GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University hosts Edinboro in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The schools have met one other time in postseason play, with ESU earning its first NCAA playoff win in school history with a 36-32 victory in the second round of the 2004 playoffs.

ESU IN THE NCAA PLAYOFFS: The Warriors are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and own a 4-3 record. The 2005 team won three games to claim the Northeast Region championship and advance to the national semifinals. ESU is 3-2 in NCAA Playoff games at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

1991 - Shippensburg 34, ESU 33 (OT) (at ESU)
2004 - ESU 36, Edinboro 32 (at ESU)
2004 - West Chester 48, ESU 38 (at ESU)
2005 - ESU 55, Southern Connecticut 33 (at ESU)
2005 - ESU 52, Bloomsburg 39 (at Bloomsburg)
2005 - ESU 55, C.W. Post 28 (at ESU)
2005 - Grand Valley State 55, ESU 20 (at GVSU)

The Warriors have averaged 41.3 points per game in their seven games while allowing an average of 38.4 points. ESU's 20 points at Grand Valley State in the 2005 semifinals are the fewest by either team in the Warriors' previous postseason appearances.

TV/Radio Coverage
Television: Live and tape-delay in PA on the SportsFever Television Network (Blue Ridge TV-13 in the Poconos), and live nationally on ESPN GamePlan and ESPN360.com. The STN crew is comprised of Scott Bacon (play-by-play), Jon Schaeffer (color commentary) and Kristi Fulkerson (sideline reporter).
Radio: Live on WVPO 840 AM and www.esu.edu/athletics/. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 21st season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 9th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 11:30 a.m.

THE SERIES: Edinboro is the first team that ESU will face twice in the postseason after both schools were left out of the NCAA Playoffs with 9-2 records last year. The schools have met 14 times, with the Warriors holding a 10-4 advantage. Denny Douds has been a part of all 14 meetings, as the head coach in the last 12 games (8-4) and an assistant coach in a pair of wins in 1967 and 1968. The Warriors edged the Fighting Scots 24-22 for the PSAC title in 1982. More recently, they met each season from 2000-06 and twice in 2004, including the NCAA Playoff win when Jimmy Terwilliger found Ben Culver for a 17-yard TD on fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds left. ESU has won the last four games; Edinboro's last win was a 31-20 victory in 2003.

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU's final placement at No. 4 was its highest in the Super Regional One rankings this season. The Warriors entered last week's game vs. Slippery Rock at No. 6.
ESU in this year's regional rankings:
Oct. 5 - 5th    Oct. 12 - n/a    Oct. 19 - 8th    Oct. 26 - 8th    Nov. 2 - 6th    Nov. 9 - 4th

THE LATEST CHAPTER: The Warriors are in the midst of the winningest decade in school history. ESU is 77-33 for a .700 winning percentage since 2000 and has made three of its four NCAA playoff appearances, including a school-record 11 wins in 2005.  ESU has an all-time record of 442-281-19 (.608).

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 226-145-3 record in his 36th season as head football coach at ESU. Douds is in his 44th season at ESU overall and is one of five active coaches in Division II, and one of just 16 coaches in all of college football, with at least 200 career victories. He has led the Warriors to nine PSAC titles and four NCAA Playoff appearances. For more information on Coach Douds and the ESU coaching staff, please see page 10 of the game notes.

Scott Browning (Ohio State '81) is in his fourth year as head coach at Edinboro and has a 30-14 record, including a 17-5 mark the last two years. While this is the first NCAA Playoff appearance of his tenure as head coach, he was an assistant coach for 20 years and a part of Edinboro's seven previous playoff squads.

CARROLL SETS SCHOOL RECORD: R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll was named the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week after setting an ESU record with 4 interceptions and tying an NCAA Division II record with 3 interceptions in the fourth quarter of the Warriors' win vs. Slippery Rock. Carroll had two returns for touchdowns, scoring on plays of 36 yards (2nd quarter) and 40 yards (4th quarter) and led a defensive effort that generated 7 turnovers, 6 interceptions and 3 returns for TDs.

Carroll is one of two players in Division II with 4 interceptions in a game this season and one of two with at least 2 returns for a TD. ESU has had four players record 3 interceptions in a game, most recently Matt Crispell in 2004. Carroll is the 4th player in DII with 3 interceptions in a quarter and the first since 1997.

