2024 Salisbury bracket previews
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Salisbury Sea Gulls
| Seed: | No. 1 seed, Salisbury bracket, No. 3 overall |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 8, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Salisbury, Md. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 5846 |
| Stadium: | Sea Gull Stadium (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NJAC |
| Head coach: | Sherman Wood (Salisbury State '84) |
| Career record: | 191-79 (.707) |
| Base offense: | Flexbone option |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 10-13 (1983, 1985-86, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010-12, 2015, 2019, 2021-22) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 518 | 234 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: NJAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The Sea Gulls' run-heavy attack is breaking off lengthy gains. At their best, the ball carriers are patient enough for holes to open, one reason why Salisbury has eight games with a carry of at least 40 yards. Defensively, the front seven are swarming to the ball, keeping rushing gains to no more than a couple yards at most. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense can't slow down the opponent's passing game. We've seldom seen Salisbury struggle, but in games that have become a shootout, too many open receivers downfield at too often of a rate has often been the culprit in the opponent keeping the score close. |
| This season's turning point: | The 41-13 win over Johns Hopkins in Week 3. Winning on the road, against a Top 25 opponent, and shutting out JHU 31-0 in the second half said plenty about Salisbury's strength on both sides of the ball. |
| NPI (rank): | 78.959 (3) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 349.3/159.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 89.5/249.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 8.7/5.4 |
| Leading passer: | Gage Katzenell-Hall, 157 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Ronald Clark, 80.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Micah Brubaker, 64.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Patrick Sheil, 39 (20 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Chase Lomax, 7.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Malachi Baker, 3 |
| How far can they go? | We would feel better about a bold prediction if we knew for sure about Gage Katzenell-Hall's status. Will the bye week help the QB get back in the lineup? Syrus McGowan has been a great backup but it would be better to have the QB1 when Week 13 rolls around. |
Mount Union Purple Raiders
| Seed: | No. 2, Salisbury bracket (No. 6 overall) |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 5, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Alliance, Ohio |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1852 |
| Stadium: | Mount Union Stadium (5450) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | OAC |
| Head coach: | Geoff Dartt (Mount Union '08) |
| Career record: | 52-3 (.945) |
| Base offense: | Multiple/Pro style |
| Base defense: | Multiple |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 112-21 (1985-86, 1990, 1992-2019, 2021-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 454 | 142 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: OAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Tyler Echeverry has plenty of green grass in front of him as he breaks through a gap and turns upfield. One of the nation's top rushers, Echeverry is a focal point of the offense, running strong behind the Purple Raider offensive line, and that success often frees up their receivers as well, leading to gains through the air. And on defense, Rossy Moore is causing havoc up front. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense has trouble getting off the field. In the games in which we?ve seen the Purple Raiders struggle to pull away, the opponent has put together several drives of eight plays or more, and in a couple of instances, drives of at least 10 plays. This creates matchup challenges, especially in stopping the run late in a possession. |
| This season's turning point: | When T.J. DeShields came off the bench at halftime against Marietta and led two fourth-quarter scoring drives to help the Purple Raiders rally to win. Deshields lofted a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Sanders with 32 seconds left for the win, as Mount Union certainly proved a few doubters wrong in its highest-profile conference matchup of the season. |
| NPI (rank): | 75.468 (6) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 264.2/227.6 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 91.7/197.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 8.2/4.3 |
| Leading passer: | Noah Beaudrie, 197.78 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Tyler Echeverry, 111.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Nick Turner, 64.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Rossy Moore, 74 (42 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Kaleb Brown, 10.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Tony Cook, 2 |
| How far can they go? | Listen, these guys are inconsistent but they are still good. They could win this bracket. Also there is historical precedence from this season alone that they could lose to John Carroll, if JCU advances. |
Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets
| Seed: | No. 3, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 4 2024 |
| Location: | Ashland, Virginia |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1452 |
| Stadium: | Day Field (4000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ODAC |
| Head coach: | Pedro Arruza (Wheaton '95) |
