ALLIANCE, Ohio - The 24th-ranked Salisbury University football team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. Coming off clinching their fourth-straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship, the Sea Gulls will have to be the 'Road Warriors' in hopes of getting back to the Stagg Bowl as they take on the second-ranked University of Mount Union Purple Raiders in the NCAA First Round. The game is set for a noon kickoff on Saturday from Kehres Stadium in Alliance, Ohio.

The Series: Salisbury and Mount Union have never faced each other in football.

Last game vs. CNU: One of the most thrilling games in recent memory, the Sea Gulls outlasted the CNU Captains in a thrilling 36-33 victory in the final game of the regular season to earn their fourth consecutive NJAC Championship.

As a team, the Sea Gulls totaled 432 yards of total offense, including 404 yards on the ground. The team was led by superback Joey Bildstein. The junior rushed for a career-high 239 yards on 36 carries and five touchdowns. It is the first time that an SU player has rushed for five scores since the 2010 season. It was also SU's first 200-plus yard game since the 2018 season.

Caleb Brubaker had a game-high nine tackles with his league-high seventh interception in the fourth quarter. He also added a pass breakup and a blocked extra point. C.J. Wood and Jimmy Celentano each tallied five tackles. Celentano added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

The Class of the NJAC: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 55 games in the conference. The 55 wins stand as the most wins among active teams in the conference. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won five conference championships which is the most in the eight-year span. The Sea Gulls wrapped up the 2022 regular season on a 21-game conference winning streak.

Playoff History: Salisbury is making its 13th appearance in the national tournament and it's the third-straight berth in the playoffs. The Sea Gulls hold a 10-12 record in the tournament with a 6-6 record in first-round games.

Built on the Run: The notorious triple-option offense, Salisbury enters Saturday's contest as the third-best rushing team in the country with a 352.2 average per game through the regular season. In five of Salisbury's wins in 2022, the team gained 400 or more rushing yards. Salisbury notched a season-best 473 rushing yards in the win over TCNJ. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, the Sea Gulls totaled 22 games with 400 or more yards on the ground.

Joey Bildstein finished the regular season tops in the NJAC and ninth in the nation in rushing with  1,215 rushing yards. Bildstein also sits 10th in the country in yards per carry, averaging 6.83 yards per attempts and tied for 10th in Division III with 15 rushing scores.
David Fletcher, Dario Belizaire and Jaden Davis also are among the top 10 in the conference in rushing. Davis totaled 543 rushing yards, Belizaire has 476 yards on the ground and Fletcher is right behind with 382 yards. Salisbury rushers are all in the top five in yards per carry. Davis (9.5), Fletcher (8.7), Belizaire (8.2), Bildstein (6.8) and Baebaa Sayeh (5.7) all are at the top of the rankings.

Pitching Shutouts: The Salisbury defense's scoreless streak that started in the second quarter at the 4:40 mark of the second quarter against Ave Maria ended in the TCNJ game with the streak capped at 15 quarters with a field goal at 11:25 in the second. Salisbury enters the final game of the regular season as the 16th-ranked defense in Division III in terms of yards allowed (231.2) and the 18th-ranked scoring defense with the Sea Gulls giving up 12.6 points per game. Since joining the NJAC, Salisbury has collected 11 shutouts.

Running Wild: In the Ave Maria, Western New England and TCNJ games, a pair of Salisbury rushers gained 100 or more yards in a game. Joey Bildstein and Dario Belizaire each ran for 154 and 127 rushing yards respectively against Rowan. 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.

1K: Junior superback Joey Bildstein became the first Salisbury rusher since Joe Benedetti in 2012 to cross the 1,000-rushing yard mark in a season with his career-high 239 yards against CNU.

Bildstein bested his career-high in rushing five times during the regular season. He tallied 100 or more rushing yards six times and went over 150 yards in four of the final five games of the season.

Ball Hawking: Salisbury enters Saturday's contest ranked third the nation with 21 picks. Salisbury has recorded an interception in each of the 10 games so far in 2022. Caleb Brubaker is in a tie for third in Division III with seventh interceptions this season.

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 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 Mount Union: One of the traditional powers of Division III football, Mount Union secured enters Saturday's game with a 10-0 record. Mount Union has a 107-19 record in NCAA playoff games and the Raiders have advanced to the Stagg Bowl 21 times since 1993 with a record 13 National Championships. Mount Union has now made the tournament a record 33 times.

Raider senior quarterback Braxton Plunk is ranked nationally in several passing categories, including second in passing touchdowns (36) and third in passing yards (3,087). Plunk's favorite target is Wayne Ruby, who leads the nation in receiving touchdowns (20).

Mount Union has the top defense in the country, only allowing 171.4 yards per game and second in rushing yards allowed with 45.0 yards per game.

What's on the Line: The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face the winner of the Susquehanna/Utica matchup on Saturday, Nov. 26.

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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, 188 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.