
“I got a down block and ripped off of him, and I saw the ball go up in the air,” Clawson said. “I just caught it and hit the jets.”
And on the fourth, linebacker Masi Bruning intercepted a pass that gave the Captains’ offense possession at the Salisbury 22. Jonathan Gates’ 40-yard field goal gave CNU a 38-30 lead with 11:27 in the third quarter.
That’s four turnovers, three of which led to 17 points.
“Ever since the first day of camp, we talked about the importance of winning the turnover margin,” CNU coach Paul Crowley said. “We did a great job of getting after the quarterback, which always helps. And with triple-option teams, turnovers can be a bugaboo.”
Also big was the Captains’ running game, which gained 202 yards — 170 in the second half, and 94 of that on one possession. Gunner White, whose status appeared iffy after an injury in last week’s win over Montclair State, capped that possession with a 28-yard touchdown.
The first half alone had as much drama, if not more, than your average 60 minutes of football. The teams combined for 58 points, 559 yards of offense, four turnovers, a blocked kick and an inadvertent official’s whistle that might have cost the Captains a touchdown.
On the first possession of the game, Salisbury converted two third-and-longs and went 76 yards in seven plays for a quick 7-0 lead. After recovering a fumble for a short field, CNU tied it on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Barry to Powell not six minutes in.
And they were off. The Sea Gulls led 21-7 with 3:10 left in the first quarter; the Captains went ahead 28-24 with 8:42 left in the second quarter.
Salisbury answered on a 42-yard catch-and-run by Dario Belizaire, who trucked a CNU defender along the way, to put the Sea Gulls back ahead 30-28 with 5:12 left in the half. The PAT try was blocked after a bad snap.
On its next possession, CNU had a first-and-goal from the 10 when Barry scrambled and found Beau Sahnow in the end zone. As he tried to make the catch, he stumbled and fell to the ground. The ball bounced off his chest and was intercepted in the end zone by Salisbury’s Andrew Gioia.
The Sea Gulls seemed on their way to making it a two-possession game again. But making a catch and taking two steps, wideout Belizaire had the ball knocked loose by CNU linebacker Nick Orlando.
As safety Tahir Johnson scooped up the ball and took off for the end zone, an official blew his whistle and ruled an incomplete pass. Crowley challenged, and after a trip to the replay tent, the referee agreed.
