NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The No. 23 Salisbury University football team opened up its Atlantic Central Football Conference (ACFC) schedule with a 48-17 rout against the Apprentice School on Saturday afternoon at Apprentice Field in front of a crowd of 1,061.

Salisbury (4-1, 1-0 ACFC), ranked No. 17 in the D3football.com poll, broke open a tight game early in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns in 14 seconds. The Sea Gulls capped off a four play, 45-yard drive when Randal Smedley (eight carries, 60 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game from five yards out with 13:30 left in the game. On the ensuing possession Builder quarterback Phil Caralla (15-for-40, 182 yards) was picked off on the first play of scrimmage. SU dawg Matthew Bookard made the interception and returned it 24 yards for the touchdown at the 13:16 mark. This is the second time this season Bookard has made an interception and returned for a touchdown. After the two quick strikes the Sea Gulls led 34-17. Salisbury added two more touchdowns as the maroon and gold outscored Apprentice 27-0 in the decisive fourth quarter.

Salisbury had 360 yards of total offense, 280 yards on the ground, as the Sea Gulls racked up 164 yards in the fourth quarter.

Senior quarterback Ronnie Curley was a triple threat for the Sea Gulls on Saturday. He rushed for 44 yards on 12 carries and scored Salisbury's second touchdown of the game with a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left in the first half to break a 7-7 tie. Curley was 1-for-3 passing for 27 yards to running back Bryan Woolson (seven carries, 48 yards). He capped off his day with a 26-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter off a pass from quarterback Bobby Sheahin (3-for-6, 53 yards). Curley's receiving touchdown, his first of his career, gave SU a 41-17 lead with nine minutes to play. Sophomore Nick Coates (four carries, 23 yards) scored the final touchdown on a 14-yard run with three minutes left in the game.

Apprentice (1-3, 0-1 ACFC) struck first as the Builders scored a touchdown on their third possession of the game. Sam Arnold capped off a 35-yard drive with a one-yard plunge at the goal line early in the second quarter. Salisbury answered two drives later when senior superback Shelby Fisher (nine carries, 54 yards) rumbled in from five yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:21 left before halftime. The Sea Gulls led 14-7 at the break.

The two teams traded touchdowns to begin the third quarter. SU started the second half with a four play, 49-yard drive which ended with a Smedley touchdown. Apprentice responded with a quick strike when Caralla hit Markim Gordon for a 39-yard touchdown pass at the 12:46 mark. The Builders defense held their ground against Salisbury and forced a Sea Gull fumble as Curley coughed up the ball at the Apprentice 38-yard line. The Builders drove the other way and ended the drive with a Matt Edelen 25-yard field goal which cut the SU lead to four, 21-17. That was as close as Apprentice would get as the Sea Gulls hit another gear in the fourth quarter.

Salisbury's defense made three sacks, 12 tackles for a loss of 66 yards, one interception for 24 yards and one touchdown to go with 71 total tackles. Senior linebacker Matt Barnes, the reigning ACFC Defensive Player of the Week, registered six tackles and a sack of his own in the win.

Apprentice was led defensively by Robert Hannah and Mana Ohia, who made 14 tackles each. The Builders recovered two Sea Gull fumbles and made one interception against Sheahin as Deondre James made the pick and returned it 17 yards. The Builders on offense had 229 yards of total offense, 182 through the air and 47 on the ground.

Salisbury will next travel to Rochester, N.Y., to face No. 10 St. John Fisher College on Saturday, October 11, at Noon. This is the first-ever meeting between the Sea Gulls and Cardinals. SJFC was upset on Saturday when it lost 31-28 at home to Hartwick College.