Salisbury football prepares to take on Randolph Macon in NCAA 3rd round

SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury University football is coming off an impressive 2nd-round performance against King’s College in the NCAA tournament, continuing their undefeated season.

“I am having a lot of fun, and I think the kids are making it that way, and obviously winning helps too,” Head Coach Sherman Wood said.

Wood is looking to let the good times roll in the third round against Randolph Macon, as he hopes to extend his 11th trip to the tournament with the Gulls.

“You get to the postseason, to me it’s all about defense and special teams. To me, offense is a bonus.”

Wood emphasized they have to be ready to play  against a disciplined and consistent team on Saturday: “They’re extremely physical and their execution is outstanding. They very seldom make mistakes.”

The coach has his defense keyed in on the Yellow Jackets’ primary ball handlers, especially tight end Landon ferris. “Basically, the quarterback is the leader of their offense, and [they’ve got] two pretty good running backs. The tight end is someone I think you’ll probably have to keep an eye on. I call him the sleeper,” Wood said.

The Seagulls feel like they have everything they need in their locker room, but they understand that against a tough opponent, the margin for error can be razor-thin. “We have to be ourselves. We played against some pretty good teams throughout the regular season. And we want to make sure that we understand: just stay the course…We believe in three phases, and if we execute all three phases, I think the team that makes the least mistakes will probably be the team that will come out victorious”

With every phase playing at a high level and their first postseason win in five years already under their belt, it’s hard not to feel like something special is building in Salisbury.

“We’ve done some pretty good things, but it’s something about this team, something about this team that can make things special. Hopefully we can continue that process,” Coach Wood said.

Randolph Macon is 10-1 on the season, their only loss came early in the season to Barry College.

Historically, Salisbury holds the advantage versus the Yellow Jackets: three wins and one loss. Notably, these programs haven’t seen each other on the football field since 1984.