Quote from: RowanPhan on Today at 03:21:15 PMLet's not beat around the bush—if Rowan wants to shake up the NJAC hierarchy and get over the hump, this is the week to do it. The Profs haven't knocked off Salisbury since 2016, finishing just behind the Sea Gulls and CNU in the standings for the past few years.

After pushing Salisbury to the limit in tight, high-scoring battles recently (including last year's 31-28 loss and 2024's 42-35 thriller), this matchup is the ultimate litmus test for Head Coach Pat Ruley in Year 2. A win here puts Rowan squarely in control of their conference title destiny.

The Profs enter conference play clicking on all cylinders, backed by a defense that's playing lights-out. 

• Stingy Defense: Coming off back-to-back shutout performances—including a gritty 9-0 defensive masterpiece over Lycoming—the Rowan defense is proving to be as dangerous as advertised.
• Balanced Offense: Behind Nate Maiers taking shots downfield to playmakers like Michael Zarfati and the backfield punch of Nunes Bukula IV and Tyshawn Bookman, Rowan's offense has shown it can move the ball both through the air and on the ground.

Can Rowan's defense lock down Salisbury's offense and crash the Homecoming festivities, or do the Sea Gulls protect home turf again?

This year somewhat reminds me of 2016, I believe Salisbury came into that game ranked 13th and undefeated. We played some good football that year, but not playoff level. Preseason, I did have both Rowan and CNU 1&2, but like you said, Rowan has to prove it, you have the pieces this year.

With that, excited to see this game and gauge where we are, I know the team is excited and not taking this game lightly and has tremendous respect for you all. Not going to predict a score, but I'm hoping Salisbury wins by 100 

Quote from: Machiavelli on Today at 08:06:30 AMThey should be ahead of Heidelberg because they are Mount Union and they've earned it. You know who they are, and perhaps they aren't a top 10 team, but they are 2-2, with a 1-point loss to what is being perceived as the the #2 team in the country. I know who these other teams losses are to, but Wartburg, Bethel and UW-Lacrosse have been given some grace with their 2-2 records. Lacrosse aside, those programs can't hold a candle to Mt. Union historically, and I don't often buy it, but in this case, history should hold a little extra weight.

And hell, you guys have Salisbury at 12. They played the equivalent of Mt. Ida 4 times, scraping by TCNJ who got beat much worse by something called Juniata. I know, I know, Salisbury was already up there and they don't have a loss to drop them. And next you will ask, who should Mt. Union be in front of...I know the drill, I know the drill.

In Summary, my main point still stands, I'd take Mt. Union head-to-head over about 15 of those top 25 teams. I know this is a moment in time(and perhaps I'm wrong), but it feels premature that they are fully out. But it's just a poll, and I was making an observation. I'm not gonna go crazy over it and delete my account. Just making some conversation.

P.S. - Congrats, Pat, by the way!

What did we do to anyone? I mean W&L is 3-1, Catholic lost to both F&M and Carnegie Mellon by an average of 9 points, F&M is 4-0, Carnegie is 2-2, losing to 3-1 John Carrol and Berry by an avg of 8 points. I can't speak for McDaniel  . I know transitive properties are moot, but come on...

Salisbury had a bit of a snooze fest against TCNJ. Kudos to TCNJ, they controlled the clock, shortened the game, and essentially played "chew clock" throughout. Salisbury had to overcome a slow start and several self-inflicted situations. At one point, Salisbury had three personal fouls on a single TCNJ drive, and earlier a holding penalty wiped out what would have been a touchdown.

IMHO, there were stretches where it felt like Salisbury was playing 11 vs. 17, with some of the officiating not doing them any favors. But Salisbury also has to own its part. They never really established a consistent rhythm offensively, and the penalties made that even more difficult. TCNJ deserves credit for its approach, but I came away thinking this was much more about Salisbury not playing its best football than TCNJ completely shutting them down.

