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Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey football team will look for its first victory this Saturday when they visit Salisbury University for a 1 p.m. kickoff. It will be the third nationally ranked opponent in four games for the Lions as the Sea Gulls moved up to #11 in the AFCA poll this week.

It's been a long wait for this game as weather played the role of spoiler in 2015 and forced the contest to be cancelled. That would have been the first meeting since 2001 that the two programs shared the gridiron, when the Lions topped the Sea Gulls 27-17.
 
TCNJ played tremendous defense last weekend in their home opener, but came up on the short end, falling by a score of 17-0 to 24^th-ranked Christopher Newport University. The TCNJ defense surrendered just one touchdown to a high-octane Captain offense that entered the game leading the New Jersey Athletic Conference in total offense. CNU found the end zone on their opening drive and were denied by the Lions the next 12 drives.
 
Salisbury won its third consecutive game last week, blanking Southern Virginia University, 35-0. It's a rare statistic at any level of football, but the Salisbury defense did not allow a reception by the Knights' offense the entire game, yet picked off three passes. Southern Virginia runs an option offense, but none of the options seemed to bother the Sea Gulls.
 
This will be another difficult match-up for the Lions. With their offense struggling to find its rhythm, they will line up across from a defense that is permitting just 12.7 points per game. Montclair State University did have some success through the air against Salisbury in a 40-20 loss. They connected on a pair of touchdown passes of 30-plus yards. Junior quarterback Trevor Osler does have the arm strength to stretch the field, so look for Jeff Mattonelli, Chase Vena, and Thomas Koenig to be targeted on Saturday.
 
One component that is less prediction and more fact is that the Sea Gulls will run the football. They lead the NJAC in rushing offense, averaging 351.0 yards per game. That number is high in part because their play-calls are primarily run plays. Salisbury has rushed the ball 161 times in three games and passed only 29 times. They have also been extraordinarily efficient in the red zone. On 14 trips inside the 20-yard line, they have registered 12 touchdowns.
 
The challenge of slowing down an offense that is rolling is nothing new to the TCNJ defense. Christopher Newport came into Lions Stadium averaging five TDs per game. They left scoring just one offensive touchdown and zero in the final 53 minutes of play. Senior defensive lineman Abdelrahman Ragab and junior linebacker Troy Domenick led a spirited defensive effort in their home opener. They contained star quarterback K.J. Kearney and held CNU to just 56 net rushing yards.
 
TCNJ will remain on the road next week, traveling to Wesley College for a 1 p.m. game. Wesley will play at Southern Virginia this Saturday at 1 p.m.