Salisbury, Md. - Salisbury head football coach Sherman Wood said his team was going to be dangerous offensively this season and his No.9-ranked Sea Gulls proved just that in the opener at Sea Gull Stadium as SU rolled up 522 yards of total offense in a 48-28 triumph over Methodist College in both squads' season openers.

Salisbury quarterback Dustin Johnson rushed for 103 yards at intermission and finished as the game's leading ground gainer with 150 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. SU running back Leroy Satchell added 96 more on 15 attempts and three scores and Jamar Garner tallied 80 yards on just two carries, including a 79-yard touchdown. The Gulls finished with 388 yards on the ground and 134 through the air.

Johnson also was on target in the passing game, completing 7-oof-10 passes for 84 yards. Travis Peters spelled Johnson for several series' in the second half and completed 3-of-6 passes for 50 yards, while gaining 17 yards on the ground.

Methodist quarterback Chris Roncketti only gained 24 yards on the ground, but completed 15-of-31 passes for 222 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. George Sands was on the receiving end of four aerials for 108 yards, while Mike Hill led the squad with five receptions for 28 yards. The Monarchs finished with 319 yards of total offense, with 218 coming through the air.

The Sea Gulls found themselves in a dogfight early in the first quarter. After Johnson took the opening play of a drive and scampered 51 yards for a score with 11:12 remaining in the opening period, the Monarchs took advantage of a bad snap from center on a fourth-down attempt and stuck the ball in the end zone. Mike Hill finished a 16-yard drive with a two-yard burst to knot the score at 7-7 with 35 seconds remaining in the stanza.

Methodist then took its only lead of the game early in the second quarter after Johnson fumbled and the Monarchs recovered on the SU 41-yard line. Patrick Doleman caught a 41-yard pass from Roncketti on the game's next play and Patrick Larkin's extra point game MC a 14-7 lead with 13:52 left in the half.

Salisbury responded quickly SU junior Byron Westbrook took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 71 yards to the Methodist eight. Westbrook finished the game with three kickoff returns for 164 yards. Four plays later Brock Boland, who was an all-region player a year ago, hit a 22-yard field goal to pull the Sea Gulls within 14-10 with 12:10 left in the period.

On the Gulls' next drive, the squad methodically moved 88 yards in 11 plays and used up 5:13 of the period. Satchell hit paydirt from 29 yards out with 4:44 on the clock and SU took the lead for good, 17-14.

Satchell culminated the next drive for SU, finishing off an eight-play, 56-yard drive with 51 seconds left in the half and the Sea Gulls led 24-14 at intermission.

The first time SU touched the ball in the second half, the Sea Gulls put the ball in the end zone. Satchell completed a six-play, 49-yard drive with a one-yard score with 10:42 left in the period for a 31-14 lead.

Boland then showed no signs of a sore hip he's been suffering from during training camp as he stepped on the field and nailed a 46-yard field goal with 8:48 remaining in the third to boost the SU lead to 34-14.

Satchell then added a 15-yard touchdown run and Garner hit paydirt from 79 yards out to account for the Salisbury scoring in the fourth period. Hill scored a one-yard touchdown run and Andrew Gurley caught a 16-yard scoring toss from Antonio Bartee for the Monarch's two scores in the period.

Jacquis McCray led the Salisbury defense with seven tackles, two for a total of 15 yards in losses. Joe Galloway and Zach Armiger each added six tackles apiece and had tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Salisbury will now hit the road for two weeks. The Sea Gulls travel to SUNY Brockport next Saturday and then trek to Christopher Newport on Sept. 17.