SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 7 Salisbury University football concludes the 2024 season at Kean University on Nov. 16th at 1 p.m. inside Alumni Stadium in Union N.J. The Sea Gulls are looking to run the table and finish the regular season undefeated.
The Rundown
Live Stats
Live Video
Game Notes
The Series
This is the 20th football meeting between the two programs. Salisbury has an overall record of 16-2-1 all-time. The tie came back in 1983. The Sea Gulls have won the last 11 meetings taking last year's battle 31-28.
Revenge Tour Complete
The Sea Gulls had two ranked wins at the beginning of the season and won three games in a row to opponents they lost to last season. SU hosted No. 18 Muhlenberg and hung 59 points outscoring the Mules 24-0 to close the game. In the next ranked win at No. 8 Johns Hopkins, SU shut out the Blue Jays 31-0 in the second half on the way to a 41-13 victory. They then took down rival Christopher Newport University 42-38 in a game with 11 lead changes. A few weeks ago they took down TCNJ 52-35 which clinched the NJAC Title and the NCAA AQ.
The Captains
Ben Malley, Ronald Clark, Frankie Giannetti, and Tony Mason were named captains for the Sea Gulls heading into the season finale against Kean.
Another NJAC Title
Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 64 games in the conference. The 64 wins stand as the most wins among active teams in the conference. Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won six conference championships which is the most in the nine-year span. The Sea Gulls have already clinched the 2024 title but look to complete the undefeated conference schedule on Saturday afternoon.
Among the Greats
Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood ranks in the top 15 of top coaches in wins, regardless of NCAA Division. Coach Wood totaled 211 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 than Rich Rodriguez of Jacksonville St. and Terry Bowden of Louisiana-Monroe.
Both Sides of the Ball
The SU defense has created 19 turnovers in the eight games, while the offense has been 59 percent on third downs and has scored points 44 times out of 50 tries in the red zone.
Players of the Week
SyRus McGowan | NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week | Fourth Career (Fourth This Season)
McGowan (Fr. – Chestertown, Md.) won the conference's top freshman honor for the fourth consecutive week after leading the Sea Gulls to a 69-13 Senior Day victory over McDaniel on Saturday. McGowan completed 5-of-7 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 52 yards and another touchdown, including a 46-yard scamper to the end zone in the first minute of the game.
Climbing the Rankings
Football – 7th | D3football.com Poll, Week 10 (Nov. 10)
Salisbury maintained the No. 7 position with 457 points, slotted between No. 6 Susquehanna (463) and No. 8 UW-Platteville (454). North Central (Ill.), Cortland, and St. John's (Minn.) stayed put in the top three, while Hardin-Simmons overtook Mount Union for fourth. The Sea Gulls also ascended to the top of the latest NPI rankings. The Sea Gulls rolled McDaniel 69-13 at home in nonconference action on Senior Day Saturday. Freshman quarterback SyRus McGowan paced the offense and won New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Offensive Rookie of the Week for the fourth straight week. With the league's automatic bid already in the bag, Salisbury can win the outright NJAC championship and finish an undefeated regular season in Saturday's regular-season finale at Kean. Kickoff from Union, N.J. is set for 1 p.m.
Scouting the Cougars
Kean has lost four games in a row with three of those coming against NJAC opponents. In their last outing, they fell 42-24 against Rowan, a team the Sea Gulls beat by a touchdown on Homecoming weekend. The Cougars are sitting at 30 percent on third-down conversions while averaging 234 yards per game.
