FB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[Jonny Utah]

The school has been known as Stevenson since 2008. Curious as to why you would reference them by their old name.

Pat should still be enjoying Catholic's victory over Western Maryland and let posters have some fun this week.  Catholic also has a big game coming up against New Jersey State Teacher's College in two weeks. Hopefully they will be ready.

[MRMIKESMITH]

The school has been known as Stevenson since 2008. Curious as to why you would reference them by their old name.

Pat should still be enjoying Catholic's victory over Western Maryland and let posters have some fun this week.  Catholic also has a big game coming up against New Jersey State Teacher's College in two weeks. Hopefully they will be ready.

Jonny, it is definitely a rivalry  thing. For some reason, they want to claim to be the "Real" SU. However, history tells us otherwise in regards to H2H sports results. Very similar to when I use to refer to Wesley as the school up 13.

[MRMIKESMITH]

Welp with all "Rivalries" you never know what to expect. What I do know is if you have multiple turnovers that take points off the board and penalties that take points off the board and then provide additional opportunities to put points on the board for the other team, you most likely will put yourself in position to the lose the game. What's more disappointing is that this game was only scheduled for one year and should be played every year. Additional disappointment is that this may hurt the next couple of recruiting classes.

Kudos to Stevenson, they took advantage of those opportunities, they created the turnovers and took advantage of broken coverages.

As far as Salisbury, I don't really know where they go from here. They still have the NJAC and an opportunity to win the conference and get into the playoffs. However, as far as anything else than that, I don't think that this is the year. The team is in experience in quite a few key areas that were on display today. Penalties have to be stressed, players have to be held accountable for those. Coaches have to be held accountable for the schematics to get this young team in much better positions to succeed. Sometimes you have to be much more aggressive with athletes, less thinking, just rely on skill. Offensively, have to find ways to get your SR receiver the ball when teams leave their corner man to man on the island (I'd go back and look how the ole St. Thomas teams that ran the ball a lot utilize Fritz Waldvogel).

[MRMIKESMITH]

A good bounce back from Week for the Seagulls. There is still a lot to improve upon, a good amount is in-game experience, the others are eliminating self-inflicting turnovers, so many points were left off the board, you rarely see a team with 6+ turnovers win a game. Fortunately the defense got 4 of their own.

Salisbury has one more week to solidify the QB position, too many turnovers from that position.The play calling was on point this week with 99%   from the triple-option spread. Would love to see a random mix of run/pass out of shotgun. However, with the inconsistent play from the QB position, that would be asking for too much at this time, but I think it will be needed if they expect to make a run. Kudos for getting the Sr. WR involved, defenses are now just going man-to-man (no yo-yoing back and forth), so we have to continue to take advantage of those tendencies.

Defensively, it appears that opposing offenses are running the same plays and sets that Johns Hopkins ran from playoffs last year and copying and pasting big plays that Stevenson got. I expect teams to continue that trend for the remainder of the season. As such, it will be up to the players to recognize what plays can hurt you based upon your alignment and read and react. While at the same time, the defensive coordinator has to continue to show a look but do other things to combat the Johns Hopkins copy and paste offense. Love that the defense was opportunistic this weekend. The turnovers were very timely and allowed the Seagulls to open it up and pull away. 

One thing to note was the lack of penalties this week, kudos to the coaching staff for holding players more accountable. You can't beat yourself. I did witness a play where one player who has had taunting penalties in the past, restrain himself, so I know it was a big point of emphasis this past week. I hope it is stressed the remainder of the year.

Lastly, Kick-off coverage has to be much better. Can't have opposing offenses starting at their 37/40 yard line after each time you score.

[MRMIKESMITH]

Really shocked to hear that Rowan had lost to Salve. That fumble on the KO return late and those late penalties really gave Salve life. Salisbury had similar issues against Stevenson earlier in the year. Looking forward to them bouncing back. Also, Montclair losing to WPI was a head scratcher,  not sure what happened there.

