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THURSDAY  l  6:05 p.m.  l  EILER-MARTIN STADIUM  l  Ticket Info  l  Black Out

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TV/Radio Coverage

Television: Live on Blue Ridge digital 113, and tape delay on BR TV-13 and esuwarriors.com "All Access" at 10:30 p.m. Play-by-play man Chris Doty, in his 24th season, is joined in the booth by Jim Riley (6th season) with Ellen Currie on the sidelines.

Radio: Live on WVPO 840 AM for the 51st season, and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 25th season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 13th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 5:30 p.m.


1st & 10 ...

1 • ESU opens its 40th season under head coach Denny Douds, who can move into a tie for 25th in career wins in college football history with former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes (238).

2 • Douds is the 13th man to reach 40 seasons as head coach in NCAA football history, the 9th to coach 40 years at one school, and the 5th to spend his entire 40+ year career at the same institution.

3 • Tonight's game is the first game on the PSAC calendar, and the only PSAC East game. Three PSAC West schools open at 7 p.m. - Seton Hill (at Fairmont State), Gannon (at Lake Erie) and Edinboro (at Walsh).

4 • ESU is 28-11 in season openers under Douds, and has won 5 straight and 12 of 14 since 1999. ESU is 53-31-1 all-time in season openers entering its 86th year of varsity football.

5 • This is the 1st meeting between ESU and AIC since the 1995 season opener (W 49-19) and 2nd between Douds and AIC head coach Art Wilkins.

6 • ESU, 5-5 (4-3) last year, was picked 5th in the 8-team PSAC East. The Warriors were tied for 3rd in the division last fall.

7 •  AIC, 7-3 (7-1) last year, is the preseason favorite in the Northeast-10 Conference. All 3 of AIC's losses in 2012 came to NCAA Playoff teams.

8 • Returning starters: ESU returns 13 starters (7 on offense, 6 on defense) plus both kicking specialists ... AIC returns 17 starters (9 on offense, 8 on defense) plus its kicker/punter.

9 • Both schools are led by dual-threat underclassmen quarterbacks in ESU R-So. Matt Soltes (2,622 passing yards, 536 rushing yards) and AIC Jr. Kevin Arduino (1,690 passing yards, 573 rushing yards).

10 • Both also have a standout junior defensive player in ESU R-Jr. DL Bryan Thomson, the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and a Football Gazette All-America 3rd team selection, and AIC Jr. LB Jaquawne Simpkins, named 1st team All-NE-10 and 2nd team Daktronics All-Region.


SERIES HISTORY: ESU is 3-0 entering the 4th meeting between the two schools, and the 2nd between Douds and AIC head coach Art Wilkins. The two coaches previously met in 1995, Wilkins' 2nd season at AIC and Douds' 22nd at ESU, with ESU winning, 49-19, in the season opener at Eiler-Martin Stadium.  The Warriors also won 28-27 at AIC in 1992, and 42-3 at home in 1993.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: ESU is 6-4 in night games at Eiler-Martin Stadium since lights were installed in 2007. The Warriors' home opener will be played under the lights for the 7th straight season, going 4-2. They are 3-0 in season-opening night games (2008 vs. Virginia Union, 2011 vs. Pace, 2012 vs. Lock Haven).

HAPPY THURSDAY: ESU is opening on a Thursday night for the 4th time in 6 years - and for the 3rd time at home. The Warriors beat #25 Virginia Union, 14-11, in 2008, won 19-6 at Virginia Union in 2009, and beat Pace 56-14 in 2011.