THE BUCK STOPS HERE: ESU is among the NCAA leaders in red zone defense, 4th down defense and takeaways during the 2009 season.

The Warriors have allowed opponents to score on just 60 percent (21-of-35) of their trips inside the 20-yard line. The defense has come up with 4 turnovers and 5 turnovers on downs in the red zone.

TURNING IT OVER: A total of 17 players have been involved in creating turnovers this year and ESU is tied for 6th in Division II with 33 takeaways. Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger leads the PSAC with 7 interceptions and R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll is tied for 2nd with 5 picks, all in the last two weeks. Jr. OLB Mark Kalo leads the PSAC with 4 forced fumbles and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case is tied for 4th with 3 fumble recoveries.

A total of six Warriors have interceptions, 11 have forced a fumble and 11 have a fumble recovery. R-So. LB Taylor Cave is the only player with at least one in each category and also has a defensive TD on a 26-yard interception return vs. Clarion. Please see p. 7 for the entire list of takeaways during the 2009 season.

ALL-PSAC EAST: ESU had four players named to the All-PSAC East team on Wednesday - R-Sr. LT Morgan Thomas and R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed (1st team) and R-Jr. WR Jeff Giglio and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (2nd team).

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed, a 1st team Daktronics Division II and 3rd team AP Little All-American in 2008, is the PSAC's top tackler for the second straight year. He was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 1st team and is eligible for Academic All-America consideration.

Freed is tied for 12th in Division II with 11.0 tackles per game after last week's 20-tackle effort vs. Slippery Rock (t-4th in DII). He also had 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks, and is 4th in the PSAC with 8.0 sacks and tied for 4th with 15.0 TFL.

Matt Freed - last two seasons
2009: 121 tackles, 15.0 TFL, 8.0 sacks, 1 FF
2008: 126 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 4 Int., 1 FF, 2 FR

He is the first ESU player with back-to-back 100 tackle seasons since All-American Kevin Nagle (1998-2000). His 14 solo tackles at Kutztown are tied for the most in Division II this season, and he had 13 solo tackles vs. Slippery Rock.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed and R-So. OL Zach Sarginger were named to the Academic All-District team last week. Freed (History, 3.70 GPA) was named to the first team for the second straight year and is on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Sarginger (Mathematics/Secondary Education, 3.37 GPA) was recognized on the second team in his first year of eligiblity. ESU has led the PSAC with 10 Academic All-District selections in all sports in each of the last two years.

THE MARSHALL PLAN: R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall is 10-3 as a starter, going 2-0 last season and 8-3 this year. He is currently 2nd in the PSAC in four categories:

PSAC Ranks
Passing - 2nd, 239.7 ypg
Total Offense - 2nd, 262.8 ypg
QB Rating - 2nd, 148.5
Completion % - 2nd, 60.6
TD Passes - t-3rd, 24

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Marshall has been almost perfect in the first quarter this season but was never better than his first five throws last week. Marshall was 5-for-5 for 162 yards and 3 TDs (on consecutive plays) in the first 4:23 of the Warriors' win over Slippery Rock, throwing TD passes of 22, 24 and 80 yards.

Marshall is 63-for-90 (70.0 percent) for 1,011 yards, 9 TDs and 2 interceptions in the first quarter this season. He was 11-for-12 for 94 yards to start the 2009 opener at Virginia Union and has thrown for at least 80 yards in the 1st quarter in 8 games.

RECORD PACE: Marshall is the 4th quarterback in school history to throw for 2,500 yards in a season ... he can reach 3,000 yards of total offense and 200 completions this week ... his 79.3 (23-for-29) completion percentage vs. Clarion was the second-best in ESU history ... he had ESU's 15th 400-yard passing game with 430 yards at Kutztown and was the 8th quarterback to top 400 yards.

ESU QB's IN NCAA's: The Warriors have thrown for at least 300 yards in five of their seven NCAA playoff games, beginning with Bret Comp's 427-yard day at Shippensburg in 1991. Jimmy Terwiliger averaged 311.2 passing yards and 361.2 yards of total offense in his six postseason starts and threw for 21 TDs. For a complete list of ESU postseason records, please see p. 14-15.

