GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: The Warriors host Slippery Rock, the alma mater of head coach Denny Douds (class of 1963), in the final game of the 2009 regular season with an opportunity to strengthen their case for an NCAA Division II Playoff bid. A win would also give ESU eight victories for the 12th time in 36 years under Douds, and the 16th time in school history.

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU rose two spots to No. 6 in this week's NCAA Division II Super Regional One rankings. The top six teams in Super Regional One will be selected for the NCAA Playoffs, unless a conference that is not represented in the top 6 has a school at No. 7 or No. 8. That criteria does not come into play in this week's rankings.
ESU in this year's regional rankings:
Oct. 5 - 5th; Oct. 12 - n/a; Oct. 19 - 8th; Oct. 26 - 8th; Nov. 2 - 6th

ESU has made three appearances in the NCAA playoffs (1991, 2004 and 2005) and won the Northeast Region and advanced to the national semifinals in 2005.

TV/Radio Coverage
Television: Live on Blue Ridge TV-13. Veteran play-by-play man Bob Capasso is joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines.
Radio: Live on WVPO 840 AM and redzonemedia.com. 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 12:30 p.m.

THE SERIES: The Warriors were 1-11 all-time against the Rock before last year's 38-21 victory that wrapped up a 9-2 campaign. East Stroudsburg and Slippery Rock had met just three times in 56 years before Douds became the eighth head coach in school history in 1974. His first-ever game was against his alma mater, a 47-20 loss, but he kicked off 1975 with a 7-0 win at Slippery Rock to start a 10-0 campaign that ended with the PSAC championship. Since then, Slippery Rock won seven straight meetings before the Warriors captured last year's game. The win in 1975 was the sixth of Douds' career - in the last 34 years, he has added 219 wins to that total and is the winningest coach in PSAC football history with 225 victories.

THE LATEST CHAPTER: If the Warriors are not selected for the NCAA Division II Playoffs, they will wrap up the winningest decade in ESU football history this afternoon. ESU is 76-33 since 2000, posting eight more victories than the Warriors had in the 1960's and 1970's. ESU has an all-time record of 441-281-19 (.608).

LAST TIME OUT: Freshmen Eric Deery and Kendrick Williams combined to run for 198 yards, R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall threw three touchdown passes and ESU held Millersville to 227 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers in a 44-3 win last Saturday. Deery (18 carries, 102 yards) and Williams (19-96, TD) helped ESU run for 243 yards and Marshall and R-So. QB Ray Wagner threw for 261 yards and four scores. R-Jr. DE Jeff Case had three sacks and Jr. OLB Mark Kalo and R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll both had interceptions.

ESU rolled up 23 points in the second quarter, including two touchdowns in a 14-second span midway through the period on a 32-yard run by Williams and a 21-yard pass from Marshall to R-Jr. WR Ed Kiser after Millersville fumbled the kickoff. The Warriors also scored on their first two possessions of the second half.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 225-145-3 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 three NCAA Playoff appearances, including the Northeast Region championship in 2005 when ESU advanced to the national semifinals. For more information on Coach Douds and the ESU coaching staff, please see page 10 of the game notes.

Dr. George Mihalik (Slippery Rock '74) has guided the Rock football program for 22 years, compiling a career record of 147-89-4. Mihalik's teams have had a winning record in 16 of his 22 seasons, garnered four PSAC West championships and made three appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: ESU leads the PSAC and is 5th in Division II in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on just 62 percent (18-of-29) of their trips inside the 20-yard line. The Warriors have come up with three turnovers (interception by Jr. CB David Castillo at West Chester, interception by Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger vs. Bloomsburg and forced fumble by R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed at Kutztown) and four turnovers on downs in the red zone.

The Warriors are also 2nd in the PSAC and tied for 5th in Division II in fourth down defense, giving up just two conversions on 10 attempts.

TURNING IT OVER: ESU leads the PSAC with 26 takeaways this season, coming up with 12 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. The Warriors have had 17 players involved in creating turnovers this season.

Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger is tied for the PSAC lead with 5 interceptions, Jr. OLB Mark Kalo leads the PSAC with 4 forced fumbles and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case is tied for 3rd with 3 fumble recoveries.

A total of six Warriors have interceptions, 11 have forced a fumble and 10 have a fumble recovery. R-So. LB Taylor Cave is the only player with at least one in each category and also has ESU's only defensive TD this season, a 26-yard interception return vs. Clarion.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed, a first team Daktronics Division II and third team Associated Press Little All-American last year, is 3rd in the PSAC and 26th in Division II with 10.1 tackles per game (101 tackles, 10 games). He is also 6th in the PSAC with 6.0 sacks and ranks 12th with 11.0 tackles for a loss. His 14 solo tackles at Kutztown are tied for the most in Division II this season.

