SALISBURY, Md. – Returning home with its greatest momentum of the season, the Salisbury University football team takes aim for its fourth straight win in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup with The College of New Jersey Lions on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kickoff from Sea Gull Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
 
As part of Homecoming and Family Weekend at SU, there will be a Flock Party outside the main gates of Sea Gull Stadium on Wayne Street beginning at 11 a.m., with the in-person ticket window opening at that time.
 
THE RUNDOWN
TICKETS
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
 
The Series: TCNJ owns a 7-6 all-time advantage over Salisbury. The Lions won the first seven matchups in a row between 1981-2001, while the Sea Gulls have won six straight since 2016. SU scored three touchdowns in each of the first three quarters on the way to rolling to a 70-17 win over the Lions in Ewing, N.J., on Oct. 22, 2022. Joey Bildstein and Dario Belizaire combined for 281 of the Sea Gulls' 473 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. The Salisbury defense teamed up to intercept four TCNJ passes on the day.
 
Last Time Out: Salisbury won its third straight game and held onto second place in the NJAC with a 35-20 triumph at Rowan last Saturday.
 
The Sea Gulls ran for all 387 of their total yards of offense, led by Joey Bildstein (121 yards, three touchdowns) and David Fletcher (110 yards). Jadyn Thomas ran it in twice for SU's first two touchdowns on the day.
 
Josh Barker led the SU defense with eight tackles and an interception. Charles Barley also picked off a pass and made five tackles, while Ben Malley recorded a sack.
 
Mr. 200: Saturday's win at Rowan was the 200th in the career of Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood. He became just the 12th active football coach across all levels of the NCAA to reach 200 career wins. Wood, who began his career at Bowie State in 1993 before arriving in Salisbury in 1999, joins a shortlist of college football's winningest bosses, including Alabama's Nick Saban, North Carolina's Mack Brown, and LSU's Brian Kelly.
 
The all-time winningest coach in Sea Gull football history, Wood has guided Salisbury to 19 postseason appearances (including 18 straight entering the 2023 season), 10 NCAA Tournament berths, and nine conference championships while producing 18 D3football.com All-Americans and 304 all-conference selections.
 
Weekly Honors: Salisbury captured weekly NJAC hardware for the third straight week. Josh Barker took home Defensive Player of the Week, while Colin Wargo was named Defensive Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
 
Team Captains: Salisbury named four captains before the start of preseason camp: seniors Casey Counts and Joey Bildstein, along with juniors Jimmy Celentano and Tony Mason. Seniors David Fletcher and Collin Holmes, as well as junior Anthony Behrmann, have also been named captains for the TCNJ game.
 
Class of the NJAC: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 51 league games, the most among active teams in the conference. The Sea Gulls have won five NJAC championships in their first eight years in the league and went undefeated in NJAC play for four straight seasons, winning 21 straight conference games from 2019 through 2022.
 
The Sea Gulls are in pursuit of their fifth straight conference championship after wearing the NJAC crown in 2019, spring 2021, 2021, and 2022. SU's four-title streak is tied for the third-longest in league history. Montclair State won a record six consecutive NJAC titles from 1981-86 and five straight from 1969-73, while Rowan (as Glassboro State) captured four in a row from 1974-77.
 
All Aboard the B-Train: After missing the first four games of the season with an injury, Joey Bildstein hasn't lost a step in his return to the gridiron, rushing for 390 yards and seven touchdowns over his first three games. With a trio of scores at Rowan, Bilstein now has eight career multi-touchdown games and has powered into the end zone at least once in eight straight NJAC contests.
 
A two-time All-NJAC First Team superback, Bildstein enters the TCNJ game with 2,950 career rushing yards, good for ninth in program history after surpassing Leroy Satchell '05 (2,514) last week. Bildstein was one of the nation's most effective rushers in 2022, ranking top-15 in yards (1,235), yards per carry (6.82), and touchdowns (15).
 
Ball Hawking: Salisbury has forced an opponent to turn the ball over at least once in 21 consecutive regular season games dating back to Oct. 23, 2021. SU took the ball away from Rowan three times last Saturday with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
 
The Sea Gulls lead Division III with 13 fumbles recovered, led by national leader Casey Counts with four. SU ranks 17th in the nation in turnovers gained (18) and 49th in turnover margin (0.71).
 
Homecoming Heroes: Salisbury has won 21 consecutive Homecoming games dating back to 2001, beginning with a 31-0 victory over the Apprentice School. The last time the Sea Gulls lost on Homecoming, a 33-29 defeat against Wesley in 2000, the university was still known as Salisbury State University.
 
Scouting TCNJ: TCNJ enters its final game of October with a 3-4 record, tied for fourth in the NJAC with a 1-2 conference mark. After dropping two straight games to Montclair State and Rowan to open the league slate, the Lions bounced back by shutting out Kean (27-0) on Oct. 14 and won a non-league game against Gettysburg (30-13) on Oct. 21. Trevor Bopp passed for 290 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Malin Jasinski, while Jayson Schmidt ran the ball for 103 yards and two scores.
 
The Lions finished 3-6 in 2022, going 2-4 in the NJAC for a fourth-place tie. TCNJ earned wins against Montclair State and William Paterson while bowing to Rowan, Salisbury, Christopher Newport, and Kean.
 
Senior quarterback Trevor Bopp has completed 52.9 percent of his passes for an NJAC-leading 1,535 yards, seven touchdowns, and 11 interceptions through his first six games. Jayson Schmidt has rushed for 465 yards, good for third in the league, with four touchdowns. Two Lion receivers have racked up over 300 yards for the season, with Ryan Gill putting up 490 receiving yards and two touchdowns and Thomas Burke clocking in with 336 yards and two scores.
 
Fifth-year defensive back Cole Groschel leads the Lions with 51 tackles (33 solo), plus five pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Fellow defensive back Jack Young has sniffed out four interceptions, tied for second in the NJAC. Six Lions have put up at least two sacks on the year, with Dave Giulian and Dylan Patscher leading the way with 2.5 sacks apiece.
 
If You Go: Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets online to save time on the day of the game. The Sea Gull Stadium in-person ticket window will open at 11 a.m., with stadium gates opening at noon.
 
New ticket prices for the 2023-24 athletic year are $10 for general admission; $7 for non-SU students, SU alumni, veterans, and seniors aged 65-plus; and $5 for children ages 5-12. Children under five and SU students, faculty, and staff (with valid ID) can get in for free.
 
Fans are encouraged to park in the Wayne Street Parking Garage, located within walking distance of Sea Gull Stadium. The Salisbury University Police have issued a parking advisory for the weekend, with street parking on Wayne Street between Bateman and Power Streets prohibited.
 

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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 and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

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