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Video: Soltes and Jackson talk about WCU win  l  Coach Douds on WCU and Bloomsburg

Morning Call: Wilson atones, helps ESU stun West Chester
Express-Times: ESU knocks off West Chester, 35-28

Highlights: Wilson game-winning 33-yd TD from Soltes
Hallman 9-yd TD pass from Soltes  l  Reed 24-yd TD pass from Soltes
Williams 1-yd TD run  l  Tippett 1-yd TD run

ESU Football Player of the Week Awards History (PDF)

EAST STROUDSBURG – Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Soltes and junior outside linebacker Darius Jackson have been named the PSAC East Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their roles in East Stroudsburg University's 35-28 upset of West Chester on Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. (Game Recap)

Soltes (Vernon, N.J./Vernon) set ESU's single-game completion percentage record (81.1) in his second career start, going 30-for-37 for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He was 5-for-5 for 62 yards on the Warriors' game-winning drive, taking over in a tie game with 1:01 left, and hitting freshman wide receiver Tim Wilson with a short pass that turned into the game-winning 33-yard touchdown with five seconds remaining.

Jackson (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) was part of a defensive effort that held West Chester to 313 yards on 45 plays, and held the PSAC's second-leading rusher, Rondell White, to 51 yards on 15 carries. White was coming off a 200-yard game in a 37-34 win at No. 6-ranked California the previous week, and ran for 209 yards at Division I FCS Delaware in West Chester's only previous loss this season.

ESU's win, its first over West Chester since a 21-20 road win in 2009 and first home victory since a 28-27 win in 2003, was sparked by textbook play on both sides of the ball. The offense held the ball for 42:37, ESU's biggest time of possession advantage since 2002, and ran 82 plays for 508 yards. The Warriors were 12-for-17 on third-down conversions and Soltes was 9-for-10 for 119 yards on third down, including eight conversions.

The defense forced five West Chester turnovers, including four in the first half. They had three interceptions of WCU quarterback Mike Mattei, who had thrown just three interceptions in 128 attempts entering the game and was sixth in Division II in quarterback rating.

Soltes, who had ESU records for passing (256) and total offense (318) by a freshman in a first career start last Saturday at Clarion, set another freshman mark vs. West Chester with his 30 completions. His completion percentage broke the mark of 81.0 set by Tom Taylor (17-for-21) at Southern Connecticut in 1989.

He hit 14 of his first 15 passes and was 18-for-22 in the first half and 12-for-15 in the second half. Thirteen of his 30 completions went to junior wide receiver Dusty Reed, who gained 139 yards and was one catch shy of the school record of 14.

All three of Soltes' touchdown passes came in the final 18:40 of the ballgame – nine yards to redshirt senior Jordan Hallman late in the third quarter, 24 yards to Reed with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter and 33 yards to Wilson for the game-winner. He led five drives of more than four minutes and drove ESU 78 yards on 14 plays (in 7:30) for the go-ahead score in the third quarter.

Soltes' father, Andy, threw the go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of ESU's 17-9 win at West Chester in 1982, hitting Scott Benoit for a 73-yard score. Soltes, Benoit and the rest of the 1982 PSAC championship team were back for Homecoming on Saturday, along with the 1964 and 1965 State Championship teams which  were inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jackson's second-quarter interception, the second of the Warriors' three picks against Mattei, set up the game-tying touchdown drive late in the first half. His second career interception gave ESU the ball at the West Chester 48, and the offense covered the rest of the distance in 10 plays to tie it at 14-14 on a one-yard plunge by redshirt junior fullback Thomas Tippett with 21 seconds left in the first half.

Jackson, ESU's most experienced linebacker, is a converted fullback after moving to defense during spring practice. He scored three touchdowns, one rushing and two receiving, and caught 11 passes in two seasons at fullback.

On defense, he is one of five players to start each of the first five games and is the team's third-leading tackler, with 28 tackles, 4.0 TFL, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He had five tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack, a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown and a defensive 2-point conversion return in the Warriors' 59-27 win over Cheyney two weeks ago.

ESU, 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the PSAC East, travels to Bloomsburg for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The game will be the fourth-ever match-up of 200-win coaches in Division II football, as ESU's Denny Douds (235-164-3), the PSAC's all-time wins leader, faces Bloomsburg's Danny Hale (209-67-1) for the 26th time between Hale's time at West Chester and Bloomsburg. It will be Douds' 40th time opposing Bloomsburg after facing West Chester for the 40th time on Saturday.