SALISBURY, Md. – Looking to bounce back after suffering its first loss at Muhlenberg, the Salisbury University football team will play its first home game of the season as it welcomes the 13th-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays to Sea Gull Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.
 
Saturday's game will be a "Gold Rush" game with the first 3,000 fans receiving a free t-shirt; spectators are encouraged to wear told to support the Sea Gulls. In addition, as part of Local Heroes Day, first responders and active/veteran members of the Armed Forces with valid identification can receive two free tickets at the Sea Gull Stadium ticket office.
 
THE RUNDOWN
TICKET INFORMATION
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
 
The Series: Saturday will mark the fourth meeting all-time between Salisbury and Johns Hopkins, with the Sea Gulls leading the series 2-1. The teams last met in Salisbury during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, with the Blue Jays advancing on the back of a 45-20 victory. Salisbury hosted JHU twice in the 1970s, winning 33-26 in 1975 and 37-0 in 1976.
 
Last Time Out: Salisbury took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, but Muhlenberg punched back to deal the Sea Gulls their first loss of the season, 29-17. The Mules scored three straight touchdowns before halftime and closed the game on a 29-3 run.
 
The Sea Gulls netted 339 total yards of offense against Muhlenberg's 438. Baebaa Sayeh led the rushing attack with 73 yards, including a 56-yard plunge up the gut for a first-quarter touchdown. Ben Hutchins passed for a career-high 171 yards, 67 of which went to Gabriel Mendez.
 
Charles Barley led the SU defense with 10 tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble. Casey Counts also dislodged the ball once, with Chase Lomax and Ryan Muller each recovering a fumble.
 
National Rankings: Salisbury dropped from the D3football.com national rankings after holding the 25th spot for the first two weeks of the year. The Sea Gulls received two votes in the Week 3 poll.
 
The Captains: Salisbury will have four captains to lead the flock in 2023. Seniors Casey Counts and Joey Bildstein along with juniors Jimmy Celentano and Tony Mason were announced as team captains before the start of preseason camp. Seniors Collin Holmes and Ben Spiess have also been named captains for the Johns Hopkins game.
 
NJAC/Centennial Series: Salisbury's game against Johns Hopkins is part of the Centennial vs. NJAC Football Challenge, a football scheduling agreement between the two conferences. The agreements starts for the 2023 season and runs for two years with the potential for renewal in future seasons.
 
In addition to Johns Hopkins, the Sea Gulls have already faced Muhlenberg this season and will play McDaniel on Nov. 4 as part of the first year of the Centennial vs. NJAC Football Challenge.
 
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.
 
Built on Bildstein: Joey Bildstein is a two-time All-NJAC First Team superback that led the NJAC and ranked 14th in the country in rushing with 1,235 yards in 2022. Bildstein was also among the nation's best in rushing average and rushing touchdowns. Bildstein sat ninth in the nation in yards per carry, averaging 6.82 yards per attempt and tied for 10th in Division III with 15 rushing scores. He was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week five times last season.

Bildstein is approaching the top-10 in rushing in program history. The bruising superback enters the 2023 season with 2,200 rushing yards with 25 career touchdowns.
 
Airing It Out: Normally a rushing-based attack, the Sea Gulls have passed for over 100 yards in each of the first two games this season. Salisbury had not accumulated triple-digit passing yards in consecutive games since doing so in three straight contests from Oct. 23-Nov. 6, 2021.
 
Ball Hawking: Salisbury finished the 2022 season sixth in the nation with 21 interceptions. Salisbury recorded an interception in all 10 regular season games last season. Caleb Brubaker, a D3football.com Preseason All-America First Team selection, tied for third in Division III with seven interceptions.

With the two turnovers forced against Muhlenberg last week, Salisbury has forced an opponent to turn the ball over at least once in 16 consecutive regular season games.
 
Among the Greats: Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood ranks in the top-15 of active coaches in wins, regardless of NCAA Division. Coach Wood enters the Johns Hopkins game with 197 victories as head coach with stints at Bowie State and SU. Wood has more career wins than other notable coaches with 20 years or more of experience, including Rich Rodriguez of Jacksonville St. and Terry Bowden of Louisiana-Monroe.
 
Fortress Chesapeake: Salisbury has gone 6-1 in home openers since the opening of the refurbished Sea Gull Stadium in 2016. Last season the Sea Gulls shut out Albright, 49-0, in their first home game of the season on Sept. 2.
 
Scouting Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins went 10-1 during the 2022 season, finishing second in the Centennial Conference and missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid. The Blue Jays beat Stevenson 27-7 in the postseason Centennial-MAC Bowl Series.
 
The Blue Jays are 2-0 to start the young season with wins over then-No. 9 Ithaca (27-17) on Sept. 2 and Christopher Newport (20-14) on Sept. 9. In last week's win over CNU, JHU put up 324 yards of total offense, including 229 through the air and 95 on the ground, and produced a defensive touchdown when Josh Andersson took a 25-yard interception return to the house.
 
Junior quarterback Bay Harvey has racked up 486 passing yards and five touchdowns through his first two games and has also rushed for 79 yards and one house call. Wideouts Josh Polce (166) and Cole Crotty (149) have both eclipsed 100 receiving yards through the first two games. Harvey is protected in part by reigning All-American tackle JR Woods.
 
Johns Hopkins has produced each of the first two Centennial Conference Defensive Players of the week. Linebacker Oliver Craddock recorded 13 tackles in the opener against Ithaca, while safety Josh Anderson notched two tackles and a pass breakup to go along with his pick-six against CNU.
 
If You Go: Ticket sales and Sea Gull Stadium gates will open an hour before kickoff. Fans are encouraged to come early to purchase tickets for the game.
 
New ticket prices for the 2023-24 athletic year are $10 for general admission, $7 for non-SU students and SU alumni and $5 for children ages 5-12. Tickets for children under five and SU students, faculty and staff (with valid ID) are free.
 
Fans are encouraged to park in the Wayne Street Parking Garage, located within walking distance of Sea Gull Stadium. Limited street parking is available on Wayne Street near Sea Gull Stadium, the Gerry DiBartolo Sea Gull Soccer Complex, the SU Track & Field Complex and Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
 

---

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, and 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 on social media @SUSeaGulls.