GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University hosts Kutztown on Senior Day at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The Warriors are looking to improve to 6-2 and break a two-game slide after losses to PSAC East leaders West Chester and Bloomsburg the last two weeks. Kutztown is coming off a 42-21 win over Shippensburg and both teams enter with a 2-2 conference record.

Television/Radio Coverage

Television: Live on Blue Ridge TV-13. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines. Also live on PA SPORTSfever TV as part of the PSAC "Game of the Week" package. The telecast will be available on Blue Ridge (channel 16), Service Electric (channel 18) and RCN (channel 51) in the ESU viewing area. For other channels, check local listings.

Radio: Live on WVPO 840 AM and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese is in his 20th season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 11:30 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT: No. 6-ranked Bloomsburg ran out to a 35-7 halftime lead and withstood ESU's comeback bid for a 42-23 victory over the Warriors. The Huskies used an interception return for a touchdown and a balanced offensive attack that scored touchdowns on all four of its first-half possessions to build its halftime advantage. The Warriors got back into the game with 16 points in an eight-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters. R-Sr. QB Tim Roken hit R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden for a five-yard touchdown, R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni sacked Huskies quarterback Dan Latorre for a safety, and R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge scored his second TD of the day with a four-yard run to make the score 35-23 with 12:19 remaining. Bloomsburg put the game away with a 30-yard TD pass by Latorre on 4th-and-13 one play after a missed field goal was called back on a false start, and the Huskies remained undefeated at 7-0.

THE SERIES: ESU has won seven straight games in the series, including last year's 24-23 comeback victory at Kutztown on a 40-yard field goal by Greg Knauss with 18 seconds left. Kutztown's last win was a 17-16 triumph at Eiler-Martin Stadium in 2000 for the last of three straight victories over the Warriors.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 214-142-3 record in his 35th season as head football coach at ESU. Douds is in his 43rd season at ESU overall and is one of four active coaches in Division II, and one of just 11 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 9 of the game notes.

Raymond Monica (North Alabama '90) has a 12-16 record in his third season at Kutztown. Monica came to Kutztown after serving as defensive coordinator at Division I-A Temple University for eight seasons. Prior to Temple, Monica coached for nine seasons at the University of North Alabama, which won three straight Division II national championships from 1993-95.

SENIOR DAY: A total of 15 Warriors will play their final game at Eiler-Martin Stadium this afternoon. Ten members of ESU's senior class were freshmen on the 2005 Northeast Region championship team that finished with an 11-3 record and played in the Division II semifinals - OL David Biever, WR Doug Ogden, OLB David Pacchioni, TB Joe Partridge, FB Jesse Reider, LB Fred Rice, QB Tim Roken, DL Jeff Shrive, WR Drew Stem and LB Steve Van Alstine. Another five players - OL Ryan Ehrie, P Nick Krut, DB Lionel Mitchell, DL Miguel Rivera and OL Keith Weaver - have since joined the program. In the last three-plus seasons, ESU has a 26-15 record and is 12-9 in PSAC East contests.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU moved up one spot to No. 7 in the second set of rankings for Super Regional 1 (formerly the Northeast Region) which were released on Monday. The Warriors were No. 8 in the initial rankings last week. Six schools will be selected for the NCAA Division II playoffs in each of the country's four regions. Earned access will be given to a school if it is among the top eight in the region and the only representative of its conference, with the regional rankings filling the remainder of the playoff field.

The Warriors are fourth in Division II in the first ECAC/Lambert poll, behind Bloomsburg, California and Edinboro. ESU received the Lambert Trophy in 2005 as the top team in the division in the ECAC.

NATIONAL LEADER: Sr. P Nick Krut leads Division II in punting with a 46.3-yard average, and ESU leads the country in net punting at 39.3 yards per punt. Krut holds an edge of nearly a yard over Jamie Hanson of Missouri Western State (45.6-yd. avg.). He was first team All-PSAC East last season, finishing second in the conference with a 40.7-yard average. Krut is on pace to shatter Jim Villani's 30-year old school record of a 40.5-yard career average, entering this week's game with a 42.0-yard average on 105 punts. He has 18 punts of 50+ yards and 33 inside the 20-yard line. His senior season season includes:

* the top single-game performance in Division II (min. 2 punts) with a 57.5-yd avg. at Clarion, including kicks of 59, 61 and 63 yards
* a career-long 67-yd punt that was downed at the five-yard line vs. West Chester
* a 57-yard punt that was downed at the two-yard line and two others downed inside the 10-yard line at Bloomsburg

ESU has finished in the top 10 in net punting each of the last four years and led the nation in 2004.

