Offensive mishaps continue to plague the Rowan football team, as they managed just one touchdown in a 24-7 loss to the Christopher Newport Captains on Oct. 19.

Miscues were most likely the topic of Monday morning practice for the Profs, as turnovers shifted the momentum of the game in the Captains’ favor, and the Profs never found a way to shift it back. 

“I always talk to the guys about, ‘Hey every play is the most important play,’” Head Coach Pat Ruley said. “At the end of the day, there are going to be five or six plays that define the game.”

After getting a defensive stop on the opening drive, a fumble on the punt return gave Newport great field position at the Profs seven-yard line. Christopher Newport took advantage, striking first with a touchdown. 

The Profs offense responded with a 12-play drive that got them to the Captain’s goal line, but instead of tying it up, a fumble recovered by the defense kept points off the board and Christopher Newport had the momentum the rest of the way.

“Just couldn’t finish,” Quarterback Nate Maiers said. “I think we turned it over three times, twice in the red zone. That can’t happen.”

What could’ve been a 7-7 game completely swung and turned into a 17-0 halftime lead for Newport. The Profs had a chance to find a groove in the third quarter when senior Defensive Lineman Ahmad Gantt forced and recovered a fumble in Newport’s territory. 

Quarterback Matt Welsey snuck in a one-yard touchdown to give the Profs some life and cut the score down to 17-7. 

The Profs could never get it going offensively after, and Newport scored once more in the fourth quarter to provide the game’s final margin.

In a battle that was all momentum-based, the box score did not reflect the score or outcome. The Profs outgained Newport 259 to 230 yards offensively, held the ball an extra two minutes and 12 seconds, and had a better third down conversion rate, but the early momentum ruled the day for Newport.

Similar offensive mistakes doomed the Profs in earlier games this season, with miscues and momentum-shifting turnovers plaguing them. 

“It’s not like we haven’t emphasized these things in the past, it’s just continuing emphasizing things, having unique ways and things to make sure the skill guys offensively are taking care of the football,” Ruley said.

Despite a solid effort defensively, senior Captain Josh Ortiz was not content with the performance, understanding more defensive stops could’ve given the offense the opportunity to take the game back.

“At the end of the day we let up 24 points,” Ortiz said. “There’s always room for improvement, we made a lot of plays last week, but unfortunately at the end of the day, we let up those 24 points. If we didn’t let up anything we would’ve won 7-0.”

Christopher Newport, despite their 2-3 record heading into the matchup with the Profs, was a battle-tested team that had close scrapes with nationally ranked teams such as John Hopkins and Salisbury. Ruley understands the advantage that comes with being battle-tested.

“When you play in a lot of big games in the season, the more you play in, the easier it is for your guys to assimilate as they go,” Ruley said. “This is a huge one in a lot of ways if we want any chance at playing in the postseason, so in a lot of ways it’s a conference championship game.”

Ruley is referring to the upcoming game against the Salisbury Sea Gulls. Salisbury is nationally ranked and currently No. 6 in the country and is by far the toughest test yet for the Profs. They are sporting an undefeated 6-0 record and have one of the toughest offenses in the country, averaging an outstanding 49.5 points per game.

“We gotta be fast, physical, and ready to go,” Ortiz said. “At the end of the day, we gotta fire off the ball on both sides, O-Line and D-Line. Saturday’s going to be a dog fight and the bigger dogs are going to come out on top.”

“We just gotta go in there and give it our all,” Maiers said. “They’re a great team but it’s football. One thing goes our way, stop them, play with a lead so they can’t run their triple option.”

The Profs head up to Salisbury, MD this Saturday, Oct. 26, for a showdown with the Sea Gulls. 

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