SALISBURY, MD.- Christopher Newport knocked off 18th-ranked Salisbury Saturday, 51-39, to snap a six-game losing streak and post the 100th victory in CNU football history. The Captains, now 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, recorded 495 yards of total offense and snapped a Salisbury five-game winning streak.
CNU was led by outstanding offensive performances from senior quarterback Tyler Quigley, junior wide receiver Taylor Loudan, and junior running backDaquan Davis. The trio combined for all six offensive scores, and senior linebacker Mic Edwards added an interception return for a defensive score score.
"This was one of the best ever for our program," Head Coach Matt Kelchner said following the triumph. "We needed a win badly and this was quite a way for us to get our 100th."
The day didn't start well for the Captains as Salisbury opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the first quarter with a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage on the day. CNU bounced back, though, and evened the score just two minutes later on a 57-yard scoring pass from Quigley to Davis.
Christopher Newport took its first lead of the day when Davis scored again, this time on a one-yard plunge to cap a 10-play, 79-yard drive. The Sea Gulls answered quickly with a scoring pass to even the game at 14-14 following the opening quarter.
The Captains took control in the second quarter by scoring two touchdowns and allowing just a Salisbury field goal. Quigley connected on a 20-yard scoring pass to Loudan, and in the final minute of the first half, Quigley reached the end zone on a one-yard surge to give the Captains a 28-17 halftime lead.
With 8:27 left in the third quarter, freshman kicker Andrew Harper booted a 20-yard field goal to push the lead to 31-17. The score was the first in a third quarter all season for the Captains, who had been out-scored, 49-0, in the third quarters of their first seven games.
CNU put the game away with three touchdowns in the final quarter. Quigley plunged into the end zone for the second time from one yard out, Davis posted his third touchdown of the day on a four-yard run, and Edwards concluded the CNU scoring with a 17-yard interception return. A late Salisbury score provided the 51-39 final verdict.
"I've been happy with our effort all season," Kelchner continued. "We've been working hard and just haven't been seeing the result in the form of a win. Today, this was a complete team effort and a tremendous victory."
Junior wide receiver Taylor Loudan posted the third-highest receiving yard total in program history with 230 yards on 13 receptions, including the 20-yard touchdown catch.
Senior quarterback Tyler Quigley completed his first 13 pass attempts, and finished the day 19 of 23 for 306 yards passing and two touchdown throws as well as two scoring runs. It was just the 8th time a CNU passer has gone over the 300-yard mark in a game.
Junior running back Daquan Davis rushed for 118 yards on 25 carries and scored twice on the ground and once on a pass play. It is the first time this season a CNU rusher has gone over the 100-yard mark.
Christopher Newport became just the fourth school of current Division III members to reach 100 total victories in 15 seasons or less. Mary Hardin-Baylor, Thomas More, and the University of Chicago are the others to achieve the milestone.
Salisbury fell to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference with the loss at Sea Gull Stadium. The Sea Gulls came into the game averaging 49.7 points per game, and were 7th in the nation in scoring and 2nd in the country in total yardage per game.
The Captains are now 4-3 all-time at Salisbury's Sea Gull Stadium. The Gulls hold a 9-5 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the very first CNU game on September 1st of 2001.
CNU returns to POMOCO Stadium next Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff against William Paterson. The game will be the final home game of 2015 for the Captains..
CNU Football Stuns 18th-Ranked Salisbury, 51-39, for 100th Victory in Program History
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151031_qf8f.xml
2015
Christopher Newport
51
Salisbury
39
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Newport (2-6) | 14 | 14 | 3 | 20 | 51 |
| No. 21 Salisbury (5-2) | 14 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 39 |
Oct 31, 2015