| Career record: | 146-70 (.676) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 5-6 (1984, 2008, 20162, 2018, 2022-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 350 | 123 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: ODAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | It's not just Dante Casciola running the ball, but Kwesi Clark as well, or Mitchell Johnson, or someone who traditionally lines up at running back. The 'Jackets have four running backs plus Casciola who all run for more than 30 yards per game over the course of the season, including D.J. James III, who started his college career as a redshirt at Norfolk State. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They need the defense to score, because the offense just isn't getting it done, particularly when Casciola isn't able to connect with receivers downfield. |
| This season's turning point: | The Yellow Jackets escaped Shenandoah with a 22-21 win when Mitchell Johnson got into the end zone with 6:10 left. Shenandoah had a three-and-out on its next possession and Randolph-Macon ran off the last 4:33 of the game with a heavy does of Johnson in the backfield and Casciola running the ball himself. |
| NPI (rank): | 70.625 (15) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 213.9/147.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 67.0/170.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.7/4.1 |
| Leading passer: | Dante Casciola, 126.3 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Kwesi Clarke, 56.44 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Jason Moore, 37.4 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Daniel Eliasek, 63 (36 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Owen Arruza, 5.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Coleton Payne, 4 |
| How far can they go? | The NPI will favor them in their opening game, but Randolph-Macon will find it difficult to win one game, let alone three games like it did in last year's playoff. |
Carnegie Mellon Tartans
| Seed: | No. 4 seed, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 13, 2024 Week 11 |
| Location: | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 6858 |
| Stadium: | Gesling Stadium (3000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | PAC |
| Head coach: | Ryan Larsen (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps '09) |
| Career record: | 30-3 (.909) |
| Base offense: | Multiple one-back |
| Base defense: | Multiple 50 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 4-7 (1978-79, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2006, 2021*-22) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 461 | 118 |
| How they got here: | At-large: PAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offense is balanced and not reliant fully on either the arm of Ben Mills or the legs of Tre Vasiliadis. The Tartans need to be at least a little bit balanced, at least against the quality of teams they will see in the postseason. Special teams has a chance to be a game-changer as well, as the Tartans have blocked eight kicks so far this season. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Untimely penalties and holding onto the ball are an issue. The defense has been solid to great throughout, even when left on the field for a long time, but if you are going to bend-not-break, you need to leave room for the defense to bend and not set them up in bad yardage or sudden-change scenarios. |
| This season's turning point: | Carnegie Mellon rallied from a 24-5 halftime deficit to force overtime at Washington & Jefferson, including blocking kicks and then getting a 20-yard touchdown pass on the second play of overtime to come up with the win. The victory allowed the Tartans to suffer a loss later in the season at Grove City, yet still be safely in the postseason. |
| NPI (rank): | 69.332 (17) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 176.8/226 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 53.2/150.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.1/3.4 |
| Leading passer: | Ben Mills, 199.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Tre Vasiliadis, 93.1 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Brendan McCullough, 55.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Robert Coury, 66 (30 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Robert Coury, 4.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Logan Young, Nolan Pitsenberger, 3 |
| How far can they go? | At least, they should play into December. |
Washington and Jefferson Presidents
| Seed: | No. 5, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 17, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Washington, Pennsylvania |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1243 |
| Stadium: | Cameron Stadium (4000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | PAC |
| Head coach: | Mike Sirianni (Mount Union '94) |
| Career record: | 194-45 (.812) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 23-26 (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989-96, 1999, 2000-02, 2004-09, 2012-14, 2017-18) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 447 | 141 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: PAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Jacob Pugh finds as many of his receivers as he needs to keep the offense moving and uses his feet judiciously to keep the defense on its toes. The defense remains strong up the middle, including Dawson Dietz clogging up the front. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Special teams are a nightmare, whether the punt unit or place kicks, and a mobile quarterback has the Presidents unable to exercise their veto. |
| This season's turning point: | Grove City drove into W&J territory on three drives in the second half but the Presidents limited them to just three points, helping W&J garner a split in the conference's three-way tie. |
| NPI (rank): | 68.283 (23) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 177.1/316.1 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 97.1/141.5 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.1/4.1 |