Now to Salisbury vs. WNE. Salisbury defense dominated the game, pitching their second shutout of the year and 6 straight qtrs, holding teams off the scoreboard. The young players appear to be grasping the scheme. Offensively, I felt they left about 21 points off the board, kudos to WNE for getting stops on those key 4th downs. Have to execute those 4th down plays, looked eerily similar to last year's poor 4th down conversion attempts. Hopefully, that gets fixed this year. Kickoff coverage was night and day from what it was the past few weeks, kudos to the staff for getting the players on board to execute that. Overall, Salisbury was very much the better team across the board. I think if this team can continue to improve and be consistent on both sides of the ball in executing the both the offensive and defensive schemes, I think they should win the NJAC. With the exception of a few fumbles, the FB/RB was very explosive, mirroring last year performance. I can't speak to the National discussion as to where this team is, but this team is very young and has the opportunity to grow with every game being an opportunity to get better and gain experience, which will allow the coordinators to do more. Next week is the first NJAC game against Montclair, which I expect them to come in tough after losing to WPI today.

[MRMIKESMITH]

It appears that there will be heavy rainfall this upcoming weekend in Salisbury as Hurricane Ian makes its way up the coast. Protecting the ball and being very decisive will be key this weekend.

[RowanPhan]

Really shocked to hear that Rowan had lost to Salve. That fumble on the KO return late and those late penalties really gave Salve life. Salisbury had similar issues against Stevenson earlier in the year. Looking forward to them bouncing back. Also, Montclair losing to WPI was a head scratcher,  not sure what happened there.

Indeed, the fumble on the KO return was a key play in the game.  The penalties were questionable (refs have a hard job) but some of those calls were iffy.  A few pass interference calls were sketchy and the final roughing the passer call was incorrect.  Too bad D3 doesn't have replay. Oh well...

[CNU85]

A huge win for CNU. Our QB was insane!! Passed or ran for 51 of the 62 plays. 316 total yards and all 3 TDs.

[MRMIKESMITH]

Although the score may not tell the story, the box score details one of the ugliest games I've watched in sometime between Salisbury and Montclair State. Both offenses were pretty much absent with the exception of one drive by Salisbury. Kudos to both defenses, but I think Salisbury issues were related to poor execution in regards to just being down to your 4th QB. It made the offense very very stagnant and hard to watch for most of the day. When you have an offensive scheme that heavily relies on the QB being your best player, it's going to be hard to get into a rhythm with your 4th string QB. Not sure what's next for the offense, but keep fighting and growing with the QB you have. Montcliar had moments here and there, but were plague by multiple drive ending penalties that they didn't need against a defense that was reltentless the whole game. As such, Salisbury posted it's third shut-out of the season, 2nd in a row, kudos to the defensive coordinator and players for lifting the offense up on a day where it was very much needed. The Defense will have to be the catalyst and continue to score if Salisbury wants to win the NJAC this year. It was upsetting to see the late fumble that led to Montclair State only touchdown. I know they really wanted  the true shutout. Salisbury defense didn't allow a 3rd down conversion all game and created a few turnovers with one being a touch a touchdown and a few others putting the offense in prime position to score, but failed to capitalize. Nevertheless, a win is a win, it's going to be a long season if both Montclair and Salisbury play the way they played today. May appear that I'm being harsh, but for a team that is expected to reload, it appears to be a rebuild offensively, considering the injuries at the most valuable position. 

P.S. Montclair State has a very good defensive scheme.

[MRMIKESMITH]

At 5-1 on the year, Salisbury Defense continues to be the catalyst for this year's team, posting it's 4th shutout of the year (I'm including the seven points the offense fumbled to Montclair). As the young talented defense continue to gain experience within the Defensive scheme, I'd expect them to be able to mix it up as the season progresses. It appeared that William Paterson tried to utilize double moves and RPO scheme to exploit the Cover 4/Palms shell. However, the players were ready for it. As far as the offense, Salisbury had a few good drives that allowed them to score, but there were a few instances where they stalled and had to settle for fga. Salisbury FB/RB ran the ball very well and was very explosive in open field, that was good to see this week. Salisbury was able to complete a few passes out of the spread triple option formation, which allowed them to get ahead of downs. I think there is a lot of short yardage situations that need to be worked on throughout the remaining of the season. The o-line has to want to be able to just go head-up with the defense to get the short yardage, can't rely on scheme with triple to get one or two yards when the defense has it's ears peeled back. Circling back to fga, Salisbury has to do a much better job making these chip shots. I was glad to see a new kicker come it and make a late attempt. Special Teams are very important and being able to come away with points when within the 30/Redzone can mean a lot for teams that struggle offensively. Overall, Salisbury is still looking like the team to beat within the NJAC, but will definitely have to take it one game at a time. As far as anything after that is going to be a bonus for this young talented team. Hopefully the Defense can continue to play very well and the Offense can start getting those short yardage plays when the defense knows it's a run. Salisbury faces a tough TCNJ team that runs a 4-6 Bear defense and will put 9/10 players in the box and force Salisbury to throw. Let's see what game plan the coordinators come up with after a oddly close game last year.

