SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University football team put together 495 yards of total offense Saturday night against Christopher Newport University while the Sea Gull defense stymied the Captains, allowing just 154 yards of offense in a 58-10 victory at Sea Gull Stadium.

Salisbury began strong as the offense found the end zone on all five of its first half possessions. Sophomore quarterback Dan Griffin engineered a seven-play, 59-yard drive to open the game. All of the plays were rushes, capped by senior Bryan Woolson's 5-yard score for a 7-0 Sea Gull lead.

The defense would not be outdone with early fireworks. Juniors Matt Leon and Jamey McClendon combined for a sack of Christopher Newport quarterback Matt Long on the opening defensive play of the game for Salisbury (2-0). It was the first of seven sacks on the day by the Salisbury defense. The first drive for the Captains (0-2) went three-and-out they could not get past midfield on their second possession of the day. Before Christopher Newport would get the ball again, they would be down 21-0 as the Sea Gull offense poured it on.

Junior Randal Smedley found pay dirt on the second drive, capping a three-play drive with a 2-yard run before the Sea Gull offense embarked on its most impressive drive of the day. Salisbury got behind its offensive line, running the ball 12 times, six of which came by Griffin for 40 yards, eating up six and a half minutes of clock before junior Tyler Curley capped the 67-yard drive with a 4-yard scoring plunge.

Though Griffin would not get in the end zone on that drive, it was just a matter of time. The sophomore had a career day, carrying the ball 17 times for 153 yards. He scored a touchdown on each of the Sea Gulls' next three possessions. His 2-yard scoring run as time expired in the second quarter gave Salisbury a commanding 35-3 halftime edge.

While the offense was putting up points, the defense was allowing Christopher Newport nothing. At halftime the Captains had managed just 18 yards of total offense, all of which had come through the air.

The Sea Gull defense was a balanced attack, led by senior lineman Riley Fritts, who finished with 4.5 tackles including a pair of sacks that pushed the Captains back 19 yards. Leon and McClendon each had 1.5 sacks while Dion Bowen and Chris Everett each finished with one quarterback takedown.

Special teams again set the stage for the Salisbury offense this week. With three different players returning punts and kickoffs, the Gulls averaged nearly 20 yards per return. The strong returns allowed the average Salisbury starting point on offense to be near midfield, at the Sea Gull 42-yard line.

Salisbury leads the all-time series against Christopher Newport 6-3 with Saturday's win. The Sea Gulls now move ahead to their longest road trip of the 2010 season when they travel to Bangor, Maine next Saturday to take on Husson University.