| Leading passer: | Jacob Pugh, 301.1 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Owen Petrisek, 57.33 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Jacob Macosko, 109 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Justin Johns, 84 (43 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Dawson Dietz, 13.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Brandon Brown, 3 |
| How far can they go? | Good chance to get to December. |
Ursinus Bears
| Seed: | No. 6 seed, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 24, Week 8 2010 |
| Location: | Collegeville, Pa. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1502 |
| Stadium: | Patterson Field (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | CC |
| Head coach: | Peter Gallagher (W. Va. Wesleyan '93) |
| Career record: | 131-105 (.555) |
| Base offense: | One-back spread/RPO |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 1-2 (1996, 1999) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 366 | 148 |
| How they got here: | At-large: Centennial |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Jalen Bradford is making plays with his feet and his arm. A dual-threat quarterback, Bradford has been one of Ursinus' biggest offensive weapons for that reason and really presents a challenge for the opposing linebackers and defensive backs. Defensively, you'll see the opponent struggling to move the chains on third down, as Ursinus has allowed a conversion rate of just 24.09% this season. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They get into the red zone and come away empty. That?s been one area of the field in which the Bears have had some trouble, particularly when you look at their lone loss to Johns Hopkins, in which they went 0-for-4 inside the JHU 20. Defensively, Ursinus will give up too many short passes that extend drives and lead to scores for the opposing offense. |
| This season's turning point: | The 20-point fourth quarter in the 53-50 win at Muhlenberg certainly stands out, as it was the Bears' first big test, on the road no less, and was capped by Tony Holden?s memorable 79-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes to play. That Week 5 matchup set the stage for the rest of Centennial Conference play for the Bears. |
| NPI (rank): | 64.710 (24) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 225.4/223.3 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 64.3/197.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.4/4.2 |
| Leading passer: | Jalen Bradford, 212 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Troy Holden, 125.7 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Justin Collier, 62.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Marc Clayton, 90 (44 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Connor Carter, 12.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Ryan DiVergilis, 3 |
| How far can they go? | The opening game is a pure toss-up and could be one of the best games in the entire tournament. |
King's Monarchs
| Seed: | No. 7, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1557 |
| Stadium: | McCarthy Stadium (3000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MAC |
| Head coach: | Mike Cebrosky (Delaware Valley '08) |
| Career record: | 9-1 (.900) |
| Base offense: | One-back spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 1-1 (2002) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 325 | 196 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: MAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | QB Russell Minor-Shaw is able to take advantage of all of his receiving options downfield, keeping the chains moving with consistent, quick passes that keep the defense on its heels. Defensively, the Monarchs are getting into the backfield often, putting pressure on the offensive line and racking up multiple tackles for loss. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They can?t keep the opponent's passing attack in check. In the loss to Wilkes, as well as a couple narrow wins in league play, broken coverages in the secondary hurt King's ability to keep the opponent out of the end zone and control the game. |
| This season's turning point: | The Week 4 win over Widener. The 28-25 victory seemed to solidify King's as a MAC title contender at that point in time, picking up the program's first win over Widener since 2009 and setting the stage for victories over FDU-Florham and Delaware Valley later in the conference schedule. |
| NPI (rank): | 65.725 (29) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 224.7/176.7 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 134.6/196 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.0/5.2 |
| Leading passer: | Russell Minor-Shaw, 176.7 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Brennan Robinson, 101.36 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Mike DiGregorio, 52.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Jake Ruppert, 91 (31 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Osman Kamara, 9.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Zach Barber, 5 |
| How far can they go? | It's a true toss-up game and whoever wins it will have their hands more than full at Salisbury the following week. |
Centre Colonels
| Seed: | No. 8, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 24, Week 11 2018 |
| Location: | Danville, Ky. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1193 |
| Stadium: | Farris (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | SAA |
| Head coach: | Andy Frye (Muskingum '81) |
| Career record: | 180-87 (.674) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 2-3 (2011, 2014, 2018) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 304 | 198 |