DOUDS' MILESTONES: Douds is the 13th man to reach 40 seasons as head coach in college football history, the 9th to coach 40 years at one school, and the 5th to spend all of his 40+ year career at the same institution. He joins Eddie Robinson (Grambling, 1941-42, 45-97), John E. Dorman (Upper Iowa, 1905-06, 09-42, 45-59), Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1966-2011) and Jim Malosky (Minn.-Duluth, 1958-97) on that list.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) has a career record of 237-167-3 (.586) in his 40th season. He has led the Warriors to 9 PSAC titles and 4 NCAA Playoff appearances since taking over as head coach in 1974. His teams won outright state titles in 1975, 1978 and 1982 before the State Game was discontinued following the 1987 season. His teams have claimed PSAC East divisional titles in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1991, 2002 and 2003. NCAA Playoff appearances have come in 1991, 2004, 2005 - when the Warriors won the Northeast Region title and advanced to the national semifinals - and 2009.

Art Wilkins (Bucknell '72) is in his 20th season as head coach at American International and has a career record of 119-76 (.610). Wilkins holds AIC's record for career wins and is 100-39 (.719) in conference games. He has led AIC to 8 conference or division titles and won outright conference championships in 1999, 2000 and 2008. AIC shared the NE-10 title in 2010. He was named the 2008 NE-10 Coach of the Year.

BISON ABOUND: Wilkins is one of three Bucknell graduates the Warriors will face this year, along with Cheyney's Ken Lockard ('03) and Mercyhurst's Marty Schaetzle ('83).

PROGRAM WINS: ESU has a 453-303-19 (.597) record in its 86th year of varsity football. West Chester (547), IUP (513) and Slippery Rock (456) are the only other programs with at least 450 wins.

As head coach, Douds is responsible for 52.5 percent of the program's games (407 of 775), and 52.3 percent of its wins (237 of 453). Including 68 games and 45 wins as an assistant coach under Charlie Reese from 1966-73, he has coached in 475 of the 775 games (61.3 percent) and 282 of the 453 wins (62.2 percent) in program history. There have been at least 4 head coaches at every other PSAC school since Douds was named ESU head coach in 1974.

Along with holding the PSAC record for career wins, Douds has also coached in 104 more games than the 2nd-most in conference history (Millersville's Gene Carpenter, 303, who he faced 27 times).

DOUDS' FOES: Douds has coached against 100 different head coaches in his career at ESU, adding his 100th (Mercyhurst's Marty Schaetzle) in the 2012 season finale. He is 66-34 vs. first-time foes and will face 4 more this season - Seton Hill's Isaac Collins, Bloomsburg's Paul Darragh, Kutztown's Drew Folmar and Millersville's Greg Breitbach.

Douds faced Millersville's Gene Carpenter 27 times, and faced Danny Hale 26 times between his career at West Chester and Bloomsburg before Hale retired this spring. Among active coaches, his most frequent opponent is West Chester's Bill Zwaan (11 games).

ESU vs. THE NORTHEAST-10: The Warriors are 3-0 against American International, and 27-12-1 against current members of the Northeast-10 Conference. This includes an 8-5 mark against LIU Post, which rejoined the NE-10 this fall after 5 seasons in the PSAC East (2008-12). In the 2005 NCAA Playoffs, ESU had 2 wins over NE-10 teams: 55-33 vs. SCSU in the 1st round, and 55-28 vs. LIU Post in the 3rd round. Most recently, ESU won season openers against Pace in 2010 (57-0) and 2011 (56-14).

PSAC CHANGES: The PSAC admitted Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown for full membership beginning July 1. With the entrance of Seton Hill, which sponsors football and will host ESU next week, associate member LIU Post has left the conference and joined the Northeast-10. Lock Haven, which ended a 52-game losing streak with a 15-7 win over Cheyney in the 2012 season finale, moves to the PSAC East.

The PSAC's 18 members (16 football) form the largest NCAA conference regardless of division or state borders. The conference sponsors 23 championships, the most at the NCAA Division II level.

2012 HIGHLIGHTS: ESU's 2012 season saw the Warriors (5-5, 4-3 - t-3rd) return to the top half of the PSAC East standings for the first time since 2008 (9-2, 5-2 - 3rd). The key victory was a 35-28 win over West Chester in the 2nd career start for current R-So. QB Matt Soltes, who hit current So. WR Tim Wilson for the game-winning 33-yard TD with 5 seconds left.

