GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: Head coach Denny Douds leads East Stroudsburg University into Clarion with an opportunity to earn his 212th career victory, matching Millersville's Gene Carpenter (1970-2000) for the most in PSAC history. Douds is 6-3 against the Golden Eagles, including a 49-4 victory at Clarion in the 1978 state championship game for his second outright PSAC title in his first five seasons in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Douds has guided the Warriors to seven 3-0 starts in his 34 seasons at ESU, including four times since 2000 (2000, 2003-05). Other 3-0 starts came in 1975, 1976 and 1994.

Television/Radio Coverage

Television: Live on PA SPORTSfever TV as part of the PSAC "Game of the Week" package. The telecast will be available on channels 11 and 16 on Blue Ridge Cable and channel 18 on Service Electric and channel 51 on RCN in the Lehigh Valley.

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 3:30 p.m.

THE SERIES: ESU holds a 6-3 advantage and has won the last five meetings, all of them fairly close, until a 56-0 shutout at Clarion in 2005. The Warriors previously won by scores of 37-33 (2000), 33-27 (2001), 31-21 (2003) and 38-24 (2004). The schools have met twice in the PSAC championship game, with ESU winning 49-4 at Clarion in 1978 and Clarion taking a 27-14 victory in Hershey in 1983. Clarion won the other two meetings 37-34 in 1986 and 25-3 in 1987.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) is in his 35th season as head football coach at ESU, and his 43rd season at ESU overall. Douds 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. Douds 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.

Along with the PSAC career wins record, Douds is within reach of another milestone for success and longevity - with five more victories (giving him 216 for his career), Douds will be the head coach for exactly half of ESU's 432 wins in the program's storied 81-year history.

Jay Foster (Plymouth State '85) is in his third season as the head coach at Clarion. The Golden Eagles are 2-22 in that span, but are coming off a come-from-behind 26-20 victory at Kutztown last week in which they overcame a 20-point halftime deficit and had a goal-line stand in the final seconds to seal the win. Foster was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for 18 seasons under Dr. George Mihalik at Slippery Rock, helping the Rock to four PSAC West titles, before taking over at Clarion in 2006.

LAST TIME OUT: So. CB David Castillo had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown to break a 7-7 tie in the second quarter and R-Sr. QB Tim Roken and R-So. WR Jeff Giglio connected for touchdowns of 25 and 33 yards as ESU defeated Gannon 23-10 on a rain-soaked Saturday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The defensive effort was led by R-So. OLB Matt Freed, who had 15 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Giglio had five catches for 88 yards, and Roken was 11-of-20 for 171 yards.

FREED NAMED NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt Freed has been named the d2football.com and PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Gannon. He is the second straight Warrior to be recognized by the PSAC, following R-Sr. Fred Rice vs. Virginia Union. Freed single-handedly ended the Golden Knights' final three possessions, with a sack on third down deep in Gannon territory and interceptions on the final two series of the game. He leads the PSAC with 14.0 tackles per game through the first two weeks.

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.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The ESU defense was outstanding for the second straight week in the 23-10 win over Gannon. The Warriors forced three turnovers, including the 64-yard interception return for a touchdown by So. CB David Castillo, and held the Golden Knights to 268 yards.

The previous week, the defense was on the field for more than 35 minutes against Virginia Union, but held the Panthers' offense, which averaged 32.5 points and 401.3 yards per game last season, to 9 points (the offense surrendered a safety) and 259 yards.

THIRD-AND-NONE: The Warriors are second in the PSAC in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 5-of-27 chances (18.5 percent) through the first two games. Gannon was 2-of-12 last week and was 1-for-11 on third-and-long (5 or more yards). Virginia Union fared only slightly better, going 3-of-15 on third down and 1-for-9 on third-and-long.

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU lost a pair of All-PSAC East linebackers in Jayson Frank and Dave Lotier but hasn't missed a step in the first two weeks, claiming both PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week awards.

R-So. OLB Matt Freed has made the biggest impact and is the PSAC's leading tackler (14.0 per game) after a huge game vs. Gannon which included 15 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. He had 13 tackles against Virginia Union in his first career start.