ESU has also produced one 100-yard receiver in all seven games, with All-American Evan Prall hitting the mark three times - vs. West Chester in 2004 and Bloomsburg and Grand Valley State in 2005. Tim Strenfel had 101 yards vs. Edinboro in 2004.

FRESHMAN IMPACT: True freshman tailback Kendrick Williams is averaging 111.2 all-purpose yards per game in his first five career starts, with 67.8 yards rushing and 43.4 yards receiving, while scoring 4 TDs.

Williams made his first career appearance in the fourth quarter at West Chester, gaining 50 yards on six carries (including a 30-yard run on 4th-and-1) on a 55-yard drive that produced the game-winning TD in a 21-20 victory. The win was ESU's first vs. WCU since 2003.

Williams and true freshman Eric Deery combined to run for 198 yards vs. Millersville, with Deery producing his second 100-yard rushing game of the season with 102 yards on 18 carries. He ran for 121 yards on 15 carries at Cheyney and was the first ESU true freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game since Stewart Ford eclipsed the 100-yard mark five times in 1997 on his way to a 1,109-yard season, the second-best in ESU history.

Williams and Deery had standout high school careers in New Jersey and were both third team All-State. Williams ran for 2,186 yards and 22 TDs on 320 carries at Nottingham (Hamilton, N.J.), including a Mercer County record with 428 yards and 4 TDs against Hamilton. Deery was the Warren County Player of the Year and was 2nd in Phillipsburg HS history with 1,718 yards and 13 TDs as a senior.

ALL-PURPOSE GUYS: Four Warriors - R-Jr. WR Jeff Giglio (112.0), Fr. TB Kendrick Williams (101.0), R-Jr. TB Zach Krise (99.0) and R-Jr. WR Ed Kiser (94.5) - enter this week's game averaging at least 90 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and returns). Giglio leads all active ESU players with 2,254 yards.

Kiser is the only player in the quartet to see action in all 11 games and has 684 yards receiving, 77 rushing and 279 on kick returns. Giglio (610 receiving, 286 kick returns) was 4th in the PSAC in all-purpose yards per game but has missed three of the last four games. Krise was the PSAC leader through the first three weeks (146.7 ypg) but was knocked out of action for two weeks with an injury at West Chester and suffered a season-ending injury vs. C.W. Post. Williams saw his first career action at West Chester and has played in all six games since then, starting the last five at tailback.

LEADING RUSHER: R-Jr. TB Zach Krise, who was 12th in Division II with 128.0 rushing yards and 5th with 26.0 carries per game through the first three weeks, returned to action vs. C.W. Post and ran six times for 39 yards before suffering a season-ending injury. Krise saw his first action since leaving the field at West Chester late in the second quarter on Oct. 3 and had 11 carries for 42 yards and three catches for 64 yards in the first half in the win over the Golden Rams.

A converted wide receiver, Krise ran for 107 yards and a TD on 26 carries at Virginia Union, 184 yards and 2 TD on 29 carries at Gannon and 93 yards on 23 carries vs. Clarion. He was the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week with 222 all-purpose yards (184 rushing, 38 receiving) and 3 TDs at Gannon. Krise ran for 472 yards and 5 TDs and had 11 catches for 122 yards and a TD this season.

GOING DEEP: The Warriors have eight receivers who have caught a pass of at least 30 yards this season after Fr. TB Kendrick Williams had gains of 32 and 42 yards at Kutztown. Long pass plays have been a staple of the Warriors offense for the past decade — ESU has had at least five players with a 30-yard catch in each season since 2001, including 10 who had at least one 30-yard play during the 2005 NCAA Northeast Region championship season.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: ESU has reached several milestones for offensive balance this season, including three in the last two weeks.

* R-Jr. WR Ed Kiser went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career vs. Millersville, giving the Warriors three active players with 1,000 yards, joining R-Sr. Sam Shuman (1,966) and R-Jr. Jeff Giglio (1,647).
* R-Fr. WR Jordan Hallman was the 5th ESU player to record a 100-yard receiving game last week with 5 catches for 102 yards and 2 TD vs. Slippery Rock. Shuman just missed the mark with 97 yards at Cheyney, and has four career 100-yard receiving games and four other games with at least 90 yards.
* Hallman was also the 6th different player to lead the Warriors in receiving yards.