FREED FIFTH IN THE NATION: R-So. OLB Matt Freed leads the PSAC and is fifth in Division II with 12.3 tackles per game this season. He has led ESU in tackles in six of the first seven games, including a career-high 16 tackles vs. West Chester. He was the d2football.com Defensive Player of the Week following his 15 tackle, two sack, two interception performance against Gannon.

With 14 more tackles, Freed will become the third ESU player since 2000 to record at least 100 tackles in a season. Fred Rice (132) and John Vetter (119) both accomplished the feat during a 14-game season in 2005. Kevin Nagle, a four-time All-PSAC East first team selection and two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, surpassed the 100-tackle mark in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES: Besides Freed's pursuit of 100 tackles, several other Warriors are within reach of individual milestones this week:

QB Tim Roken - 3,500 career passing yds (3286 - 214 away), 30 career TD (27 - 3 away)
TB Joe Partridge - 1,500 career rushing yds (1441 - 59 away)
WR Doug Ogden - 1,500 career receiving yds (1421 - 79 away); caught 100th career pass last week
WR Sam Shuman - 100 career receptions (97 - 3 away); went over 1,500 yards last week; has 9 career TD
LB Fred Rice - 7th in career tackles (263 - 12 away from tying DL Phil Calamia, 1981-84)

HOME SWEET HOME: ESU will play six of its first eight games on the newly-installed FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium and is 4-1 at home this season. The Warriors will play all 11 games on FieldTurf this season, closing with trips to C.W. Post, Millersville and Slippery Rock following this week's home finale.

SWEET 16: R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge had the 15th and 16th rushing touchdowns of his career and R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden had his 16th career receiving touchdown last week at Bloomsburg. Both players will have to close strong to enter ESU's record books - the list currently includes the top five in career rushing TDs (three tied with 22) and top five in career receiving TDs (cuts off at 21).

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken is one of three quarterbacks in Division II with two 400-yard passing games this year, going 24-of-33 for 420 yards and 5 TDs at Clarion and 31-of-59 for 414 yards and 1 TD vs. Shippensburg. He leads the PSAC in passing yards (253.5) and is second in total offense (259.7) per game.

This season, Roken has:
* been named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week following the win at Clarion (6 TD - 5 pass, 1 run)
* set ESU's single-game record for passing attempts with 59 vs. Shippensburg
* two games with 400 yards of total offense - 435 at Clarion; 424 vs. Shippensburg
* matched Jimmy Terwilliger with two career 400-yard passing games
* become the second ESU QB to have consecutive 400-yard passing games (Damian Poalucci, 1996)
* had the fourth-highest two-game passing yardage total in school history

DIGGING THROUGH THE RECORD BOOK: ESU has produced a long line of record breaking quarterbacks, including Damian Poalucci, who set an NCAA Division II record with 3,831 passing yards in 1996, and Jimmy Terwilliger, who set 15 Division II records and tied the all-division record with 148 touchdown passes in his career from 2003-06.

It wouldn't appear that there are many passing records within reach, but R-Sr. Tim Roken and R-So. Matt Marshall both reached milestones this season. Roken tied Poalucci's mark with two straight 400-yard passing games against Clarion (420 yards) and Shippensburg (414 yards), and Marshall helped set another record in his first career start vs. Cheyney. He threw for 314 yards, marking the first time in school history two quarterbacks have thrown for at least 300 yards in consecutive weeks.

ROKEN IN 2007: Threw for 1,765 yards with 15 TD and seven interceptions in seven starts ... ranked second in the PSAC in total offense (269.0 ypg) and third in passing (252.1 ypg) ... had at least 200 yards passing in six starts and closed the year with a season-high 312 yards in a comeback win at Kutztown.