[RowanPhan]

Rowan Mid Year Review: 3 - 2 (1-1 NJAC)

Offense
At QB, Husni has taken every snap for the Profs. He's been rock solid. At RB, James Fara and Jajuan Hays have been a stellar combination. Hays has been a surprise due to his electric runs when healthy. At WR, John Maldonado is formulating a record setting season - at times he has been unstoppable. TE CJ Barrett has been the second most effective receiver this season. Rowan would benefit if the other WRs stepped up in the second half of the season to relieve pressure off Maldonado. We saw WR Terry Carlstrom step up big in the recent game against TCNJ with 7 Recs 70 yards and 1 TD. The OL has been fun to watch.

Defense
At DL, Ahmad Gantt and Josh Ortiz are leading the charge. Freshman Amir Wallace has been the impact Frosh of the Season so far - at times unstoppable. The LB crew has been fun to watch as well - Eric Matos leads the crew. Captain LB Mascioli has been out a few games but a talented crew of LB have filled in nicely. Vinny Guarino and Nick Cerulli have made key plays over the past few games. At safety, Jason Blanks is showcasing All Conference abilities and recently had a 2-INT performance against TCNJ. At corner, veteran AJ Kirvin has led the crew. Injuries have impacted the DBs through out the season.

[RowanPhan]

Here's a list of active former Wesley guys and where they are at now.... pulling for Alvernia now, as a sort of Wesley 2.0.... time will tell.

EJ Lee - RB - Alvernia
Taz Burton - WR - William Paterson
Matt Gore - DL - William Paterson
Key'Maan Coleman - LB - William Paterson
Will Valentine - OL - William Paterson
David Pierre - DL - William Paterson
Dante Daniel - LB - Delaware State
Derrico Poston - OL - Delaware State
Jerrish Halsey - WR - Delaware State
Devin Curry - WR - Delaware State
Mike Brewer - LB - Shippensburg
D'Andre Curry - DB - Fairmont State
Mike Credle - WR - Delaware

Any leads on any other guys?

You can update the list to include Eric Bryant who is at Rowan again this year

Nice to see that Eric Bryant (#21) has settled into a starting role at CB for the Profs.  He's very talented.  Last week he had an interception against William Paterson.

Separately, took a quick glance at the Alvernia stats, EJ Lee is their leading rusher. Not monster numbers, but very solid season so far.

[MRMIKESMITH]

A great game this week by Salisbury against TCNJ on their homecoming. This was probably Salisbury best game of the year as it relates to having a complete game from all phases of the game. The defense really dominated the game with the exception of TCNJ's opening possession of the 2nd half. To start off, the offense was firing on all cylinders, the offensive coordinator called a great game and the players executed. In addition, there were some great individual plays by the Freshman Slot/RB, he is one of the most explosive players I have seen in sometime at Salisbury. The blocking across the board was great as well, the big boys upfront really looked different this week. The FB/RB was again explosive and dominate this week, he continues to be a consistent piece for the team. Kudos to the the Freshman QB, he continue to grow and made some good throws and good decisions to keep the offense steady. Defensively, with the exception of a few unsportsmanlike calls and as I aforementioned the opening possession of the 2nd half, they dominated, I know they were upset that they allowed a couple tds this week, but they need to learn from those and realize that even though you are up by 40+ points, you got to finish them and that goes for the backups that received a considerable amount of time. Again, this was probably Salisbury best game offensively since 2019. I know the Defense is sick about those 17 points (7 on starters, 7 on backups, and 3 gifted by refs). Congrats to the team after coming off the bye, they really looked rejuvanized. Next week is homecoming, still one game at a time, but if they play to the level as they did yesterday and the calls are on point and the players are executing, they can be a very scary opponent for someone in the playoffs.