100-yard receiving games this season:
Jeff Giglio - at Gannon (140), Clarion (148), at Shippensburg (116)
Ed Kiser - at Kutztown (177) - ESU season-high
Kendrick Williams - at Kutztown (103)
Bryan Ogden - Millersville (106)
Jordan Hallman - Slippery Rock (102)

WR QUICK HITS: R-Sr. Sam Shuman is 34 yards away from becoming the 8th player in ESU history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. With six catches this week, he can become the 2nd player in school history with four straight seasons of at least 30 receptions, joining Anthony Carfagno, who had 172 receptions in his career from 2002-05.

Shuman was second team All-PSAC East as a sophomore, leading the Warriors in receptions (36) and yards (534), and set career-highs with 39 catches for 627 yards last season. He was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team in 2007 and is in his ninth semester as a Pharmacy major at ESU.

One of the most versatile players in the PSAC, Shuman is 3-for-3 for 124 yards passing this season and 6-for-7 for 238 yards and a TD in his career. He also handled the punting duties vs. Bloomsburg, punting seven times for a 30.9-yard average and caught a 27-yard TD pass for ESU's only score. He is the first ESU player in 24 years to complete a pass, score a touchdown and punt in the same season since quarterback Ray Gentilella in 1985.

R-Jr. Jeff Giglio ranked as high as 6th in Division II in receiving yards this season with an average of 118.2 through the first four games, which included three straight 100-yard games. He has missed three of the last four games, but most recently ranked 3rd in the PSAC in receiving yards (76.2), 5th in receptions (4.6) and 4th in all-purpose yards (112.0).

Giglio had 41 catches for 749 yards and 10 TDs last year, was tied for 4th in the PSAC in receiving TDs and ranked 7th in receiving yards (68.1 per game). He had 13 catches for 301 yards and 3 TDs over the final two games of the season, with five catches for 139 yards and two TDs at Millersville and eight catches for 162 yards and a TD at Slippery Rock.

R-Jr. Ed Kiser leads the Warriors in both catches (38) and yards (684) this year, part of a breakout season that included 11 catches for 177 yards and the go-ahead 12-yard TD catch in overtime at Kutztown. He has accounted for 1,040 all-purpose yards (94.5 per game), with 684 yards receiving, 77 yards rushing on eight carries and 279 yards on 13 kick returns. His 62.2 receiving yards per game are 9th in the PSAC.

Kiser was 5th on the team in receptions (24) and 4th in yards (444) in 2008, averaging 18.5 yards per catch, and hauled in a 96-yard TD pass from Tim Roken at Millersville for the second-longest pass play in school history. He also held the school record in the 400m (49.49) until it was broken last year and contributed to three school record-setting relay teams for the Warriors. Kiser caught an 80-yard TD pass for ESU's third score of the first quarter last week.

THE NEXT GENERATION: R-Fr. Jordan Hallman has five TDs in the last six games and 27 catches for 341 yards and 6 TDs this year. He went over 100 yards for the first time in his career with 5 catches for 102 yards and 2 TDs last week vs. Slippery Rock. Hallman hauled in the game-winning TD pass, a five-yard strike from Matt Marshall, in the fourth quarter at West Chester and had four catches for 79 yards and a 38-yard TD at Kutztown.

Fr. Bryan Ogden has also contributed heavily to the Warriors' offense as the season has progressed. He had a career-high 106 yards on four catches and scored his first career TD on a 24-yard catch vs. Millersville. He also had five catches for 51 yards at Kutztown and has 22 catches for 317 yards this season.

IN THE FRONT ROW: R-Sr. Morgan Thomas has made 41 career starts on the offensive line and has been in the lineup at three of the five positions up front. Thomas has started all 10 games at left tackle this season and started 17 games at right guard and 13 at right tackle over his first three years. He was second team All-PSAC East last year and was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by CDSdraft.com this summer.

The Warriors broke in three first-year starters and had the same starting five up front in eight of their first nine games.  R-So. Dan Caffrey has started all 22 games in his career at center after moving from the defensive line, where he spent his redshirt season. R-Fr. Wrenton Wright II (right tackle) has started all 11 games and R-So. Zach Sarginger (right guard) has made 10 starts. R-Fr. Seve Rivers (left guard) made 9 starts before suffering a season-ending injury against C.W. Post. Jr. Mike Dimitriou and Sr. Dan Finnegan have also received starting nods at guard this season. ESU used the same starting lineup on the offensive line in 10 of its 11 games a year ago.

