OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The 21st-ranked Salisbury University football team heads across the Bay Bridge to take on the Stevenson Mustangs in the Sea Gulls' first road contest of the 2022 season on Saturday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills, Md.

The Series: Even though the two schools are separated by less than 130 miles, it will be the first time that the two "SU's" in Maryland square off in football.

Crab Cakes & Football: In the 50-year history of Salisbury football, the Sea Gulls have taken on five Maryland schools: Frostburg St., Towson, Bowie St., McDaniel (Western Maryland) and Johns Hopkins. The Sea Gulls have a combined record of 35-25 against in-state teams.

Frostburg St. – 27-19
Bowie St. – 3-2-2
Towson – 3-3
Johns Hopkins – 2-1
McDaniel (Western Maryland) – 0-1

National Rankings: Salisbury climbed to No. 21 in the D3football.com Poll. The Sea Gulls were the highest-ranked team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in the D3football.com Poll.

The Captains: Salisbury will have four captains to lead the flock in 2022. Seniors Connor Lugo, Chris Kallighan and Hunter Cleaver as well as junior Casey Counts were announced as team captains before the start of preseason camp.

Building with non-conference games: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has a 7-3 record in non-conference games. 

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.

In Salisbury's win against Albright in Week 1, the Sea Gulls rushed for 433 yards as a team. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, the Sea Gulls totaled 18 games with 400 or more yards on the ground.
 
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 Stevenson: Stevenson enters Saturday's contest 1-0 after a 25-21 road win at St. Vincent.
The Mustangs, who were picked to finish second in the Middle Atlantic Conference, will be led by quarterback Ryan Sedgwick. Sedgwick is one touchdown pass away from the program record of 61 passing touchdowns. Sedgwick is also second in program history in career completions (480) and passing yards (6,625).

Sedgwick's top target is wide receiver Steven Smothers, who recorded 937 yards on 76 catches and nine touchdowns in 2021.

The defense is led by linebacker Sean Sullivan, who had a team-high 67 tackles in 2021.

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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 learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.