BROCKPORT, NY - Like a wild animal backed into the corner, the Salisbury University football team was put in an adverse position Saturday afternoon at Special Olympics Stadium. After turning the ball over three times and shanking a 10-yard punt deep in their own territory in the first half, the No.12-ranked Sea Gulls found themselves trailing SUNY Brockport 23-7 at intermission. But SU responded with 296 yards of offense while holding the Golden Eagles to just 115 yards in the final 30 minutes and outscored Brockport 28-7 en route to a 35-30 victory.

The win propelled the defending Atlantic Central Football Conference champions to 2-0 on the year, 1-0 in the ACFC. Brockport dropped its second straightBolt the season, while falling to 0-1 in league play. Salisbury will now travel to Christopher Newport University next Saturday to attempt to avenge last year's first-round playoff loss. The Golden Eagles will be back in league play when they visit unbeaten Newport News Apprentice School.

There is no mistake that Salisbury's offense is potent this season. After rolling up 522 yards a week ago in a 48-28 win over Methodist, the Sea Gulls finished with 309 yards on the ground and 126 more through the air for 435 yards against Brockport. The Golden Eagles held their own offensively, picking up 86 on the ground, but 322 in the air.

Salisbury senior quarterback Dustin Johnson (Delmar, Md/Delmar) dominated play both on the ground and through the air. He ran for 126 yards on 22 carries, while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He also controlled the airways, connecting on 7-of-12 passes for 126 yards and two more scores. Joseph Early (New Market, Md./Linganore) (33 yards), Teddy Savage (Owings Mills, Md./Poly) (18 yards) and Leroy Satchell (Baltimore, Md./Waynesboro) each were on the receiving end of two passes apiece.

Satchell, who gained 1,259 yards a year ago, had his best game of the young season, crossing 174 stripes on 29 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry while scoring a touchdown.

The Eagles were effective with their passing game. A.J. Covella picked apart the Sea Gull secondary to complete 25-of-37 passes for 322 yards and three scores. Salisbury's Byron Westbrook (Fort Washington, Md./DeMatha) and Terrance Dorsey (Upper Marlboro, Md./Roosevelt) each intercepted a pass in the game.

Last season Salisbury and Brockport combined for 67 points. This year's effort was almost as exciting as they scored 65. But in the early going it was the Golden Eagles who looked like they were going to have their own way. Before the high-powered Sea Gull offense touched the ball, Brockport took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards in nine plays as Covella hit Matt McCormick with a 13-yard scoring toss. Adam Lanctot's extra point gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 10:05 left in the opening stanza.

After a Salisbury fumble, Brockport again stuck the ball in the endzone, driving 47 yards in just two plays. Covella worked his magic, hitting Mike Mahoney for the 15-yard scoring toss after the two combined for a 42-yard pass and run on the play prior. The point after failed, leaving the Golden Eagles ahead 13-0 with 7:30 left in the half.

Salisbury retaliated, driving 70 yards in 11 plays and using 6:16 of the clock. Johnson did the honors, scoring from five yards out. Brock Boland nailed the extra point with 1:07 left in the quarter.

The team traded possessions early in the second quarter until another costly SU mistake resulted in points on the board for Brockport. Backed up deep in their own territory, the Sea Gulls lined up to punt from their own 15-yard line. The Bryan Prichard (Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson) punt was shanked and only went 10 yards and Kevin Beaumont returned it 25 yards for the score, giving the Golden Eagles a 20-7 lead with 5:46 left in the half.

Johnson turned the ball over on a fumble when he was tackled for a loss and SUNY Brockport would turn that into a 22-yard field goal by Lanctot for a 23-7 lead at the half, with 16 of their points coming at the expense of Salisbury mistakes.

Both teams started slow in the second half, but Salisbury cut the Brockport lead to 23-14 with 10:03 left in the quarter when Johnson hit Jamar Garner (Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson) in stride with a 56-yard scoring strike.

After a Golden Eagle punt, the business-like Sea Gulls went back to work, methodically driving 71 yards in nine plays. Satchell crashed in from 12 yards out to cut the lead to 23-21 with 5:10 left in the third.

Salisbury took the lead for good with 13:05 remaining in the contest. A six-play, 47-yard drive ended with Johnson hitting Early for a 20-yard scoring strike. Boland's PAT put SU ahead 28-23.

The next time they touched the ball, the Sea Gulls once again hit paydirt. Andrew Deming (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) put Salisbury in business when he recovered a Covella fumble at the Brockport 31. Johnson scored on a 23-yard jaunt four plays later and Boland's PAT created a 35-23 lead with 8:52 remaining.

The Golden Eagles made the game interesting again with 28-yard touchdown pass from Covella to Mike Calderon with 3:05 remaining to pull the Golden Eagles to within 35-30. But Dorsey stopped a late charge with an interception at the Salisbury 41.

Thaddeus Hicks (Cape May, NJ/Lackey) led the Sea Gull defensive charge, recording eight unassisted tackles and finished with 11 total. James Jones (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) and Jacquis McCray (Silver Spring, Md./Kennedy) each added seven tackles, Justin Ritter (Smyrna, De./Smyrna) finished with five tackles and a sack for 16 yards. Zach Armiger (Parkton, Md./Hereford) also finished with five tackles, two of them coming behind the line of scrimmage.