OFFENSIVE VERSATILITY: ESU has rotated offensive linemen at tight end, along with regular tight ends Willie Bell and Matt Brown, the last two years and added Sr. Dan Finnegan, an offensive lineman, at fullback to join R-Jr. Brent Jones this season. Finnegan changed numbers to 48 (from 68) earlier this year. Jr. OL Mike Dimitriou has also seen action at tight end.

Jones has 5 TDs, all from one-yard out, on 11 carries in 2009 and Bell has 17 catches for 215 yards and a TD. Bell had four catches for 63 yards, both career-highs, two weeks ago against Millersville.

BALANCING ACT: The Warriors have run the ball on 55.1 percent of their 688 offensive plays this season, averaging 37.0 rush attempts and 30.1 pass attempts per game. The ratio is the Warriors' largest towards the run since the 2001 season.
ESU's percentage of running plays since 2000:
2009: 55.4    2008: 52.2    2007: 46.1    2006: 46.9    2005: 52.1
2004: 49.7    2003: 50.3    2002: 50.1    2001: 58.5    2000: 63.5

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: The running game has allowed ESU to rank 5th in the PSAC in time of possession, averaging 30:15 per game.  The Warriors haven't been above 30:00 since 2002, when they were 5th at 31:09. ESU held the ball for 29:18 to rank 9th last season.

BALANCING ACT (2): ESU had scored at least one TD both rushing and passing in 11 consecutive games entering the Bloomsburg game but found the end zone just one time, on a 27-yard pass from Marshall to Shuman. The Warriors have thrown a touchdown pass in 24 straight games and 86 of their 89 games since 2002. Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06) had a TD pass in 47 of his 48 career games, including an NCAA Division II record 39 straight.

MAGIC NUMBER = 140: ESU has won its last 14 games when running for at least 140 yards. The Warriors have topped the mark four times this year (143 at Virginia Union, 187 at Gannon, 235 at Cheyney, 243 vs. Millersville). The last loss with at least 140 yards was a 49-28 setback vs. West Chester in 2006.

RED ZONE SUCCESS: ESU has been at the top of the PSAC in red zone efficiency in the last two seasons.
2008: 1st in PSAC, scoring points on 44 of 48 possessions (92%), including 32 TDs (72%)
2009: 3rd in PSAC, scoring points on 32 of 39 possessions (82%), including 25 TDs (64%)

THIRD DOWNS: The Warriors are 7th in the PSAC with a 37.9 percent rate on 3rd down conversions. ESU was 2nd at 46.1 percent last season.

WARRIORS ON DEFENSE: The Warriors have six first-year starters on the defensive side of the ball. The veterans are Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger (29 career starts), R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas (28), Jr. CB David Castillo (27), R-Jr. All-American OLB Matt Freed (22) and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (21). Freed was the only first-year starter at linebacker last season and is the only returning starter among the Warriors' four linebackers this season.

BALANCED DEFENSE: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed (121 tackles, 15.0 TFL, 8.0 sacks), R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (43 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks) and Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger (PSAC-best 7 interceptions)lead an ESU defense that has seen almost every player who has stepped on the field make an impact this year. Each of the top 13 tacklers have made at least one tackle behind the line of scrimmage, including 11 players who have contributed to the Warriors' 30 sacks.

The Warriors' linebackers are five of their top seven tacklers this season. Jr. OLB Mark Kalo has 73 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception; R-So. ILB Taylor Cave has 66 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery; So. ILB Mike Bergey has 62 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles; and Jr. ILB Kevin Schafer has 38 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble.
ESU linebackers: 360 tackles (186 solo, 174 assists), 28.0 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 10 FF, 3 Int.

Case has 15 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks, a forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries in the last three weeks. Fr. DE Kevon Brown has made his first two career starts late in the season and Jr. Alex Figueroa made his first career start last week.  R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas had made 28 consecutive starts, led ESU's defensive linemen with 9.0 TFL last year and tied for the PSAC lead with 4 fumble recoveries.

