READING, Pa. -- The Albright football team is exactly where they thought they would be at the end of the season. Despite a 1-4 start to the year, the Lions have reeled off five consecutive victories and secured a berth in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl where they will meet Salisbury at 12 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 22) at Sea Gull Stadium.

While doubt lingered outside, inside the lockerroom the Lions believed they could turn the season around which is exactly what they accomplished by adopting a philosophy of focusing on what was directly in front of them and attempting to go 1-0 every week. Five weeks later, Albright finished the regular season with a 6-4 overall mark and a 5-4 record in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

Albright will be making its fourth consecutive ECAC Bowl appearance and has won two straight games in ECAC play. Albright defeated Juniata 45-34 last season and topped Franklin & Marshall 38-34 in 2012. This marks the 10th alltime ECAC Bowl appearance for the Lions and they have posted a 7-2 record in the previous nine games.

The Lions reached the six-win plateau by receiving contributions from virtually every player on the roster. The renewed running game has been a big contributor to Albright's recent success.

Freshman Roemello Monroe, making his first collegiate start, rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Albright to a 17-14 victory over Lebanon Valley in the regular season finale. The week prior, freshman Chris Dawson piled up 175 yards rushing and had two rushing touchdowns to lead Albright past Misericordia on Senior Day.

In the Lions six victories this season, they are averaging 173.3 yards per game on the ground.

Albright also boasts one of the top special teams units in the nation. Kicker Daniel Sobolewski is ranked third in the nation averaging 1.50 field goals per game and his two 52-yard field goals this season rank second in the country. Sobolewski tied the Albright school record when he connected on five field goals versus Wilkes and he has twice connected on a school-record 52-yard field goal this season.

Sophomore Malik Gilmore is tied for the national lead in blocked kicks this season with four. He blocked three kicks in the Lions home victory over FDU-Florham and also blocked a potential game-tying field goal against Lebanon Valley to secure the win.

Sophomore return specialist Gerrod Gainer is ranked fifth in the nation in combined kick returns this season. He has 881 total kick return yards on the year with 706 yards in kick returns and 175 yards in punt returns.

Salisbury finished the regular season with a 6-4 record and finished 5-3 in the Empire 8 Conference. The Sea Gulls finished the regular season with two straight wins over Brockport State and Frostburg State.

Salisbury features one of the top ground attacks in the country averaging 306.6 yards per game. Four different players have topped 500 yards rushing on the season led by Jerome Johnson who has 605 yards. Aaron Moore has rushed for 11 touchdowns this season and John Dunbar has scored 10 rushing touchdowns.

The Sea Gulls lead the alltime series with Albright 2-1. Salisbury won back-to-back games against the Lions in 2007 and 2008, while Albright defeated the Sea Gulls 20-10 in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl in 1995.

Albright Two-Deep
Salisbury Two-Deep