Salisbury’s football team has done the hokey-pokey and turned itself around this season.

But that doesn’t mean the Hornets are ready to dance with the playoff contenders in the Central Carolina Conference.

“We’re not there yet,” coach Raymond Daugherty said Friday night after Salisbury dropped 34-28 double-overtime decision to visiting East Davidson. “We’re 3-7 and we’ve played very well. We’ve been within a touchdown of winning four other games. So this much is clear: Salisbury football is back and we’re gonna be around for a while.”

Salisbury (1-4 CCC) presented a convincing closing argument against the Eagles (4-6, 3-2 CCC), its next-to-last opponent this fall. The Hornets erased a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit and weren’t beaten until East Davidson’s Chase Waterhouse scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in the second overtime series.

“We all said we were going to fight until the end,” said running back Jamel Alexander, Salisbury’s leading rusher with 101 yards on 18 carries. “I couldn’t believe that comeback. But you know, you win some and you lose some. We just couldn’t come up with the victory.”

Salisbury’s late charge was piloted by Houdini-like quarterback Jerome Allison, an elusive sophomore who played beyond his years. He passed for 92 yards and four touchdowns, including a 19-yard flip to Ken Drye that cut the Hornets’ deficit to seven points with 7:56 left in regulation.

“He’s a great athlete,” said Drye, who made six receptions and scored his 10th, 11th and 12th touchdowns. “I compare him to Michael Vick of Virginia Tech. He can run it and throw it. If he stays in the weight room, he’ll get to play college ball somewhere.”

Allison, already 6-2 and 190 pounds, was a magician in shoulder pads on Salisbury’s game-tying drive. He ran the option and melted the clock effectively, deceiving East’s defenders with short passes, traps and pitchouts to Alexander and Drye. Only 31 seconds remained when he lofted a 29-yard TD pass to Chris Geter, who was running a slant pattern from the right side.

“I liked getting an opportunity tonight,” said Allison, who relieved starting QB Tommy Ludwig in the second quarter. “And I tried to take advantage of it. We can compete with anybody. We just couldn’t pull this one out.”

They nearly did. The vociferous crowd exploded moments later when Salisbury defensive back Boo Blount picked off an East Davidson pass and returned it to the 45-yard line with 12.2 seconds remaining. On first down Allison threw up a Hail Mary pass to wide open Drye, who outraced the defense but dropped the ball near the Eagles 20-yard line.

“If I didn’t have stone hands we would have won it without going to overtime,” said Drye. “I was surpised I was so open. Instead of just grabbing the ball I tried to tip it to myself and bring it in.”

East took a 28-21 lead on the first overtime series when Waterhouse busted in on a 3-yard run. Salisbury tied the score — and forced a second OT — when Allison hit Drye with an 8-yard screen pass that went for a touchdown.

After the visitors regained the lead on another Waterhouse score — his third of the game — Salisbury lined up for its final chance. A penalty and a five-yard run by Allison gave the Hornets a second down from the 10. They used their final lifeline when Allison’s last pass deflected off Drye, popped into the air and was picked off by Waterhouse.

“I had it in my hands,” said Drye. “But someone hit me right away and it popped loose. That was it.”

Daughtery chose to classify the loss as an important stepping stone. “Lou Holtz said it best in the papers,” he explained. “You’ve got to get competitive first, which we were not last year. And we’ve done that. Then you’ve got to win, and we’re starting to do that. Then you’ve got to learn how to handle winning. That means you’ve got to come back out and win the next week. Tonight was an indication that we’re getting closer to that.”