I won't say Salisbury was looking ahead, but one team definitely seemed much more enthused early, especially after TCNJ found some initial success running the football. Salisbury eventually settled in and took control, but they'll need to be much sharper this week.

Rowan appears to be firing on all cylinders, and I think its strong OOC schedule has prepared them well for this point in the season. Salisbury hasn't faced quite the same type of schedule, although with so many new and inexperienced players, there is a benefit to giving those younger players time to develop without immediately throwing them into the fire.

Offensively, Salisbury needs to find some explosives outside of the usual suspects. In particular, somebody at WR needs to step up and become another legitimate threat. Rowan can't be allowed to load up on the players who have consistently generated Salisbury's big plays.

Defensively, Salisbury has to be much more stout against the run without sacrificing secondary integrity. Rowan's WRs/skill players will be the best Salisbury has faced this season and probably the best they'll see for the remainder of the regular season. The back four will need to be on their P's and Q's, disciplined, confident, and assignment-sound.

I'm also interested in how Salisbury brings pressure. When they decide to heat Rowan up, they have to do it with confidence and discipline because leaving the secondary exposed against this group could turn into explosives quickly. How Salisbury generates pressure without compromising the back end could be one of the biggest defensive factors in the game.

Finally, special teams need to be better. I'd like to see much better kickoffs and punts this week. There was a lot left on the field against TCNJ in both areas, and against a team like Rowan, field position could end up being a major factor.

Bottom line: Salisbury got through TCNJ despite the slow start, penalties, lack of rhythm, and some questionable officiating. That's fine for one week. Against Rowan, they're going to have to play a much cleaner and more complete football game.

Quote from: The Third Division on October 04, 2026, 09:29:04 AMCastleton wishes they could have rejoined the mascac yesterday.

I agree.

Salisbury has played considerably well, especially given the significant number of new starters this season. Through the first two games, I think they have shown that the program has maintained its consistency despite the turnover. Salisbury's key players have stepped up when needed and made the necessary plays, and I expect those experienced players to continue doing so throughout the season.

With one more non-conference game that I expect them to win and most likely the first conference game, there should be a few more opportunities for the younger and less experienced players to get valuable reps and continue getting up to speed. I have been particularly impressed with the team's second-half performances and the adjustments they have made as games progress.

My only concern is QB2 and early adjustments. Like last year's playoff match, once QB1 goes down, the offense stales off and doesn't look good. QB2 needs to be more active in practices and prepared if QB1 goes down. Additionally, we have to figure out how to adjust before halftime. We have to a better job on how to figure out how teams are approaching us earlier.

Hopefully, by the big matchup on October 10, they are able to put together stronger starts and play more consistently from the opening whistle in all three phases of the game.

MMA ran the option very well yesterday. I thought Montclair would have faired better after playing both MMA and us over the year's.

Quote from: RowanPhan on August 20, 2026, 03:04:49 PM

Quote from: CNU85 on August 17, 2026, 09:46:03 AM

Quote from: RowanPhan on August 15, 2026, 02:06:01 PM

Quote from: CNU85 on August 14, 2026, 01:41:11 PM

Quote from: Ron Boerger on August 14, 2026, 08:24:05 AMNice story in today's pennlive.com on former CNU QB Connor Barry, who transferred to Penn State for his final season of eligibility:  https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2026/08/why-penn-state-football-took-a-chance-on-a-division-iii-qb-it-doesnt-matter-the-level.html

If you encounter a paywall, try an incognito browser which was how I was able to read it. 

I wish only the best for him. A really good guy. Works hard. My only wish would be that he played one more year at CNU!! Next man up!

CNU85 - what's your CNU preview? Are the captains able to replace Barry?

Good question. Pena looked great at times, but he didn't have enough time in games to show what he can really do on a consistent pace. I think he will be really good. But Connor Barry was special. We have a freshman coming in that looks promising as well.

