SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 4 Salisbury University football program has posted a 6-0 overall record and 3-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Sea Gulls have outscored their opponents this season by 219 points and have not had a one-possession game yet. The matchup with the Rowan University Profs is set for October 25th, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. from Glassboro, N.J., inside Coach Richard Wacker Stadium.
THE RUNDOWN
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The Series: This is the 32nd meeting between the two programs on the gridiron. The Sea Gulls took last year's matchup 42-35 at home on Homecoming 2024. The last matchup on the road for the Sea Gulls against the Profs finished with a 35-20 SU win in 2023. The Sea Gulls have won seven meetings in a row and hold a record of 16-14-1. The first-ever matchup took place in 1973 with Rowan taking that game 28-14. Rowan won the first six battles between the two programs but has lost nine of the last 10.
Last Time Out: SU earned a 56-21 road win over Montclair State.
SyRus McGowan finished with 304 total yards and four total touchdowns.
Dario Belizaire posted 186 yards of offense with one touchdown. He tallied 101 on the ground and 85 through the air with only two catches.
Andre Matthews finished with 40 yards on the ground with his two touchdowns. The Sea Gull offense finished with 530 yards of offense, averaging 9.5 yards per play.
Andrew Gioia led the SU defense with eight tackles and a pass breakup. Along with the fumble recovery touchdown,
Kilo Mack tallied six tackles and one pass breakup.
Jimmy Celentano, who forced the fumble, posted seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup. The SU defense finished with four sacks, six tackles for loss, and two turnovers created.
National Rankings: 4th | D3football.com: Salisbury (6-0) moved up one slot from fifth to fourth with 513 points, edging out fifth-ranked Bethel (512) and topped by only North Central (Ill.) [623], Mount Union (599), and Johns Hopkins (577). In the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI), SU sits in 11th.
The Captains: Head coach
Sherman Wood has named seniors
Kilo Mack, Alex Richards, Logan Smith, and
Micah Glover as captains heading into the road NJAC battle with Rowan.
The Class of the NJAC: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 68 games in the conference. The 68 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 eight years. The Sea Gulls have started the 2025 NJAC campaign 3-0 with wins over TCNJ, Kean, and Montclair State.
Among the Greats: Salisbury head coach
Sherman Wood ranks in the top-15 of active coaches in wins, regardless of NCAA Division. After earning NJAC and AFCA Region 2 Coach of the year honors, Wood would go on to earn his first AFCA National Coach of the Year honor in his 32nd season as a head coach. In 2024, Wood guided Salisbury to a 12-1 record, the New Jersey Athletic Conference title, and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs. The Sea Gulls recorded their fifth undefeated regular season and sixth quarterfinal appearance. Wood, the all-time wins leader at Salisbury, has a record of 199-80 with the Sea Gulls and an overall record of 217-119-1 when you include his six seasons at Bowie State.
Offensive Powerhouse: Ryan Fleetwood is fresh off earning Offensive Coordinator of the Year honors from Hanson ratings last season. Fleetwood led the charge of one of the most prolific offenses in the country for Division III. The Sea Gull offense ranked 5th in total yards for the season, third in yards per play, and third in total touchdowns. Already this season, through five games, the Sea Gull offense is averaging 51 points per game along with 509 yards per game. They also sit at 57 percent on third down conversions, and 88 percent on fourth down conversions. In the redzone, they have scored 29 times out of 33 attempts.
Player of the Week Honors: Dario Belizaire | NJAC Football Offensive Player of the Week | Second Career (First This Season)
Slot back Belizaire (Jr. – Cambridge, Md.) clocked in with 186 yards of total offense and one touchdown as the Sea Gulls romped Montclair State 56-21 on Saturday. Belizaire rushed for a season-high 101 yards on just seven carries (14.4 YPC); he also caught two passes for 85 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
Scouting Rowan: The 2025 New Jersey Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll selected Rowan in third as the Profs were also named the dark horse this season. Rowan went undefeated here in the confines of Richard Wackar Stadium and won its final three contests to finish with a 6-4 record and 4-2 mark in NJAC play. Sophomore AJ Ryker, who was named the 2024 NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Year, will spearhead a defense that will see a lot of new faces. Last season, he was second on the squad in tackles while adding 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses, and a pair of interceptions. On the other side of the ball, the offense returns a bevy of starters, including a solid running back duo of Nunes Bukula IV and Tyshawn Bookman. The pair combined to run over 900 yards with nine touchdowns. Rowan has a 4-1-1 record with wins over Moravian, Lycoming, Montclair State, and William Paterson. The loss came at home in double overtime against CNU.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 205 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