R-Sr. Keith Galinsky (36 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sacks) and R-So. Rudy Cerami (32 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 FR) are both in their first year as starters at defensive tackle. Galinsky was the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week with 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter at West Chester. R-So. Cody Berry made his first start of the season and second of his career vs. Millersville and has 6.5 sacks over the last two years.

In the secondary, Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger's 7 interceptions lead the PSAC and are tied for 7th in Division II. Artinger has started 21 games at safety over the last two years and has also made 8 starts at cornerback. Sr. FS Mike Gnall has returned punts over the last seven weeks, with 11 returns for 81 yards, after returning from injury and has made 9 career starts.

Jr. CB David Castillo has started 27 consecutive games, ESU's longest active streak, and has 2 interceptions this season and 6 in his career. He was 2nd in the PSAC with 15 passes defensed (3 interceptions, 12 pass breakups) last season. R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll is the starter on the other side and has 47 tackles, 5 interceptions (all in the last two weeks), 6 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries. True freshmen Mark Henderson, John Mack and D'Jon Tillman have also contributed at cornerback and nickel back. Mack had five kick returns for 120 yards vs. C.W. Post and has 10 returns for 216 yards (21.6 avg.) this season with a long of 37.

2009 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: 55 players have participated this season, including 19 who saw their first career action.

The Warriors have played eight true freshmen - DB Mark Henderson, DB John Mack, DB D'Jon Tillman, DE Kevon Brown, TB Eric Deery, TB Kendrick Williams, WR Bryan Ogden and P Joseph Janovic - after playing only five true freshmen in the past two years.

So. LB Mike Bergey was the only true freshman to letter last year, and Jr. CB David Castillo, Jr. OLB Mark Kalo and Jr. LB Kevin Schafer lettered in 2007.

DEPARTED ALL-AMERICAN: The Warriors boasted the top punter in Division II in 2008 in Nick Krut, a first team Daktronics Division II and first team AP Little All-American, who led Division II and ranked second in all divisions of college football with a 46.0-yard average last season. Krut had 15 punts of 50 or more yards and eight of 60 or more yards with a long of 73. He had a career average of 42.4 yards in three years.

NATION'S BEST: ESU led Division II with a 39.7-yard net punting average and has ranked in the top 5 four times in the last nine years. The Warriors also had the top net average of 40.6 in 2004. ESU has had seven first team All-PSAC East punters and six first team kickers in the past 10 years, and Denny Douds has coached 14 first team kickers and 13 first team punters in his 35 seasons at ESU.

WARRIORS ON TV: Blue Ridge TV-13 will broadcast ESU football for the 22nd year this season, with all five home games airing live across the region. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined by color commentator Jim Riley and sideline reporter Drenen Tucker.

ESU also had two games broadcast across the state by the SPORTSfever Television Network - Bloomsburg (Oct. 10) and Millersville (Oct. 31). Seven ESU games have been broadcast by SPORTSfever over the last three years. The telecasts will air on STN-affiliated stations WTVE (Philadelphia-Lehigh Valley-South Jersey), WGCB (Harrisburg-Lancaster-York), WQMY (Wilkes-Barre-Scranton-Williamsport) and WQED (Pittsburgh-Western Pennsylvania). They will also be featured on FSN Pittsburgh on Monday nights and replay on Time Warner, Armstrong, Atlantic Broadband, Blue Ridge, Service Electric and Comcast (WIUP) cable systems throughout Pennsylvania.

WARRIORS ON RADIO: WVPO 840 AM is in its 47th season broadcasting ESU football and will once again carry all 11 games in 2009. Chuck Seese, recently honored as the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award winner to recognize his contributions to ESU and the PSAC, is in his 21st season as the voice of the Warriors. He is joined in the booth by Bob Brittain, who is in his ninth year providing the color commentary.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: ESU is 4-1 in night games since lights were installed at Eiler-Martin Stadium before the 2007 season. The Warriors dropped their inaugural game to IUP (38-23) on Sept. 15, 2007, but won all four since then — Virginia Union (14-11), Gannon (23-10) and Cheyney (52-12) in 2008, and Clarion (45-31) in 2009, the only night game on this year's schedule.