O-line and D-line look good. Looking at the 2 deep from the last game of last year, we only lost 1 guy on each side on the line. And we substitute quite a bit. So, I expect line play will be solid.

The only area that I'm interested in seeing is how Barry and Hart are replaced by a new QB and WR. That combo was deadly. Everything else should be the same or better.

It's going to be fun to watch.

Thank you CNU85!

MRMIKESMITH - What's the latest in Salisbury?

Do we have any Kean, MSU, WPU, or Castleton fans in the chat with season previews?

Consistency is the word! We bring back experience at some key positions, but have to replace some good players that have graduated or moved on. However, the staff as always brings consistency, which is always assuring. It will be up to the staff and players on where they want to be, starting with the 1st game (wk2) after unusual wk 1 bye week.

Quote from: unionpalooza on June 02, 2026, 07:54:00 PM

Quote from: UfanBill on May 30, 2026, 01:16:11 PMIn case you missed this Salisbury, Kean and William Paterson fans should plan their fall trip to Vermont now because this may be their last chance to experience the splendor of fall with football in New England. In the ever changing world of college sports often one thing can have a profound effect on another. When Anna Maria announced it was closing back in April it meant the 10 team MASCAC would be losing a Football member. No big deal right, and how would that effect the NJAC? Turn to today's revelation that NJAC associate football member Vermont St. Castleton will be leaving the NJAC and rejoining the MASCAC for 2027. The loss of Anna Maria opened a spot in the MASCAC that had been controversially stripped from Castleton two years ago and led to them finding a temporary home in the NJAC. Soon they'll be going back to a league that better suits their footprint both competitively and geographically. Good for them but what will the NJAC do? Starting in 2027 the NJAC will be down to 7 teams and the status of a couple of other current members is teetering. What will the NJAC look like in 2027?     

What NJAC schools are teetering?

I would like to know as well...don't be shy! However, regarding Castleton, that is an awesome move, that allows them to save on funding and return to a conference that aligns to their talent level at the current moment. 

Quote from: RowanPhan on May 02, 2026, 02:29:44 PM

Quote from: MRMIKESMITH on April 28, 2026, 11:22:08 AMSalisbury schedule is finally complete with times and places. Non-Con remains the same, not sure this prepares us for a surging Rowan program that appears to be getting better and better. We finish the season against our new Route 13 Rival in CNU. The time of the CNU game is TBA, could be de facto championship game. This year is somewhat an unknown, but as always Salisbury will compete, but will we have the changing playmakers that allows us to get to the Elite 8, only time will tell. Salisbury typically does better when they are somewhat of a dark horse. As I mentioned, I think CNU and Rowan are my preseason favorites. Although Salisbury may have the better QB returning, I think CNU and Salisbury may have to replace some key positions due to graduation and transfer portal.

I am a Rowan grad, but didn't start following the FB team closely until 2016, and I didn't think it would take this long to see the day that Rowan would be a "surging program."  I suspect Rowan will be a better team across the board next season, so it should be a fun season to watch - should be the best group of the past 10 years.

My apologies on the "surging" program. My point is that over the past 4 seasons (including minor setback in 2023), Rowan has been steadily getting back to IMHO a Top 15 team. I have Rowan along with CNU as my preseason #1 & #2 in the NJAC. However, Rowan will have to win on the field, especially the close games against top conference and regional opponents. I think Rowan having an opportunity to participate in ECACs last year against Utica and face some adversity and pull out a good win, sets them up for success. I think the NJAC should have 3 teams in the preseason Top 25, however we need TCNJ and Montclair who were both .500 and above last year to win an extra non-con game or two (both appears to play round robin non-con), I think that will raise the floor of the NJAC, which in essence raises the ceiling for conference as a whole.