The Warriors' offense, led by Soltes, ranked 4th in Division II in total offense (497.9 ypg), 9th in passing (327.6 ypg) and 18th in scoring (38.5 ppg). They set a PSAC record and had a Division II season-high of 828 yards of total offense (552 passing, 276 rushing) in a 45-37 win at LIU Post on Oct. 27. Soltes set a PSAC record and NCAA all-division freshman record with 666 yards of total offense (535 passing, 131 rushing).

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2013: The Warriors bring back 13 starters (7 offense, 6 defense) but still have just 5 seniors in the starting lineup - including just 1 on defense. Soltes returns 6 of his 7 top receivers, plus 3 offensive linemen, while replacing the top 2 running backs. On defense, All-America R-Jr. DL Bryan Thomson anchors an experienced line, Jr. MLB Cody Simcox mans the middle of the defense and R-Jr. S Anthony Singlar led ESU with 86 tackles.

LEADING THE WARRIORS: ESU brings back 4 all-conference or major award winners from last year:

R-Jr. DL Bryan Thomson - Football Gazette All-America 3rd team, PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year
R-So. QB Matt Soltes - PSAC East Freshman of the Year
Sr. K Taylor Groff - Daktronics, Football Gazette All-Region 1st team, All-PSAC East 1st team
Sr. WR Dusty Reed - 2-time Football Gazette All-Region 3rd team, 2-time All-PSAC East 1st team

THE OFFENSE

SOLTES ENTERS SOPHOMORE YEAR: R-So. QB Matt Soltes, the 2012 PSAC East Freshman of the Year, had one of the top freshman seasons in PSAC history last fall, gaining 3,158 yards of total offense (2,622 passing, 536 rushing). He was the 4th PSAC quarterback, and first non-senior, with 2,500 yards passing and 500 yards rushing in a season.

• Soltes led DII freshmen in both total offense (315.8 ypg) and pass efficiency (157.5)
• His 3,158 total yards are 2nd-most among PSAC freshmen behind ESU's Jimmy Terwilliger (3,342 yards, 2003)
• His 2,622 passing yards are 3rd-most among PSAC freshmen

Soltes started the final 7 games of the season and had 6 games with 300+ yards of total offense. He set an NCAA freshman record with 666 yards at LIU Post, becoming the first PSAC QB to throw for 500 yards (535) and rush for 100 (131) in a single game.

• He had 1,907 yards over the final 4 games - the most in school history
• His 402.7 yards of total offense per game as a starter would have led NCAA Division II

He was a 3-time PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week in games against West Chester, LIU Post and Millersville. Against West Chester, he set ESU's single-game completion percentage record (81.1, 30-for-37) in his 2nd career start, throwing for 366 yards and 3 TD.

DOING IT ON THE GROUND: Soltes ranks 2nd at ESU in rushing yards by a QB in a season (536), trailing only current Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin, who ran for 543 yards as a senior in 1994. Soltes had the 3rd- and 4th-most rushing yards in a game by an ESU QB since 1968 last year, with 131 at LIU Post and 126 at Millersville in back-to-back weeks. He was 1st ESU QB to run for 100+ yards in consecutive games since at least 1968.

FAMILY TRADITION: Soltes and his father, Andy, are the 3rd father-son tandem to throw a TD pass for the Warriors under Douds. Matt's first career TD was a 49-yard pass to Thomas Tippett vs. Cheyney on Sept. 22, 2012.

Andy's only career TD was a 73-yard pass to Scott Benoit that put the Warriors ahead in the 4th quarter of a 17-9 win at West Chester in 1982. He suffered an injury in the spring game the following year.  Matt's 5th career TD was the 33-yard pass to Tim Wilson to beat West Chester, 35-28, on Oct. 6, 2012.

Other tandems are Mike and Jimmy Terwilliger and Brian and Matt Marshall.