BEST IN THE PSAC: ESU leads the PSAC with 280.1 passing yards per game and is fifth with 32.7 points per game. The Warriors' top five wide receivers - R-Sr. Doug Ogden, Sr. Drew Stem, R-Jr. Sam Shuman, R-So. Jeff Giglio and R-So. Ed Kiser - all have at least 16 catches, 250 yards and two touchdowns. Four players are averaging more than 15 yards per catch, and all five have caught a pass of at least 36 yards. The Warriors have averaged 333.6 yards passing over the past five weeks.

FIVE BY FIVE: All five wide receivers caught at least five passes in ESU's comeback win over Shippensburg, led by Ogden (8-163) and Shuman (6-111). Roken's 31 completions were fifth-most in school history in a single game.

LEADING MAN: Shuman is the leader of the deepest receiving corps in the PSAC, ranking in the top 10 in both catches (4.3, t-5th) and yards (71.3, 7th) per game. He has averaged nearly 100 yards per game over the past five games, with two 100-yard games (141 at Clarion, 111 vs. Ship) and just missing a third with 96 yards vs. Cheyney. Shuman led ESU with 36 catches for 534 yards last season, was named to the All-PSAC East second team, and also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II honors. He had a 3.4 grade-point average in Pharmacy in his first four semesters at ESU.

MR. CONSISTENCY: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden caught his 100th career pass last week at Bloomsburg and has three touchdowns in the Warriors' last two games. Ogden has been a consistent producer in his career as a three-year starter, posting at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 17 of 27 games since 2006. He is ninth in the PSAC with 62.3 yards per game, and ESU and West Chester are the only schools with two receivers in the top 10.

ALL-PURPOSE GUY: Sr. WR Drew Stem leads ESU with 100.3 all-purpose yards per game this year and has gone over the 100-yard mark three times - 199 at Clarion, 146 vs. West Chester and 103 vs. Shippensburg. He is ESU's career leader in kick return average at 26.8 yards per return and averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game a year ago, including 268 yards vs. Millersville. Stem led ESU with 21 catches through the first five games before suffering a season-ending injury but was still selected to the All-PSAC East second team.

THE PLAYMAKER: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio leads the Warriors' talented receiving corps with five touchdown catches and has 22 receptions for 336 yards. He has two multi-touchdown games, with five catches for 88 yards and two TDs vs. Gannon, and three catches for 87 yards and TDs of 36 and 39 yards vs. Cheyney. Giglio has also returned 10 kicks for a 23.2-yard average.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES: R-So. WR Ed Kiser had ESU's longest reception of the season last week, a 57-yard pass from R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman. He set his season-high in receiving yards in back-to-back weeks - five for 71 vs. Shippensburg, followed by three for 75 and a TD vs. Cheyney. Kiser and Giglio both provide exceptional speed on the outside for the Warriors' offense. Giglio set school records in the 100m (10.6) and 200m (21.5) at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, while Kiser stars for the Warriors' track team. He holds the ESU record in the indoor 400m (49.49 seconds) and is a member of three school record relay teams.

THE RUNNING GAME: While ESU is 15th out of the 16 PSAC schools in rushing offense (99.1 ypg), the Warriors have run for 12 touchdowns, led by R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge, who is third in the PSAC with seven rushing TDs. Partridge ran for a season-high 91 yards on 15 carries last week at Bloomsburg and is averaging 63.3 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry. He had three rushing touchdowns vs. Shippensburg, scoring on runs of 1, 1 and 7 yards, and ripping off a 13-yard run on the Warriors' only offensive play of overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.

Partridge has run for 1,441 yards and 16 touchdowns and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry in his career at ESU. He was second team All-PSAC East as a junior after ranking fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 rushing yards per game and holds the school record with a 284-yard, four TD effort last year against Cheyney.

Partridge (19 carries, 78 yards), Sr. FB Jesse Reider (8 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD) and R-So. WR Zach Krise (10 carries, 36 yards) contributed to a season-high 215 rushing yards against Cheyney. Reider scored on a one-yard run as the fullback in the second quarter and spent time as the featured tailback in the second half, scoring on a 12-yard run.

R-Fr. Russell Johnson started against Clarion (22 rush, 35 yds, TD) and Shippensburg (16 rush, 49 yds, TD). Partridge was held out of the Clarion game and saw action in goal line and short-yardage situations the following week vs. Shippensburg.

