GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: Head coach Denny Douds, 212-140-3 in his 35th season at East Stroudsburg University, can become the winningest football coach in PSAC history as the Warriors host Shippensburg in the PSAC East opener for both schools. Douds tied Millersville's Gene Carpenter (1970-2000) for the conference record with a 49-28 win at Clarion last Saturday. Shippensburg is playing its first game as a member of the PSAC East as a result of the conference expansion to 16 teams that brought Erie-based schools Gannon and Mercyhurst into the western division, and C.W. Post into the league as an associate member in the east.

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 3:30 p.m.

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. For more information on Coach Douds and the ESU coaching staff, please see page 7 of the game notes.

Rocky Rees (West Chester '71) has a 106-96-1 record in his 19th season as the head coach at Shippensburg. He is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the PSAC behind Denny Douds and Danny Hale (Bloomsburg) and Dr. George Mihalik (Slippery Rock), who are both in their 21st season as head coaches in the PSAC. He ranks seventh on the PSAC's all-time wins list and is a two-time Northeast Region and three-time PSAC coach of the year award recipient.

DOUDS' LONGEVITY: There have been more than 70 head football coaches at the other 13 PSAC institutions, and at least four at every school, since Denny Douds took over as ESU's eighth head football coach in 1974. Since then, he has coached 17 AP Little All-Americans, five AFCA All-Americans and five finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, including quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger, who won the award in 2005.

In his 34 years as head coach, Douds has mentored 168 first team All-PSAC selections and 714 letterwinners. An additional 151 players earned letters in his eight years as an assistant coach from 1966-73. Including the numerous Warriors who were members of the team but didn't earn a letter, more than 1,000 players have contributed to the ESU football program during Douds' 43 years in the Poconos.

Along with the PSAC career wins record, Douds is within reach of another milestone for success and longevity - with four 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.

THE SERIES: Shippensburg is one of four PSAC schools (IUP, Slippery Rock and West Chester are the others) with a winning record against ESU in the all-time series. The Raiders lead the series 25-16-2, including a 40-14 win at ESU in 2003 which ended a run of six straight meetings that began in 1998. Denny Douds is 2-7-1 against Shippensburg. The 14-14 tie came in the 1976 State Game, the second time that the Warriors played for the state championship in a four-year span (1975, 1976, 1978).

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.

LAST TIME OUT: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken threw for 420 yards and five touchdowns and head coach Denny Douds earned his 212th career win to tie the PSAC record as ESU improved to 3-0 with a 49-28 win at Clarion. Roken was 23-of-34 for the game and 15-of-20 for 283 yards and four touchdowns in the first half as the Warriors built a 35-7 halftime lead. He also ran for a three-yard score in the second quarter and had 435 yards of total offense for the game. R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman had nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns and Sr. WR Drew Stem gained 132 yards on seven catches for the first two 100-yard receiving games for the Warriors this season.

ROKEN NAMED PSAC EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tim Roken is the reigning PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week after putting together one of the most productive days by a Division II quarterback to date in 2008. Roken's 435 yards of total offense are second in DII in a single game this season, his 420 passing yards are third, and his single-game pass efficiency rating of 229.6 ranks in the top 20.

Roken set four career-highs in all - passing yards (420), total offense (435 yards), passing touchdowns (5) and total touchdowns (6). This is the second time he has earned PSAC weekly honors in his last four games - he was also honored last year following a 312-yard, two TD effort while leading ESU to a 24-23 win at Kutztown to finish the season.

STARTING STRONG: ESU has started 3-0 five times since 2000 and eight times overall under head coach Denny Douds. The Warriors have won their first four games on four occasions - during unbeaten seasons in 1975 and 1976, and more recently in 2004 and 2005. The tradition of playing a challenging non-conference schedule to open the season has prohibited ESU from posting more undefeated starts, but has prepared the Warriors for PSAC East play, where they have won nearly 64 percent of their games (126-71-1) under Coach Douds. ESU is 20-14 (.588) in conference openers since the 1974 season.

BREAKING OUT: The Warriors scored touchdowns on six of their first seven possessions en route to a 49-point output against Clarion. The average time of possession for the first five scoring drives was 1:41, while the first touchdown drive of the second half - 12 plays, 89 yards - took 5:56 off the clock. ESU had six drives of more than 50 yards after putting together three 50+ yard drives in the first two weeks.

R-Sr. QB Tim Roken surpassed his season total of 293 passing yards just after halftime and R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman, who entered with one catch for 27 yards, had five catches for 90 yards in the first half alone.

CAREER-HIGHS: Roken's career day throwing the football at Clarion also produced career-highs and career-firsts for his receivers. Shuman (141 yards) and Stem (132 yards) both had their most productive receiving days for the Warriors, and R-So. WR Ed Kiser hauled in his first career touchdown, a seven-yard catch for the game's first score.