Mike Terwilliger, ESU's offensive coordinator, was QB for Douds' first four years (1974-77) and has been an assistant coach ever since. He led ESU to a 30-4-1 record in 35 starts and threw 33 TD passes. His son, Jimmy, was a four-year Harlon Hill candidate from 2003-06, the 2005 Harlon Hill Award winner, and tied the NCAA all-division record with 148 TD passes. Jimmy was 36-12, starting all 48 games, and took the Warriors to the NCAA DII semifinals in 2005.

Brian Marshall was the Warriors' QB in 1981, under Terwilliger's tutelage, and threw 5 TD passes. His son, Matt, was a two-year starter, led ESU to the 2009 NCAA Playoffs and threw 61 TD passes (4th in school history) from 2007-10.

ADDING IT ALL UP: TD passes by family ... Terwilligers 181 (Mike 33, Jimmy 148) ... Marshalls 66 (Brian 5, Matt 61) ... Soltes 22 (Andy 1, Matt 21) ... TD passes by fathers -- 39 ... TD passes by sons -- 230 and counting.

DANIELS PROVIDES DEPTH: R-Sr. QB Nate Daniels has made 4 career starts, including the first 3 games last season. He made his first career start as a redshirt sophomore at Shippensburg in the 10th game of the 2011 season.

In last year's season opener, a 31-0 win over Lock Haven, Daniels was 17-for-26 for 355 yards and 4 TD - the 4th-most passing yards in a season opener in ESU history.

He was 35-for-60 for 631 yards, 7 TD and 3 Int. for a pass efficiency rating of 175.2 last year. In his career, he is 52-for-96 for 960 yards, 9 TD and 5 Int.

REBUILDING THE GROUND GAME: ESU ran for 170.3 yards per game in 2012 - its most since 2001 (173.6) - and had 3 players gain 500+ yards for just the 2nd time in school history - Eric Deery (551), Soltes (536) and Kendrick Williams (532). In 1994, Orlando Williams (628), Jason Killian (559) and QB James Franklin (543) all went over 500 yards.

The Warriors must replace both tailbacks in Williams and Deery. Williams ranks 5th at ESU in career rushing yards (2,177), 3rd in rushing TD (23), 2nd in carries (475) and 5th in all-purpose yards (3,580). Deery ran for 1,421 yards and 9 TD in 4 seasons.

NEXT IN LINE: The Warriors list 3 tailbacks on this week's depth chart:

R-Fr. Robert Healy - East Meadow, N.Y.
• 2011 Thorpe Award winner as top player in Nassau County
• ran for 1,800 yards and 38 TD to set Long Island record for points (236) in a single season
• All-Long Island and 2nd team All-State
• led team to Nassau County championship

Jr. Gerald Van De Cruz - Phillipsburg, N.J.
• transfer from Lackawanna College
• 4-year letterwinner at FB and NG at Phillipsburg
• 2010 Warren County Player of the Year
• 1st team All-West Jersey and All-Area

Jr. Derrick Dyer - Pennsauken, N.J./Palmyra
• transfer from Seton Hill
• led Griffins in rushing in 2012, with 66 carries for 274 yards and 3 TD
• 2-time All-Freedom Division defensive back at Palmyra HS
• ran for 1,097 yards on 152 carries

EXPERIENCED FULLBACK: R-Sr. Thomas Tippett was named to the Football Gazette All-Region 3rd team last year. He had 19 catches for 288 yards and a TD, and 19 carries for 51 yards and 5 TD (all from 1 yard).

In his career, Tippett has played in 31 games and made 15 starts. He has 34 receptions for 437 yards and 1 TD, and has scored 6 rushing TD.

AIRING IT OUT: ESU has led the PSAC in passing in 7 of the last 11 years, and the Warriors' quarterback has been in the top 3 in the PSAC in total offense all 11 seasons ... the Warriors were 2nd in the PSAC and 4th in DII in total offense (497.9 ypg) and Soltes was 3rd in the PSAC and 12th in DII (315.8).

