One week after handling one of the top defenses in Division III, the Muhlenberg football team will take on one of the top offenses.
 
The fourth-ranked Mules (12-0) travel to Maryland to face sixth-ranked Salisbury (11-0) in a NCAA quarterfinal game on Saturday at noon. The winner advances to face the winner of the Delaware Valley-North Central game in the semifinals.
 
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Muhlenberg is the first team in the history of the Division III playoffs to win by shutout in each of the first two rounds. The Mules blanked MIT, 38-0, in the first round, before advancing to the quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 42-0 shutout of Brockport, which came in with the top rushing defense in the NCAA.
 
A shutout will be hard to come by against the Sea Gulls, who are third in Division III in scoring at 51.1 points per game. A high-powered triple-option attack that averages 343.0 rushing yards per game has led Salisbury to wins of 83-0 (against Maritime) and 62-41 (against previously undefeated Union) in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Sea Gulls have been held under 40 points just once in their last eight games.
 
The Mules are third in Division III in scoring defense, allowing only 9.8 points per game, and have given up a total of 33 points in their last six games. Muhlenberg also is 10th in rushing defense and total defense and 14th in pass efficiency defense.
 
The Muhlenberg offense has also been on a roll, scoring at least 40 points in seven of its last nine games. Despite giving up 41 points to Union, Salisbury is ninth in Division III in rushing defense and 25th in total defense.
 
The teams have met twice previously, both in the postseason. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Muhlenberg scored 10 points in the final five minutes for a 31-21 win. In the 2013 ECAC South Atlantic Bowl, Salisbury stopped a two-point conversion with 24 seconds left to hang on for a 21-19 win.
 
Salisbury, the New Jersey Athletic Conference champion, and Muhlenberg, the Centennial Conference champion, have one common opponent in TCNJ. The Mules won 45-26 in their season opener in a game that was 42-7 late in the third quarter. The Sea Gulls won 62-20 last month in a game that was 48-14 at halftime.