IN THE FRONT ROW: ESU started the same five players on the offensive line through the first six games before making its first change of the season last week when R-Jr. RG Morgan Thomas was held out due to injury. Thomas had started all 26 games of his career at ESU before missing the Bloomsburg game. Sr. David Biever, who started nine games at guard in 2006, started in place of Thomas. The Warriors used four different combinations last season.

Three Warriors have made their first career starts on the offensive line this season - Gr. LT Ryan Ehrie, Sr. LG Keith Weaver and R-Fr. C Dan Caffrey. On the right side, Thomas has 26 career starts and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has 13 career starts, all at right tackle.

Ehrie is a graduate student in Education at ESU and transferred from Syracuse, where he was a letterwinner on the offensive line and majored in History and Political Science. Weaver is in his second year at ESU after playing at Lackawanna JC, and Caffrey was redshirted as a defensive lineman last fall.

THE HEAVY PACKAGE: ESU has shown great offensive versatility this season, often sending out five wide receivers on one play and then replacing them with tight ends and fullbacks on the next. Sr. OL David Biever (72) and Jr. OL Dan Finnegan (68) have reported as tackle eligible players for the past five weeks and Biever started at tight end against Cheyney, along with R-So. FB Brent Jones, in front of Partridge and Reider. R-Jr. TE Willie Bell provides a pass catching element, with the first three receptions of his career for 51 yards.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS (OFFENSE): The Warriors are third in the PSAC in third down conversions at 43.0 percent after ranking 13th of 14 teams with a 27.3 percent showing last season. However, ESU is just 6-of-22 in the past two weeks (4-of-12 vs. West Chester, 2-of-10 at Bloomsburg).

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS (DEFENSE): ESU is fourth in the PSAC in third-down defense, holding its opponents to 32.1 percent (34-of-106). The Warriors had held four of their first six opponents under 25 percent on third down conversions - Virginia Union (3-15), Gannon (2-12), Cheyney (3-14) and West Chester (3-16) - before Bloomsburg converted 9-of-15 third downs last week. The Huskies were 7-for-7 while scoring on all four of their possessions in the first half.

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU linebackers Matt Freed (R-So. OLB) and Fred Rice (R-Sr. ILB) rank first and fifth in the PSAC in tackles per game this season. They have both earned the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week award - Rice had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery against Virginia Union, and Freed had 15 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions against Gannon to garner PSAC and d2football.com national defensive player of the week.

LOWERING THE BOOM: Fred "Boomer" Rice hit double figures in tackles in the first four games this season - 11 vs. Virginia Union, 11 vs. Gannon, 12 at Clarion and 10 vs. Shippensburg. Rice has made 22 career starts for the Warriors but hadn't started since the first three games of the 2006 season before missing the rest of the year due to injury. He played behind PSAC East selections Jayson Frank and Dave Lotier last season. Rice started 12 games and led the Warriors with 132 tackles during his sophomore season in 2005.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: R-Sr. ILB Steve Van Alstine and R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni have combined to make 53 starts at linebacker in their careers at ESU - every game since the start of the 2006 season, with the exception of the Shippensburg game this year when Pacchioni was out of the lineup as the Warriors went to a 5-3 front. Van Alstine started the last two years at outside linebacker and was ESU's leading returning tackler entering this year, with 53 stops in 2007. Pacchioni is one of the most versatile defenders in the PSAC and had 47 tackles, 7.0 TFL and two interceptions last season. He leads the Warriors with 3.5 sacks this season and sacked Bloomsburg quarterback Dan Latorre in the end zone for a safety last week.

BREAK IT UP: So. CB David Castillo leads the PSAC and is tied for 10th in Division II with 1.6 pass breakups per game (two interceptions, nine pass break-ups) this season. He has broken up two passes in each of the last three games and had an interception and knocked down a pass the previous week vs. Shippensburg. He has two of the Warriors' six interceptions this season and scored on a 64-yard interception return vs. Gannon. Castillo has made 12 straight starts since moving into the lineup midway through his freshman season.

THE SECONDARY: The ESU secondary returned four players with starting experience and added Sr. CB Lionel Mitchell, a transfer from Alabama. The son of former NFL running back Stump Mitchell, Lionel made 10 starts and had five career interceptions (including three for 131 yards in 2006) for the Crimson Tide. He has 27 tackles and three pass breakups this season.