BIG PLAY OFFENSE: ESU was 3rd in Division II with 7.20 yards per play and 9.58 yards per pass attempt during the 2012 season ... ESU's 15.83 yards per completion were also 3rd-most among DII schools (min. 15 completions/game) ... the Warriors had 27 pass plays of 30+ yards, including 8 TD ... ESU led DII with 15.59 yards per completion in 2011.

PSAC EAST'S OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: The PSAC East had 3 of the top 8 offenses in DII in 2012:

1. Shippensburg - 529.9 ypg (46.9 ppg)
4. ESU - 497.9 ypg (38.5 ppg)
8. Kutztown - 481.1 ypg (44.6 ppg)
16. Bloomsburg - 472.5 ypg (37.6 ppg)
35. West Chester - 433.0 ypg (35.3 ppg)

The division also had the #2 passing offense (Shippensburg - 387.7 ypg), the #5 rushing offense (Bloomsburg - 315.8 ypg) and the #2 and #4 scoring offenses (Shippensburg - 46.9 ppg, and Kutztown - 44.6 ppg).

REED, BLEILER AMONG PSAC'S BEST
Sr. WR Dusty Reed and R-Sr. WR Robert Bleiler rank among the PSAC's top returning receivers.

REED 2-TIME ALL-PSAC EAST: Sr. WR Dusty Reed is one of the most productive players in ESU history, ranking in the top 10 in career receptions (7th - 143), receiving yards (9th - 2,093), TD (t-8th - 18) and all-purpose yards (8th - 2,996) in his first three years at ESU.

He earned his 2nd straight spot on the All-PSAC East 1st team as a junior - ranking 5th in the PSAC and 49th in DII with 78.9 receiving yards per game. As a sophomore in 2011, he was 4th in the PSAC and 32nd in DII with 84.5 yards per game.

• 2012 - 50 catches, 787 yards, 5 TD
• 2011 - 62 catches, 929 yards, 7 TD
• 2010 - 31 catches, 377 yards, 6 TD

His top games as a junior included 11 catches for 198 yards vs. Shippensburg, and 13 catches for 139 yards vs. West Chester.

He has a catch in 22 consecutive games, and 2+ catches in 28 of 32 games in his career after coming to ESU as an All-State tailback.

REED'S FAMILY TIES: Reed is the nephew of former ESU All-America center Pat Flaherty, the offensive line coach of the New York Giants. Flaherty has won two Super Bowl rings in the last 6 years, in 2007 and 2011. He was inducted to the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and was the starting center for QB Mike Terwilliger, ESU's OC who is in his 36th season as an assistant coach.

BIG PLAY BLEILER: R-Sr. WR Robert Bleiler is averaging 17.3 yards per catch in his career, with 1,415 yards on 82 catches.

Bleiler, Reed and Jordan Hallman all had 600+ receiving yards in each of the last 2 seasons, with Bleiler and Reed returning for their senior years this fall.

• 2012 - 37 catches, 609 yards, 4 TD
• 2011 - 33 catches, 659 yards, 4 TD
• 2010 - 12 catches, 147 yards

Bleiler has three 100-yard games in his career - including 6 catches for 137 yards, and a 75-yard TD on the game's first play, in the 2012 season finale at Mercyhurst. He had 172 yards vs. Pace and 153 at Kutztown in 2011.

SPREADING IT AROUND: The Warriors have 6 players who return after catching at least 10 passes last season - Dusty Reed (50-787-5), Robert Bleiler (37-609-4), Thomas Tippett (19-288-1), Steven Jones (18-260-5), Jon Schnaars (16-312-1) and Tim Wilson (11-167-2).