Freed went over the 100-tackle mark for the second straight season last week, becoming the first ESU player since All-American linebacker Kevin Nagle to post back-to-back 100-tackle seasons. Nagle had 139 tackles in 1998, 123 in 1999 and 125 in 2000, and ranks second in school history with 477 career tackles.

Freed led the PSAC and tied for 6th in DII with 11.5 tackles per game last year and recorded 126 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks and 4 interceptions. He was a three-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week and was also a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection, compiling a 3.70 GPA as a History major in his first six semesters.

ALL-PURPOSE GUYS: Four Warriors - R-Jr. WR Jeff Giglio (112.0), R-Jr. TB Zach Krise (99.0), R-Jr. WR Ed Kiser (93.5) and Fr. TB Kendrick Williams (93.4) - enter this week's game averaging at least 90 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and returns).

Kiser is the only player in the quartet to see action in all 10 games and has 598 yards receiving, 77 rushing and 260 on kick returns. Giglio (610 receiving, 286 kick returns) is 4th in the PSAC in all-purpose yards per game. 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 five games since then.

Career All-Purpose Yards (active ESU players)
Giglio - 2,254; Shuman - 1,965; Kiser - 1,381; Krise - 675

THE MARSHALL PLAN: R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall is 9-3 as a starter, going 2-0 last season and 7-3 this year. He is in the top 3 in the PSAC in four categories:

PSAC Ranks
Completion % - 2nd, 61.5
Total Offense - 2nd, 262.9 ypg
Passing - 3rd, 235.3 ypg
TD Passes - t-3rd, 20
QB Rating - 4th, 145.2

RECORD PACE: Marshall can become the 4th quarterback in school history to throw for 2,500 yards in a season, coming into today's game with 2,353 yards ... 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.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Marshall has been almost perfect in the first quarter this season, going 56-for-82 (68.3 percent) for 834 yards, 6 TDs and 2 interceptions. He was 11-for-12 for 94 yards and a TD to start the season opener at Virginia Union, and has thrown for at least 80 yards in the first quarter in seven of the Warriors' first 10 games.

SPREADING IT AROUND: The Warriors' depth, both offensively and defensively, has been showcased throughout the 2009 season. A look at the number of ESU players who have reached statistical plateaus this season:

100 yards passing - 3
200 yards rushing - 4
200 yards receiving - 6
20 receptions - 5
10 receptions - 8
30-yard reception - 8
TD catch - 7

FRESHMAN IMPACT: True freshmen tailbacks Kendrick Williams and Eric Deery combined to run for 198 yards last week vs. Millersville. Deery had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, with 18 carries for 102 yards, and ran for 121 yards on 15 carries at Cheyney. He 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 has averaged 104.3 all-purpose yards per game in his first four starts of the season since his first career appearance in the fourth quarter at West Chester. He gained 50 yards on six carries (including a 30-yard run on 4th-and-1) on a 55-yard drive that produced the game-winning touchdown in a 21-20 victory. The win was ESU's first over West Chester since 2003.

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.

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.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: R-Jr. WR Ed Kiser went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career last week, giving the Warriors three active players with 1,000 career receiving yards.

R-Sr. Sam Shuman is 34 yards away from becoming the eighth player in ESU history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. With six catches this week, he can become the second 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 has four career 100-yard receiving games and four other games with at least 90 yards. He was second team All-PSAC East as a sophomore, leading the Warriors in receptions (36) and yards (534). 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 two of the last three games but is still 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 is second on the Warriors in both catches (36) and yards (598) this season, 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 935 all-purpose yards (93.5 per game), with 598 yards receiving, 77 yards rushing on eight carries and 260 yards on 12 kick returns. His 59.8 receiving yards per game are 10th 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.

THE NEXT GENERATION: R-Fr. Jordan Hallman and Fr. Bryan Ogden have contributed heavily to the Warriors' offense as the season has progressed. Hallman has three TD catches in the last five games and has 22 catches for 239 yards and 4 TDs this year. His season includes four catches for 79 yards and a 38-yard TD at Kutztown and six catches for 42 yards at West Chester, including the game-winning TD on a five-yard pass in the fourth quarter.

Ogden 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 20 catches for 281 yards 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 receivers with a 30-yard reception in each season since 2001, including 10 players who had at least one 30-yard play during the 2005 NCAA semifinal season.

