SALISBURY, Md. – The No. 13 Salisbury University football team continued its strong start to the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Catholic University 47-10 at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory, scoring 33 of the game's final 36 points after Catholic opened the scoring on its opening possession. Salisbury finished the afternoon with 346 yards of total offense, including 275 rushing yards, while the Sea Gull defense held the Cardinals to just 178 total yards.
Catholic opened the game with a lengthy 17-play, 75-yard drive that consumed more than eight minutes off the clock. Keegan Eichert capped the opening possession with a four-yard touchdown run, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter.
Salisbury answered immediately. The Sea Gulls marched 63 yards on six plays, with SyRus McGowan connecting with Brody Strachan for a 32-yard touchdown to even the score at 7-7 with 3:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Sea Gull special teams unit then gave Salisbury its first lead of the afternoon. After Catholic was forced to punt on its next possession, Dario Belizaire fielded the punt at midfield and raced 50 yards for a touchdown, putting Salisbury ahead 14-7 with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter.
Salisbury continued to build its advantage in the second quarter. After a 54-yard drive, D.J. Brown broke through for a 17-yard touchdown run, extending the Sea Gull lead to 21-7 with 12:45 remaining in the half.
The Salisbury defense continued to pressure Catholic quarterback Brady McBride, recording two sacks on the Cardinals' final possession of the half. The offense then put together an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive that ended with McGowan rushing 18 yards for a touchdown with 3:13 remaining in the second quarter. The extra point was unsuccessful, but Salisbury took a 27-7 advantage into halftime.
Catholic opened the second half with a promising drive, reaching the Salisbury seven-yard line before the Sea Gull defense held the Cardinals to a 25-yard field goal. The kick cut the lead to 27-10 with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Salisbury answered on the very next possession. On third-and-13 from the Sea Gull 22, Gavin Green took the handoff and sprinted 78 yards for a touchdown, giving Salisbury a 33-10 advantage with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Just over a minute later, Belizaire struck again on special teams. The senior fielded another Catholic punt and raced 64 yards to the end zone for his second punt-return touchdown of the afternoon, extending the Salisbury lead to 40-10.
The Sea Gulls added one final touchdown in the fourth quarter when Isaiah Holbrook scored on a seven-yard run to cap a seven-play, 40-yard drive, giving Salisbury the final 47-10 margin.
Salisbury's defense kept Catholic off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and finished the afternoon with six sacks. The Sea Gulls limited the Cardinals to just 10 rushing yards and 178 total yards while forcing Catholic to convert just one of 15 third-down opportunities.
Game Notes
-
The Sea Gulls finished with 346 yards of total offense, including 275 rushing yards on 46 attempts. Salisbury averaged 6.0 yards per rush and 6.3 yards per play.
-
Salisbury held Catholic to 178 total yards and just 10 rushing yards. The Cardinals averaged 2.7 yards per play and converted only one of 15 third-down opportunities.
-
Belizaire provided a huge impact in all three phases, rushing for 52 yards on 10 carries while recording 114 punt-return yards and two touchdowns. His two punt-return touchdowns covered 50 and 64 yards.
-
McGowan accounted for two touchdowns, throwing for 59 yards and a score while adding 24 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
-
Strachan led Salisbury with three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown, including a 32-yard touchdown reception from McGowan in the first quarter.
-
Brown added 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries, while Malachi Dokes rushed for 46 yards on seven attempts. Kyle Frank contributed 45 yards on six carries.
-
Tyler Ohlmeyer led the Salisbury defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Ephram Choy added eight tackles and a half-sack.
-
The Sea Gulls recorded six sacks for 29 yards and seven tackles for loss.
-
Salisbury controlled the ground game throughout the afternoon, outgaining Catholic 275-10 on the ground.
-
Salisbury went 3-for-4 on fourth down and held Catholic to 1-for-15 on third down.
The Sea Gulls open New Jersey Athletic Conference play next Saturday, Oct. 3, traveling to The College of New Jersey for a 3 p.m. kickoff in Ewing, N.J.
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, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 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.