R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden had two catches for 78 yards - a 44-yard reception to set the tone for the Warriors' aerial assault on the first play of the game, and a 34-yard TD catch that put ESU ahead for good in the middle of the first quarter. The touchdown was his first of the season and the 13th of his career. Ogden has posted at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 13 of the Warriors' 23 games since 2006.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: ESU's senior quarterback has thrown for at least two touchdowns in seven of his 10 career starts and has thrown 23 touchdown passes with just eight interceptions as a Warrior. He ranks third in the PSAC in pass efficiency (162.1), fourth in passing yards per game (237.7) and total offense (247.7) and is tied for the conference lead with eight TD passes. Roken was second in the PSAC in total offense (269.0 ypg) and third in passing (252.1 ypg) last season. He threw for 1,765 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts.

EMERGING PLAYMAKER: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio has developed into one of Roken's top targets, with 16 catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns over the last four games. He had five catches for 88 yards and two TDs vs. Gannon; four catches for 54 yards and a TD at Clarion; and also leads the PSAC with a 36.3-yard kick return average. Giglio finished the 2007 season with his first 100-yard receiving game (seven catches, 112 yards) at Kutztown.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES: Giglio and R-So. Ed Kiser 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: R-Fr. Russell Johnson made his first career start at tailback Clarion and had 22 carries for 35 yards and his first career touchdown. He started in place of R-Sr. Joe Partridge, who missed the game due to injury after gaining 83 yards on 20 carries the previous week vs. Gannon.

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.

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 (23 straight starts), and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has 10 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: 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 lengthy 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.

KRUT LEADS DIVISION II: Sr. P Nick Krut leads Division II with a 48.1-yard punting average this season following a huge day at Clarion. Krut averaged 57.5 yards on four punts last week, including kicks of 59, 61 and 63 yards to surpass his previous career long of 60 yards. He averaged 47.6 yards on five punts vs. Virginia Union and 41.0 yards on five punts vs. Gannon. Krut has 14 punts of 50 or more yards in his career as a three-year starter.

Krut was second in the PSAC with a 40.7-yard average on 48 punts last season and helped ESU finish sixth in Division II with a net of 36.5 yards per punt. ESU is ninth in Division II with a 38.8-yard net punting average this year and has finished in the top 10 in the nation in net punting in each of the last four seasons.

KNAUSS KNOTES: 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.

THE RETURN GAME: Sr. WR Drew Stem, ESU's career kick return average leader (29.3 yards), and R-So. WR Jeff Giglio, the PSAC leader with a 36.3-yard average this season, form a potent tandem in the return game. Stem averaged 30.9 yards on 14 returns in 2007, ranking second in school history, and had a 28.7-yard average in 2006. He averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game in five games last year, including 268 yards (60 receiving, 181 KR, 27 PR) vs. Millersville.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The ESU defense, which allowed 10.5 points and 263.5 yards per game through the first two games, put together a very good effort against an improving Clarion offense last week. The Warriors made adjustments after an 86-yard opening drive and held Clarion to 84 yards on its final five possessions of the first half. The Golden Eagles put up 203 yards and 14 points in the fourth quarter to turn a 42-7 game into a 21-point margin at the final gun.

The Warriors didn't have any letups the first two weeks. Against Gannon, ESU forced three turnovers, including a 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.

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU lost a pair of All-PSAC East linebackers in Jayson Frank and Dave Lotier but hasn't missed a step this season. R-So. OLB Matt Freed and R-Sr. ILB Fred Rice, who filled the vacated starting roles, have both claimed PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week awards and reached double figures in tackles in all three games this season.

TACKLING MACHINE: Matt Freed leads the PSAC and is tied for fifth in Division II with 13.7 tackles per game. He was the d2football.com national defensive player of the week following a huge game vs. Gannon which included 15 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. 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 had 13 tackles in his first career start vs. Virginia Union and 13 tackles and a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown last week at Clarion.

BOOMER NAMED PSAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fred "Boomer" 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 had 11 tackles vs. Gannon and 12 at Clarion for his first three 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.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: Redshirt senior linebackers Steve Van Alstine and David Pacchioni have both started all 23 games for the Warriors since the start of their sophomore year in 2006. 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 14 tackles and two pass breakups this season.

On the other side, So. CB David Castillo has made eight straight starts, including the final five games of his freshman season, and had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Gannon to give ESU a 13-7 lead in the second quarter.

Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger has started all three games at free safety and had two pass breakups and his third career interception last week. He started four games at cornerback in each of his first two seasons. Jr. FS Mike Gnall (7 starts, 40 tackles at FS in 2007) is contributing at nickel back and on special teams while returning from injury.

ON THE D-LINE: The Warriors' defensive line has played very well the first three 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. He also had a sack last week at Clarion.

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 has two starts this season and made his first career start in week one against Virginia Union.

THIRD-AND-NONE: The Warriors are fourth in the PSAC in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 13-of-44 chances (29.5 percent) through the first three games. Gannon was 2-of-12 and Virginia Union was 3-of-15 on third downs before Clarion converted on nearly half of its opportunities (8-for-17) last week.

THE TURNOVER BATTLE: ESU is second in the PSAC with a +5 turnover margin (+1.7 per game) a year after ranking near the bottom of the conference at -9. The Warriors have forced eight turnovers (5 interceptions, 3 fumbles) and have given the ball up three times (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) through the first three games. Last season, ESU lost 15 fumbles and threw 10 interceptions in nine games.

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.