IN THE FRONT ROW: R-Sr. Morgan Thomas will make his 41st career start on the offensive line for the Warriors against Slippery Rock and has been in the lineup at three of the five positions up front. Thomas has started all 9 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 21 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 10 games and R-Fr. Seve Rivers (left guard) and R-So. Zach Sarginger (right guard) have made 9 starts. Jr. Mike Dimitriou started at right guard vs. Cheyney and Sr. Dan Finnegan received the starting nod at left guard last week vs. Millersville with Rivers out of the lineup with a season-ending injury. The Warriors used the same starting lineup on the offensive line in 10 of their 11 games last season.

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 10 carries in 2009 and Bell has 17 catches for 215 yards and a TD. Bell had four catches for 63 yards last week against Millersville.

BALANCING ACT: The Warriors have run the ball on 55.4 percent of their 688 offensive plays this season, averaging 38.1 rush attempts and 30.7 pass attempts per game. The ratio is the Warriors' largest towards the run since the 2001 season.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: The running game has allowed ESU to rank 4th in the PSAC in time of possession, averaging 30:52 per game. The Warriors haven't been above 30:00 since 2002, when they were 5th in the PSAC 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 23 straight games and 85 of their 88 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.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: The Warriors are 6th in the PSAC with a 39.6 percent rate on 3rd down conversions. ESU was 2nd at 46.1 percent last season.

RED ZONE SUCCESS: ESU led the PSAC in red zone offense last season, scoring points on 44 of its 48 possessions inside the 20-yard line (92%). The Warriors scored 32 touchdowns (72% of their posssessions) and kicked 12 field goals.
This year: ESU ranks 5th in the PSAC at 81.6 percent (31-38) with 24 TDs

GOING THE DISTANCE: ESU had three scoring drives that covered 88 yards at Cheyney, and has eight drives of at least 85 yards this season.
85-yard drives over the last four seasons: 2009 - 8 2008 - 4 2007 - 1 2006 - 3

GOING THE DISTANCE (2): ESU had a 16-play drive that took 6:47 off the clock and led to a field goal in the second quarter at Cheyney. The Warriors have had 211 scoring drives (163 touchdowns, 48 field goals) since the start of the 2006 season, and just four that have lasted at least 6:00. The longest drive in that stretch was a 12-play, 44-yard possession that took 6:55 and set up the game's final field goal in a 12-0 win at Edinboro in 2006.

WARRIORS ON DEFENSE: The Warriors have six first-year starters on the defensive side of the ball. The veterans are R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas (28 career starts), Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger (28), Jr. CB David Castillo (26), R-Jr. All-American OLB Matt Freed (21) and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (20). 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 (101 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks) and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (39 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks) 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' 25 sacks. The only three of the top 13 tacklers without a sack are the starting defensive backs.

The Warriors' linebackers are five of their top seven tacklers this season. Jr. OLB Mark Kalo has 64 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception; R-So. ILB Taylor Cave has 55 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery; So. ILB Mike Bergey has 50 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles; and Jr. ILB Kevin Schafer has 38 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

Case had 3.0 sacks last week and has 11 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries in the last two weeks. Fr. DE Kevon Brown has made his first two career starts in the last two weeks, replacing R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas, who had made 28 consecutive starts. Faas had 9.0 TFL last year and tied for the PSAC lead with 4 fumble recoveries. Jr. Alex Figueroa had his first career sack last week at defensive end.

R-Sr. Keith Galinsky (31 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sacks) and R-So. Rudy Cerami (30 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 last week and has 6.5 sacks over the last two years.

In the secondary, Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger's 5 interceptions are tied for the PSAC lead and tied for 18th in Division II. Artinger has started 20 games at safety over the last two years and has also made 8 starts at cornerback. Sr. FS Mike Gnall has been on the field with the punt return team the last six weeks, returning 10 punts for 67 yards, after returning from injury and has made 9 career starts.

Jr. CB David Castillo has started 26 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 44 tackles, an interception, 6 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries and 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 eight returns for 161 yards (20.1 avg.) this season with a long of 37.

2009 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: 55 players have participated through the first nine games this season, including 19 who saw their first career action for the Warriors.

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 will also have two games broadcast across the state by the SPORTSfever Television Network - Bloomsburg (Oct. 10) and Millersville (Oct. 31). Five ESU games have been broadcast by SPORTSfever over the last two 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 116-61 record at Eiler-Martin Stadium under head coach Denny Douds and a 35-18 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.