PATERSON, N.J. – The Salisbury University football team looks to continue rolling in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play on Saturday, Oct. 8 against the William Paterson Pioneers. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Wightman Stadium.

The Series: Salisbury holds the 12-2 series edge over William Paterson and enters Saturday's contest on an eight-game winning streak.

Last season, Salisbury wrapped up the 2021 regular season with a 38-7 victory over William Paterson. Joey Bildstein led the day with 21 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown. Shamar Gray and Chad Gleason totaled three touchdowns. Josh Adewumi had six tackles and forced a fumble.

Last Game vs. Montclair St.: Salisbury opened NJAC play with a 30-7 win over Montclair St. last Saturday. Caleb Brubaker intercepted Mason Murdock twice in the game, including a 79-yard interception for a touchdown. Dario Belizaire and David Fletcher tallied 55 and 54 rushing yards respectively. Belizaire added his fourth touchdown of the season. Joey Bildstein had 41 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Josh Barker tallied seven tackles. Brubaker, Charles Barley and Josh Adewumi each had six tackles. Ben Spiess forced a fumble on a sack in the fourth quarter which was recovered by Frank Giannetti.

The Class of the NJAC: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 50 games in the conference. The 50 wins stand as the most wins among active teams in the conference. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won four conference championships which is the most in the eight-year span. The Sea Gulls also enter Saturday's game on a 16-game conference winning streak.

All-NJAC Returners: The squad returns six of the 18 All-NJAC selections from a season ago, led by All-NJAC First Team superback Joey Bildstein. The Sea Gulls also return second-team selections Connor Lugo, Hunter Cleaver, Casey Counts and Aaron Jahnke along with honorable mention pick A.J. Butler.

Built on the Run: The notorious triple-option offense, Salisbury pushed its streak of top-10 rushing offenses in the nation in 2021 to 10 straight years. The Salisbury offense finished third in the nation in rushing offense in 2021 with a 324.3 yards per game average. The Sea Gulls also ranked 17th in the country in passing efficiency (163.45) and 34th in Division III in total offense with a unit that averaged 433.3 yards per game. Joey Bildstein led the NJAC in rushing with 779 yards on 125 attempts. He tallied seven touchdowns and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Bildstein, Jaden Davis and David Fletcher are all amongst the top-five in the NJAC in rushing.

In three of Salisbury's wins in 2022, the team gained 400 or more rushing yards. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, the Sea Gulls totaled 20 games with 400 or more yards on the ground.

Pitching shutouts: For the first time since the 2019 season, the Salisbury defense pitched two shutouts during the season. Since joining the NJAC, Salisbury has collected 10 shutouts. The 12th-ranked defense entering the game at William Paterson, the SU defense has not allowed a point since the 4:40 mark of the second quarter against Ave Maria.

Running Wild: In the Ave Maria and Western New England games, a pair of Salisbury rushers gained for 100 or more yards in a game. Jaden Davis repeated his 100-plus yard performance from the Ave Maria game with a 109-yard effort against Western New England. Joey Bildstein led the day with 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Before Davis and David Fletcher's performance against Ave Maria, it was four years since SU had two players rush for over 100 yards when Frank Pipich Jr. (188 yards) and Kadarrius Campbell (134 yards) did it in the SU vs. Frostburg St. game on Nov. 10, 2018.

Among the Greats: Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood ranks in the top-20 of active coaches in wins, regardless of NCAA Division. Entering 2022, Coach Wood has totaled 185 victories as head coach with stints at Bowie State and SU, which is more victories than other notable coaches with 20-plus years of experience such as Kirk Ferentz at Iowa and Frank Solich at Ohio.

Scouting William Paterson: William Paterson, under first-year head coach Shaun Williams, enters Saturday's game with a 4-1 record. The four wins matches their win total from 2021.

The Pioneers are led by freshman running back Nazir Dale and junior receivers Matt Clarke and Taz Burton. Dale leads the NJAC in rushing with 591 yards and five touchdowns. Burton and Clarke have caught 16 and 10 passes respectively. Burton has 199 receiving yards while Clarke has 150 receiving yards.

The Pioneer defense leads the conference in fewest yards allowed. The unit is led by Samod Wingo, Key'mann Coleman and Nazier Wright. Wingo is second in the conference in tackles with 45. Coleman and Wright are in the top-15 in the NJAC in tackles. Wright leads the conference in sacks. 

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 189 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.