| How they got here: | At-large, SAA |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | QB Jack Gohmann (232-365-13/2656 yds/29 TDs), who led the SAA in passing this season, has continued success throwing the ball. DB Mario Brewer Jr. (8.5 sacks/11.5 TFL) is pressuring the opposing quarterback while DB Nick Grant (12 PBUs/42 tackles) and LB Evan Elder (52 tackles/8.0 TFL) wreak havoc in the defensive and offensive backfields. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The modest Centre run game underachieves and allows the opposing defense to tee off on Gohmann, whose 13 interceptions were the most thrown in the SAA. As Gohmann goes, so does the Colonel offense. |
| This season's turning point: | Trailing 28-21 early in the second half at home against Southwestern the week before an anticipated showdown with Berry, the Colonels scored 17 unanswered points to remain in control of their destiny, forcing three Pirate turnovers and holding their opponent scoreless the rest of the way. |
| NPI (rank): | 65.012 (32) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 91.5/271.5 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 101.8/231.4 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.6/5.1 |
| Leading passer: | Jack Gohmann, 265.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Will McDaniel, 39.9 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Blake Busson, 70.1 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Evan Elder, 52 (31 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Mario Brewer Jr., 8.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Four way tie with 2 |
| How far can they go? | Their road to the playoffs ends in Pittsburgh, but at least they'll be able to say they made it to the second round. |
John Carroll Blue Streaks
| Seed: | Likely No. 2, Mount Union bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 24, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | University Heights, Ohio |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2904 |
| Stadium: | Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field (5418) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | OAC |
| Head coach: | Jeff Behrman (John Carroll '95) |
| Career record: | 16-4 (.800), 58-24 (.707) overall |
| Base offense: | One-back spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 9-7 (1989, 1997, 2002, 2013-2014, 2016, 2018) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 305 | 148 |
| How they got here: | At-large: OAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Nick Semptimphelter can pick out whichever receiver he wants, and lately it's been Tyren Montgomery, a big-play threat at receiver who was once a walk-on men's basketball player at LSU but transferred in from Nicholls State. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They give up big plays, they can't keep the opposing quarterback in the pocket and they can't get enough pressure on him to make him miss receivers. |
| This season's turning point: | They jumped out to a 28-7 lead against Marietta and led by 28 in the fourth quarter of a game that they needed to win, plus they needed help to get in the playoffs. They got that help on Saturday afternoon, about 45 minutes before their game ended, when UW-River Falls put the finishing touches on a win against UW-Oshkosh. |
| NPI (rank): | 63.948 (36) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 174.1/268.6 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 113.2/206.5 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.5/4.9 |
| Leading passer: | Nick Semptimphelter, 259.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Nemo Jenkins, 49.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Tyren Montgomery, 91.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Tyler Thimons, 40 (20 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Ben Day, Joe Thimons, 2.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Jacob Hufnagel, Dylan Crasi, 2 |
| How far can they go? | Mount St. Joseph is not one to look past, but it's hard not to with Mount Union looming. |
Mount St. Joseph Lions
| Seed: | No. 10, Salisbury bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 984 |
| Stadium: | Schueler Field (2400) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | HCAC |
| Head coach: | Tyler Hopperton (MSJ '12) |
| Career record: | 59-19 (.756) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-6 (2004-07, 2009, 2022-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 409 | 270 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: HCAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Kadin Pollard is an effective 2 punch to the 1 of Eli Alston. Alston's numbers are below, but Pollard has also been above 100 yards receiving three times this year. He's also been below 25 four times on the season as well. He will be needed against John Carroll. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Tyler Prather doesn't have time to throw to anyone, aside from to the defense, and the opposing ground game is able to chunk up big yardage. Mount St. Joseph has turned the ball over 19 times this season, and eight of them came in the two losses: to Muskingum and UW-River Falls. |
| This season's turning point: | Frankly, just getting away from UW-River Falls, a team which beat the Lions 68-9 despite not even having its QB1, has to be considered a turning point of its own. |
| NPI (rank): | 58.677 (62) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 179.2/325.5 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 119.9/218.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.2/5.3 |
| Leading passer: | Tyler Prather, 287.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jackson Gifford, 83.1 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Eli Aston, 126.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Evan Schlensker, 59 (27 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Jack Tucker, 4.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Luke Paff, 6 |
| How far can they go? | They may still have enough offense to get past John Carroll. |