[RowanPhan]

A great game this week by Salisbury against TCNJ on their homecoming. This was probably Salisbury best game of the year as it relates to having a complete game from all phases of the game. The defense really dominated the game with the exception of TCNJ's opening possession of the 2nd half. To start off, the offense was firing on all cylinders, the offensive coordinator called a great game and the players executed. In addition, there were some great individual plays by the Freshman Slot/RB, he is one of the most explosive players I have seen in sometime at Salisbury. The blocking across the board was great as well, the big boys upfront really looked different this week. The FB/RB was again explosive and dominate this week, he continues to be a consistent piece for the team. Kudos to the the Freshman QB, he continue to grow and made some good throws and good decisions to keep the offense steady. Defensively, with the exception of a few unsportsmanlike calls and as I aforementioned the opening possession of the 2nd half, they dominated, I know they were upset that they allowed a couple tds this week, but they need to learn from those and realize that even though you are up by 40+ points, you got to finish them and that goes for the backups that received a considerable amount of time. Again, this was probably Salisbury best game offensively since 2019. I know the Defense is sick about those 17 points (7 on starters, 7 on backups, and 3 gifted by refs). Congrats to the team after coming off the bye, they really looked rejuvanized. Next week is homecoming, still one game at a time, but if they play to the level yesterday and the calls are on point and the players are executing, they can be a very scary opponent for someone in the playoffs.

What are your thoughts on the next opponent?

[MRMIKESMITH]

A great game this week by Salisbury against TCNJ on their homecoming. This was probably Salisbury best game of the year as it relates to having a complete game from all phases of the game. The defense really dominated the game with the exception of TCNJ's opening possession of the 2nd half. To start off, the offense was firing on all cylinders, the offensive coordinator called a great game and the players executed. In addition, there were some great individual plays by the Freshman Slot/RB, he is one of the most explosive players I have seen in sometime at Salisbury. The blocking across the board was great as well, the big boys upfront really looked different this week. The FB/RB was again explosive and dominate this week, he continues to be a consistent piece for the team. Kudos to the the Freshman QB, he continue to grow and made some good throws and good decisions to keep the offense steady. Defensively, with the exception of a few unsportsmanlike calls and as I aforementioned the opening possession of the 2nd half, they dominated, I know they were upset that they allowed a couple tds this week, but they need to learn from those and realize that even though you are up by 40+ points, you got to finish them and that goes for the backups that received a considerable amount of time. Again, this was probably Salisbury best game offensively since 2019. I know the Defense is sick about those 17 points (7 on starters, 7 on backups, and 3 gifted by refs). Congrats to the team after coming off the bye, they really looked rejuvanized. Next week is homecoming, still one game at a time, but if they play to the level yesterday and the calls are on point and the players are executing, they can be a very scary opponent for someone in the playoffs.

What are your thoughts on the next opponent?

Hey RowanPhan, I had a chance to watch the Rowan vs. Kean game and also watched a few of Rowan's earlier games this year. I'd say that Rowan in addition to both Salisbury and CNU could be undefeated at this point. However, that's why you play the games. Circling back to your question on my thoughts on Rowan, I'd say that they are very dangerous young team with a few talented Seniors that have tons of experience, especially on the offensive side. I'm impressed in the fortitude of Rowan as 75% of their starters are underclassman, I was more impressed in how they stayed together against Kean after Kean made a run. Looking ahead to this upcoming weekend against Salisbury, I won't do any predictions and will let the game play out. However, like Rowan, Salisbury makeup is eerily similar with the exception of the QB position. I'd expect the game to be competitive and the team with the lesser mistakes and penalties will be successful. I'm looking forward to the game as it is both homecoming and Family Weekend. I know both coaching staffs will have their respective teams ready to go.