Jr. FS Mike Gnall made his first start of the season last week at Bloomsburg and has 13 tackles, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble over the last two weeks. Gnall made seven starts and had 40 tackles last season. Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger started the first six games at safety and started four games at cornerback in each of his first two years at ESU.

GOING THE DISTANCE: R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas returned a fumbled snap on a field goal 75 yards for a touchdown vs. West Chester. The score was the first defensive fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Warriors since Phil DeCecco had a 43-yard return against Cheyney in 2002, a span of 66 games.

THE JERSEY BOYS: ESU has rotated three players at defensive end, all natives of the Garden State - R-Fr. Cody Berry (Woolwich Township, N.J./Kingsway), R-So. Jeff Case (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren) and R-Jr. Matthew Faas (Sea Girt, N.J./Wall). Faas has started all seven games and has 27 tackles (6.0 TFL), and is tied for the PSAC lead with three fumble recoveries, including his 75-yard TD last week. Case has made six starts and has 20 tackles, 2.5 TFL and three pass deflections this season. Berry made the biggest single play of the season to date for the Warriors, with a sack and forced fumble (recovered by Faas) deep in Virginia Union territory midway through the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown.

THE PENNSYLVANIA BOYS: At defensive tackle, Sr. Miguel Rivera (Bethlehem/Freedom) is a three-year starter and was second team All-PSAC East last season. Rivera has been dominant over the past three weeks, with 16 tackles, 3.5 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble in that stretch. He had four tackles and a sack at Bloomsburg, seven tackles vs. West Chester and five tackles and 2.5 TFL against Cheyney. He also made the key defensive play in overtime vs. Shippensburg, with a five-yard TFL on 2nd-and-6. R-Sr. Jeff Shrive (Scranton/West Scranton) has made 16 straight starts and R-Jr. Keith Galinsky (Carbondale/Lakeland) had six tackles in his first career start against Shippensburg.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sr. P Nick Krut and Jr. K Greg Knauss were both first team All-PSAC East selections last year and added another chapter to ESU's history of All-PSAC kickers and punters. The Warriors have boasted the top specialists in the East in four of the past seven years - 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

KNAUSS KNOTES: Jr. K Greg Knauss made the second game-winning field goal of his career at ESU with a 29-yarder in overtime against Shippensburg ... he was 3-for-4 in the game, also hitting from 34 and 24 yards ... 6-of-11 this year, making 6-of-7 from inside 40 yards ... 13-of-19 on field goals last season ... ranked third in Division II with 1.4 field goals per game ... set two school records last season ... made 53-yard field goal on the final play of the first half against IUP ... drilled five field goals for all of the scoring in a 30-15 loss at West Chester ... made game-winning 40-yard kick with 18 seconds left to give ESU 24-23 victory at Kutztown in season finale.

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

Fr. OLB Sam Hull - father Chris was a four-year letterwinner at DE from 1984-87
R-So. QB Matt Marshall - father Brian was the Warriors' leading passer in 1981
Sr. WR Drew Stem - father Willard was an All-American safety in 1975 and inducted into the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame last year

* Michael Falcone lettered at linebacker in 1973, his son Bryan earned three letters at linebacker from 2000-02
* Steven Jackson was a three-year letterwinner 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
* 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

STARTING STRONG: The Warriors started the season with a 5-0 record, the fourth time they have won their first five games under head coach Denny Douds. ESU was also 5-0 in 1975, 1976 and 2004. The 1975 and 1976 teams won 19 straight games and had a combined 19-0-1 record, and the 2004 squad won the first seven contests on its way to a 10-2 record. The Warriors have won the first five games of the season 12 times in 81 years of varsity football.

PSAC PRESEASON POLL: ESU was picked to finish third in the 2008 PSAC East Coaches Poll, which was released at PSAC media day on August 4. The Warriors, who received one first place vote, were selected behind preseason favorite and defending PSAC East champion West Chester and runner-up Bloomsburg. Shippensburg was fourth, followed by C.W. Post, Kutztown, Millersville and Cheyney.