WARRIORS ON THE ROAD: The Warriors played six of their first eight games on the road this season before returning to the confines of Eiler-Martin Stadium for their final three regular season games. ESU went 5-1 away from home, just the fifth time an ESU team has had at least five road victories. The 2005 team was 6-2 — 5-1 in the regular season and 1-1 in the NCAA playoffs — and the Warriors went 5-0 in 2004, 5-1 in 2003 and 5-0 in 1978.

Going back to the final three games of the 2008 season, ESU played nine of its last 11 games on the road before playing C.W. Post on Oct. 24. The Warriors were 8-1 on the road during that stretch.

PSAC PRESEASON POLL: ESU was picked to finish third in the 2009 PSAC East Coaches Poll, which was released at PSAC media day on August 3. The Warriors, who received one first place vote, were selected behind preseason favorite Bloomsburg and defending PSAC East champion West Chester. C.W. Post was fourth, followed by Shippensburg, Kutztown, Millersville and Cheyney.

In the West, defending PSAC champion and two-time NCAA semifinalist California was picked to defend its title, followed by Edinboro, IUP and Mercyhurst. Slippery Rock, Gannon and Clarion, all on the Warriors' schedule in 2009, were fifth through seventh. The 2009 season will mark the second year of the PSAC State Game, which was held annually from 1960-1987 and returned last season.

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME: ESU won an overtime game for the second straight year with a 27-20 win at Kutztown on Oct. 20. The Warriors broke a four-game losing streak in overtime games with their 44-41 win vs. Shippensburg on Sept. 20, 2008, which gave head coach Denny Douds the PSAC record with his 213th career victory. ESU is 4-6 all-time in overtime contests.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Two members of this year's team have fathers who earned letters for the Warriors under Coach Douds. They join at least five other father-son combinations who have been affiliated with ESU football since Douds arrived in 1966.

R-Fr. DE Sam Hull - father Chris was a four-year letterwinner at DE from 1984-87
R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall - father Brian was the Warriors' leading passer in 1981

* Michael Falcone lettered at linebacker in 1973, his son Bryan earned 3 letters at linebacker from 2000-02
* Steven Jackson lettered at center from 1969-71, his son Greg lettered at tight end in 1998 and 1999
* Doug McNamee (DB/WR) was a co-captain on the 1966 team, his son Todd was a four-year letterwinner as a kicker and punter from 1985-88
* Willard Stem was an All-American safety in 1975, his son Drew was a two-year starter at wide receiver and kick returner in 2007 and 2008
* Mike Terwilliger was the starting quarterback for Douds' first four years as head coach and has been an assistant coach since 1978, his son Jimmy was a
    four-year starter at QB and won the Harlon Hill Award as the top player in Division II in 2005

PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: ESU has won a share of nine PSAC titles under head coach Denny Douds, and 15 in school history. The most recent championships came in 2002 and 2003, when the Warriors tied for the PSAC East championship. Outright PSAC titles came in 1964, 1965, 1975, 1978 and 1982. ESU has a 208-99-1 (.677) record in PSAC games for the third-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field title was awarded in 1960.

EILER-MARTIN STADIUM: Eiler-Martin Stadium has been home to the ESU football program since 1938 and was named in honor of John R. Eiler, an outstanding athlete at the school in the early 1930s and later athletic director and a championship soccer coach, and Gene Martin, the Warriors' head football coach from 1942-57 and the school's long-time Dean of Men. The stadium has been upgraded several times since its construction. New home bleachers were added in 1960, the current press box was installed in 1988, the track was resurfaced and expanded in 2005, lights were added in 2007 and FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2008 season. The Warriors have a 117-61 record at Eiler-Martin Stadium under head coach Denny Douds and a 36-18 home record since the start of the 2000 season.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: ESU has led the PSAC with 10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II selections in each of the last two years and produced two Academic All-Americans in 2008-09, men's basketball player Chris Bach and track & field athlete Paul Wagner. ESU also led the conference with five “Top 10” honorees last year. R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed was first team Academic All-District last year and will have an opportunity to become the fifth ESU football player to be named an Academic All-American. Matt Crispell (DB, 2004) and Ernie Siegrist (TE, 1984) were both first team Academic All-Americans and Ed Detwiler (K-P, 1992) and Warren Brown (LB, 1979) were mentioned on the second team.