R-Sr. ILB Fred Rice was honored after the Virginia Union game as he posted 11 tackles and a fumble recovery at the three-yard line to set up a touchdown. He also had 11 tackles last week vs. Gannon for his first two games with double-digit tackles since the 2005 season, when he led the Warriors with 132 tackles as a sophomore. Rice has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons and made his first start since his sophomore year in the season opener.

Seniors Steve Van Alstine and David Pacchioni have both started the last 22 games at linebacker for the Warriors. Both were outside linebackers last season, with Van Alstine moving inside this year after ranking third on the team with 53 stops a year ago. Pacchioni is one of the most versatile defenders in the PSAC and had 47 tackles, 7.0 TFL and two interceptions last season.

THE SECONDARY: The ESU secondary, which contributed to lofty pass defense rankings (2nd in PSAC, 19th in the nation) last season at 162.7 yards per game, returned four players with starting experience and has been bolstered by 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 10 tackles and a pass breakup this season.

On the other side, So. CB David Castillo has made seven straight starts, including the final five games of his freshman season, and is third on the team with 13 tackles to go with his 64-yard interception return for a touchdown last week. Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger (4 starts at CB in 2007) has started both games at safety, and Jr. FS Mike Gnall (7 starts, 40 tackles at FS in 2007) is returning from injury.

ON THE D-LINE: The Warriors' defensive line has played very well the first two weeks, headlined by R-Fr. DE Cody Berry, who made the game-changing play in the win over Virginia Union with a sack and forced fumble midway through the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown. Senior tackles Miguel Rivera (2nd team All-PSAC East) and Jeff Shrive have been very active, and both players, along with R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas, have started all 11 games since the start of last season. R-So. DE Jeff Case made his first career start in week one against Virginia Union.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken, in his second year as a starter, had a strong game against Gannon, completing 11-of-20 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Roken bounced back from a 12-for-28 performance with 122 yards with a touchdown and an interception against a Virginia Union defense that was in the top 10 in the nation in passing defense last season.

The senior has thrown for at least two touchdowns in six of his nine starts for the Warriors and has 18 career touchdown passes against eight interceptions. Roken was second in the PSAC in total offense (269.0 ypg) and third in passing (252.1 ypg) last season, compiling 1,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts. He averaged 269 yards per game in his final four starts, with 8 TDs and 3 Ints in 154 attempts.

GIGLIO MAKES PLAYS: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio had five catches for 88 yards and scored both of ESU's offensive touchdowns on plays of 25 and 33 yards last week against Gannon. Giglio has led the Warriors in receiving over their last three games, with 12 catches for 200 yards, going back to the season-ending 24-23 win at Kutztown in 2007 when he had seven catches for 112 yards for his first 100-yard receiving game. He also leads the PSAC with a 36.3-yard kick return average and had returns of 47 and 48 yards against Virginia Union.

1,000 YARD CLUB: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden joined R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman as a member of the 1,000-yard receiving club with two catches for 21 yards vs. Virginia Union. Ogden has 1,058 yards and 12 TDs on 83 catches in his career at ESU, including three catches for 54 yards last week.

The senior from East Stroudsburg South HS has been remarkably consistent since the beginning of his sophomore year, when he had at least two catches in every game. Ogden has posted at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 12 of the Warriors' 22 games since 2006.

Shuman and Sr. WR Drew Stem were both second team All-PSAC East selections last season. Shuman, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection who is majoring in Pharmacy, led the Warriors with 36 catches for 534 yards and scored four touchdowns a year ago. Stem led the team with 21 receptions through five games before suffering a season-ending injury vs. Slippery Rock and had six catches for 46 yards and the game-winning 13-yard touchdown catch in the 2008 season opener vs. Virginia Union.

R-So. Ed Kiser, who holds the school record in the indoor 400m (49.49 seconds) and is a member of three school record relay teams, provides exceptional speed on the outside. His first career reception went for 18 yards against Virginia Union, and he added catches of six and 16 yards last week vs. Gannon.

THE RUNNING GAME: R-Sr. Joe Partridge and R-Fr. Russell Johnson have shared time at tailback, with Partridge carrying the bulk of the load in last week's win. The senior had 20 carries for 83 yards, the fourth-highest single-game total of his career, including 10 carries for 45 yards in the first quarter. Partridge went over 100 yards twice last season.