In the West, NCAA semifinalist California was picked to defend its title, followed by IUP, Edinboro and Slippery Rock. ESU is scheduled to play the Rock in the final game of the regular season. The Warriors' other two PSAC West crossover opponents, Clarion and Gannon, were picked sixth and seventh, respectively.

PSAC CHANGES: There are two major developments in the PSAC leading up to the 2008 season - the conference's expansion and the return of the "State Game" - as the conference celebrates 75 years since the first football championship was awarded in 1934. The Eastern and Western division champions played a state championship game from 1960 until 1987, and ESU participated nine times, posting a 5-2-2 record. The Warriors are 3-1-1 in the State Game under Denny Douds, winning outright state titles in 1975, 1978 and 1982, and tying for the crown in 1976.

The expansion of the conference to 16 members with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst to the PSAC West provides another storyline for the 2008 season. Shippensburg will switch divisions and compete in the PSAC East, and C.W. Post has joined the conference as an associate member in football and field hockey.

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME: ESU broke a four-game losing streak in overtime games with its 44-41 win vs. Shippensburg on Sept. 20. The Warriors have played three overtime games with Shippensburg, all at home, since playing the Raiders in the first overtime game in school history, a 34-33 loss in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1991. ESU is 3-6 all-time in overtime contests.

NEW SURFACE: FieldTurf was installed at Eiler-Martin Stadium this summer, the latest phase in the renovation of the Warriors' major outdoor facility which has had an all-weather track and lights installed in the last two years. ESU debuted the new surface on Thursday, Aug. 28 with a men's soccer-football doubleheader, as the defending PSAC champion men's soccer team defeated Lincoln 12-0 and the football team knocked off No. 25 Virginia Union 14-11. The estimated total cost to turf the stadium and Whitenight Field was approximately $1.7 million. The university received a $300,000 Pennsylvania state challenge grant made possible by State Senator Bob Mellow and $150,000 was donated from the ESU Student Activity Association. The balance of the funds is being secured through other donations.

WARRIORS ON TV: ESU's first eight games, including all six home games, will be televised in 2008. Blue Ridge TV-13 is in its 21st year televising ESU football and will have live coverage of every game from Eiler-Martin Stadium. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines. Additionally, four games will be available statewide through an agreement with PA SPORTSfever TV - Sept. 13 at Clarion, Sept. 20 vs. Shippensburg, Oct. 11 at Bloomsburg and Oct. 18 vs. Kutztown. The broadcast outlets in the Poconos are WQMY-53 (channel 16 on Blue Ridge Cable) and WSWB-38 (channel 11 on Blue Ridge).

WARRIORS ON RADIO: WVPO 840 AM has broadcast ESU football for 46 years, with Chuck Seese and Bob Brittain forming the broadcast team once again in 2008. Seese is in his 20th season as the voice of the Warriors on WVPO. WESS 90.3 FM, ESU's campus radio station, will also broadcast selected games.

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 199-95-1 (.676) record in PSAC games for the third-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field championship was awarded in 1960.

ESU IN THE DIVISION II PLAYOFFS: ESU has made three appearances in the Division II Playoffs, with the first coming in 1991, followed by back-to-back trips in 2004 and 2005. The Warriors are 4-3 all-time in playoff games. Their first Division II Playoff victory was a 36-32 win over Edinboro in 2004, while the 2005 playoff run included wins over Southern Connecticut State (55-33), Bloomsburg (52-39) and C.W. Post (55-28) to earn the Northeast Region championship. The run finally ended with a 55-20 loss to eventual national champion Grand Valley State.

RETURNING ALL-PSAC PLAYERS: The Warriors return six All-PSAC East selections for the 2008 season, including Jr. K Greg Knauss and Sr. P Nick Krut, who were both members of the first team. Also back are Sr. TB Joe Partridge, Jr. WR Sam Shuman, Sr. WR Drew Stem and Sr. DT Miguel Rivera.

WHO'S GONE: ESU graduated three All-PSAC East players in first team OL Mike Habel, first team LB Jayson Frank and second team LB Dave Lotier. Frank (93) and Lotier (80) led the team in tackles, and Frank was second in the PSAC. Other starters who departed are WR Jon Clouse, FB Joe Kircher, OL Michael Parshley, OL Thomas Sugden, DE Dave Iobst, CB Mike Gowen and LS Brock Williard.