SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 6 Salisbury University football program has begun the 2025 season with a 2-0 record, with both wins coming on the road. In the season opener, SU took down Washington & Lee University 42-21 before rolling past McDaniel College 62-7. The Sea Gulls now head to Catholic University of America after the bye week, looking to move to 3-0. Kickoff from Washington, D.C. is set for 2 p.m. inside Cardinal Stadium.
THE RUNDOWN
GAME NOTES
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
The Series: This is the 8th meeting between the two programs on the gridiron. The Sea Gulls have won the last two meetings by multiple scores. The record favors SU 5-2. The Catholic wins came in 1999 and 1996. The last meeting was in 2004 with the Sea Gulls winning 31-14 on the road.
Last Time Out: The previously No. 8 Salisbury University football program traveled to McDaniel College two weekends ago, picking up a 62-7 win inside Kenneth R. Gill Stadium. The Sea Gull offense posted a total of 565 yards of offense while holding the Green Terror to just 211 total yards. SU ran for 477 yards on the ground while holding McDaniel to 28 yards rushing.
SyRus McGowan posted three passing touchdowns with 140 total yards of offense.
Dario Belizaire was on the receiving end of all three passing touchdowns and finished with 120 total yards of offense. The Gulls had five different rushers post 50 or more yards rushing.
Darrell Walter finished with 76 yards along with his two touchdowns.
Andre Matthews finished with 70 yards, and
Kyle Frank posted 67 yards with his touchdown.
Malachi Baker led the defense with five total tackles and a fumble recovery that was forced by
Philip Smith, who also posted five tackles. The SU defense held McDaniel to three of 12 on third downs and zero for three on fourth downs. They also racked up six tackles for loss and two sacks.
National Rankings: Football – 6th | D3football.com Top 25, Week 3
Salisbury rose one slot from seventh to sixth with 464 points, sitting just two back of fifth-ranked UW-La Crosse (466) and well ahead of seventh-ranked Wartburg (430). The Sea Gulls were idle on Saturday and will return to the gridiron on Saturday with their non-conference finale at Catholic. Kickoff from Washington, D.C. is slated for 2 p.m.
The Captains: Coming off the bye week, head coach
Sherman Wood has named seniors
Kilo Mack,
Daniel Clark, and
Brian Irving, along with graduate student
Jimmy Celentano, as captains heading into the week four matchup against the Cardinals of Catholic University of America.
The Class of the NJAC: Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Salisbury has won 65 games in the conference. The 65 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.
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 195- 80 with the Sea Gulls and an overall record of 215-119-1 when you include his six seasons at Bowie State.
Offensive Powerhouse: Hansen Ratings was proud to announce the release of its 8th annual 2024 Division III Football Analytical All-American teams. Salisbury head coach
Sherman Wood was named Coach of the Year, while
Ryan Fleetwood earned Offensive Coordinator of the Year honors.
Tre Price earned First-Team All-American,
Tony Mason earned Second-Team,
Dusty Krotee earned Third-Team, and
Chris Clarke earned Fourth-Team. Wood led the Gulls to a 12-1 mark this season, earning one of the top four seeds in the national tournament, a No. 5 finish in the AFCA Top 25 poll, and a No. 6 ranking in the final D3football.com Top 25. Salisbury defeated multiple Top 25 teams, earning Wood NJAC Coach of the Year and AFCA Coach of the Year. 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 two games, the Sea Gull offense is averaging 52 points per game along with 514 yards per game.
Scouting Catholic: After finishing with a 5-5 record in 2024, the Cardinals continued their run of finishing the season at .500 or better for the fourth consecutive season. After a 2-4 start to the season, Catholic closed out the campaign winning 3 of its last 4 contests to keep the streak alive, the longest such streak since Tom Clark did so for seven consecutive seasons, finishing in 2001. The Catholic offense will have a new play caller entering the 2025 season, as former offensive line coach George Coles was promoted to offensive coordinator in the offseason. On the offensive side of the ball, Catholic will look to replace both of its quarterbacks from a season ago, in Joey Gulbin and John Whelan. Catholic's top two receivers from a season ago, Anthony Giordano and Malachi Hansen, also graduated. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals aim to replace the production of Mason Stillwell (DB) and Henry (LB). The Cardinals have started the 2025 season 1-2 with losses against Capital and Franklin & Marshall, both on the road. Their lone win came against McDaniel, 10-7 at home. The Sea Gulls beat the Green Terror 62-7 two weeks ago.
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.