Salisbury schedule is finally complete with times and places. Non-Con remains the same, not sure this prepares us for a surging Rowan program that appears to be getting better and better. We finish the season against our new Route 13 Rival in CNU. The time of the CNU game is TBA, could be de facto championship game. This year is somewhat an unknown, but as always Salisbury will compete, but will we have the changing playmakers that allows us to get to the Elite 8, only time will tell. Salisbury typically does better when they are somewhat of a dark horse. As I mentioned, I think CNU and Rowan are my preseason favorites. Although Salisbury may have the better QB returning, I think CNU and Salisbury may have to replace some key positions due to graduation and transfer portal.

Quote from: RowanPhan on February 14, 2026, 12:49:52 PM

Quote from: CNU85 on February 06, 2026, 04:10:58 PM2026 CNU Schedule

CNU vs Rowan on Halloween

BIG Game right there...will be watching.

Quote from: CNU85 on March 09, 2026, 04:38:42 PMMario Byrd Returns to CNU as DC

Good pick up right there.

Need to have some West Coast Games in Denver, Colorado. Some Week Zero games.

Quote from: Ron Boerger on December 22, 2025, 08:19:58 PMThe other thing some of these kids need to consider is that taking a "higher level" offer doesn't mean you're going to see a lot of playing time at the new school.  Christian Green, a basketball player for Trinity who went to D1 SFA along with his coach this year (and was the D3Hoops.com Rookie of the Year in 2024), has seen a grand total of 36 minutes in the 11 games SFA has played this year, and six of his eight total points (and 10 of those 36 minutes) came in a blowout over D3 UDallas yesterday.   

We had a couple of players from our 2024 entertain the thought of transferring, only to realize that they were being lied to about the financial commitment and role they would have within the team. I will never stop a young man/woman from pursuing less financial burden or wanting to play at higher level. I just hope that they do their research on what the transfer portal entails. We were open to the idea and the young man circled back in the summer and played well again this year.  We also had a young man transfer in from D1-FBS and play well only to transfer the next year. I'm actually fine with 1 hit wonders/mercenaries coming down and "getting tape/film", you just have to coach them as a player that hit his stride his Senior year.

Quote from: RowanPhan on December 18, 2025, 05:54:33 PM

Quote from: MRMIKESMITH on December 08, 2025, 10:24:52 AMSalisbury still had two timeouts remaining, and that timeout was used simply to ensure players didn't do or say anything foolish. Moving the conversation forward, the NJAC will look very different next year. I think the conference is getting stronger—especially if the New Jersey programs can keep more in-state talent home and if CNU continues to dominate recruiting throughout Virginia.

For Salisbury, the recruiting approach will need to evolve. The program must do a better job tapping into "urban" areas and conferences to bring in tougher, more dynamic athletes. After rewatching the last two playoff games, Salisbury looked too finesse-oriented and, frankly, soft. To close the gap, the team will likely need to lean more heavily on the transfer portal—whether that's players who didn't qualify initially, FCS transfers, or borderline Division II talent—to fill key positional needs, keep the offense explosive, and bring in guys who have that true "dawg" mentality.

Defensively, the secondary needs a full overhaul. They need more athletic (can cover 1 on 1), sound tacklers, and confident players. The scheme itself could use some fine-tuning as well; watching Saturday's game again, there were plays available to be made, and many of the breakdowns were simply skill-related. Even the GR MLB said in the post-game that the defense came out slow and didn't settle in until the third quarter. That can't continue. The DC has to make adjustments earlier—mid-first quarter, not after halftime.

Rowan football will be a contender next year,  majority of the team returns. 

I'm moreso curious to see if the NJAC will add another Football team to the mix.   

Is there a rumor that I missed? I'm all for adding teams, but looking at NPI, want to make sure we can ensure we get a team that will be at .500 or over in OOC games. Aside from that, the teams that made the Quarterfinals were tested at least twice during the season with Top 40 teams. We may be fortunate now that we have a resurging Rowan and a TCNJ team that has settled on offensive scheme to maximize its talent pool. However, our OOC games have to be with other Top 30-50 teams to boost our NPI. I think the NJAC should have two teams going to the playoff year in and year out going forward over the next few years.