Partridge was second team All-PSAC East as a junior after ranking fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 rushing yards per game. He ran for 698 yards and seven touchdowns, including a school-record 284 yards and four TD at Cheyney. He also caught 18 passes for 141 yards and averaged 104.9 all-purpose yards per game, 11th in the PSAC.

Johnson has rushed for 31 yards in each of his first two career games. The redshirt freshman has been trusted with the football in the fourth quarter of both games, with 16 of his 17 carries coming in the final 15 minutes.

IN THE FRONT ROW: Three Warriors made their first career starts on the offensive line in the season opener - Gr. LT Ryan Ehrie, Sr. LG Keith Weaver and R-Fr. C Dan Caffrey. On the right side, R-Jr. G Morgan Thomas has started every game of his career (22 straight starts), and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has nine 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.

ESU lost three starters from last year's team - LT Mike Habel (four-year starter, two-time first team All-PSAC East), LG Thomas Sugden (three-year starter) and C Michael Parshley (two-year starter).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Often overlooked, ESU's special teams should be a strength in 2008 with three of the top players in school history at their respective positions - Jr. K Greg Knauss, Sr. P Nick Krut and Sr. KR/WR Drew Stem. Knauss and Krut added another chapter to ESU's lengthy history of All-PSAC kickers and punters last season. The Warriors have boasted the top specialists in the East in four of the past seven years - 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

KNAUSS: 13-of-19 on field goals last season ... only 1-of-4 this season, missing both attempts (43 and 49 yards) vs. Virginia Union and a 37-yarder vs. Gannon before hitting a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter ... 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.

KRUT: tied for PSAC lead with 44.3-yard average on 10 punts ... second in the PSAC with a 40.7-yard average (48 punts) last year ... helped ESU finish sixth in Division II with a 36.5 net punting average ... averaged 47.6 yards (39.6 net) on five punts vs. Virginia Union ... ESU has been ranked in the top 10 in the nation in net punting in each of the last four seasons ... had 15 punts inside the 20 and nine of more than 50 yards last year.

STEM: career kick return average of 29.6 yards is the best in school history ... average of 30.9 yards on 14 returns in 2007 ranks second in a single season ... averaged 12.7 yards on seven punt returns ... has averaged 8.5 yards on two punt returns this year ... 143.2 all-purpose yards per game would have ranked fourth in PSAC ... 268 all-purpose yards (60 receiving, 181 KR, 27 PR) last season vs. Millersville.

NOTABLES VS. GANNON: ESU welcomed the Golden Knights to the PSAC with a 23-10 win ... Tropical Storm Hanna had a minimal impact on the game thanks to ESU's newly-installed FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium ... the game featured only one lost fumble when R-Sr. QB Tim Roken lost the handle on a toss play ... So. CB David Castillo's 64-yard interception return for a TD was the first for the Warriors since LB Dave Lotier, an assistant coach this season, went 42 yards for a TD a year ago at Lock Haven ... TB Jon Richardson was a bright spot for the Golden Knights, gaining 138 of their 147 rushing yards ... ESU continued its defensive dominance on third down, holding Gannon to a 2-of-12 performance ... R-So. OLB Matt Freed's 15 tackles were the most for the Warriors since Fred Rice (twice) and John Vetter both had 17 during the 2005 season ... Freed also had the first game with multiple interceptions for an ESU defender since All-American DB Matt Crispell picked off three passes against Bloomsburg in 2004.

CLOSING THE BOOK ON VIRGINIA UNION: First win over a ranked opponent (No. 25) since a 41-34 win vs. No. 25 California in 2006 ... ESU's two scoring drives covered three and 13 yards; the Warriors had two touchdown drives of 25 yards or less in nine games in 2007 ... the final five possessions of the game ended in a turnover on downs following ESU's go-ahead touchdown ... ESU's average starting field position was the 46-yard line; Virginia Union started on its own 25 ... VUU was 3-of-15 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down conversions ... the Panthers had 155 yards of total offense in the first half and went 61 yards for a field goal in their first possession of the second half, but compiled just 43 yards of total offense from that point ... VUU held the ball for 13:08 in the third quarter, with ESU gaining five yards on four plays over three possessions, including a holding penalty in the end zone for a safety ... the Warriors had their longest sustained drive in the fourth quarter (11 plays, 56 yards).

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.

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.