SOPHOMORE RECEIVERS: While Reed and Bleiler conclude their careers, the Warriors have 5 sophomores who are expected to contribute at receiver this season:

R-So. Jon Schnaars
• 16 catches, 312 yards, 1 TD in 2012
• 4th on team in receiving yards
• 5 catches, 124 yards at LIU Post
• 3 catches, 90 yards, TD (46 yards) vs. Kutztown

So. Tim Wilson
• 11 catches, 167 yards, 2 TD in 2012
• Played in final 7 games
• 33-yard TD with 5 seconds left to beat West Chester
• 2 catches, 47 yards on final drive

R-So. Brandon Mercer
• 3 catches, 23 yards in 2012
• 31.9 kick return average - 2nd-best in ESU history
• 94-yard kick return TD vs. Cheyney (ESU's first since 2002)
• Career bests of 7.02 in 60m and 10.74 in 100m for ESU track team
• Member of PSAC champion 4x100m relay in 2012

So. Joe Welk
• Played in 9 games, primarily on special teams in 2012
• Ran for 1,335 yards as a senior at Solanco in 2011
• Member of ESU wrestling team as starter at 149 pounds

So. Gerard Wendowski
• Played in 7 games, primarily on special teams in 2012
• All-Suburban One 2nd team at North Penn (HS teammate of Mercer)

THE TIGHT END: R-Jr. Steven Jones emerged as an impact receiver over the 2nd half of the 2012 season. In the final 3 games, he had 10 catches for 135 yards and 5 TD - including 5 catches, 58 yards and 2 TD at LIU Post, and 4 catches, 61 yards and 2 TD at Millersville.

• 2012 - 18 catches, 260 yards, 5 TD
• 2011 - 13 catches, 154 yards, 3 TD

RUNNING THE CLOCK: ESU held the ball for 30:22 per game in 2012 - its best since 2002, and just the 2nd time since that season (2009, 30:09) that the Warriors had a TOP advantage over an entire year.

IN THE FRONT ROW: The Warriors lost 84 career starts from guard Seve Rivers (41), a 2-time All-PSAC East selection, and tackle Wrenton Wright II (43) - but return their other 3 starters for 2013. Rivers and Wright were the 6th and 7th Warriors - and 4th and 5th offensive linemen - to make 40 career starts since 2003.

Last year, the Warriors started the same 5 offensive linemen in all 10 games and had just one position change, flipping Wright II to right tackle and current So. Cody Laubach to left tackle for weeks 8-10.

LT -- So. Cody Laubach (6-5, 315)
• Started all 10 games (first 7 at RT, last 3 at LT) in 2012
• 1st true FR to start every game since 2004 (OL Jeff Kocsis)
• first true freshman OL to start opener since 2004

LG -- Jr. Pete Wolmart (6-3, 310)
• 12 career starts
• Started all 10 games at LG in 2012
• 2 starts as a freshman, both at LT
• Missed rest of season due to injury

C -- R-Sr. Greg Blue (6-2, 285)
• 28 career starts - 10 at center, 9 at LG, 9 at RG
• Started all 10 games at center in 2012
• Started 9 games at LG as a R-SO in 2011
• Started 9 games at RG as a R-FR in 2010
• first ESU center besides Dan Caffrey since 2007

RG -- So. Eric Burleson (6-4, 305)
• Played in 7 games, primarily on short-yardage offense and special teams
• Replaces Seve Rivers (41 career starts), who was 1st team All-PSAC East
• All-Area honorable mention at Parkland HS

RT -- R-So. Raymond Ocasio, Jr. (6-7, 300)
• Played in 3 games in 2012
• Starter on District and AAA state championship team at Allentown Central Catholic

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

GROFF AMONG NATION'S BEST KICKERS
Sr. K Taylor Groff enters his senior season within reach of several ESU career records, and the PSAC career record for field goals made.

Groff is a member of the Watch List for the Fred Mitchell Award (top kicker in DII, DIII, NJCAA and NAIA) for the 3rd straight year. He was one of 10 finalists for the award last season.

As a junior in 2012, he was named to the Daktronics and Football Gazette All-Region 1st team, and the All-PSAC East 1st team.

• Led DII kickers with 9.3 points per game
• 1 of 2 kickers in DII with 3 field goals of 50+ yards
• 15-for-23 on field goals - including 10-of-11 to finish season
• Perfect 48-for-48 on extra points (58 consecutive)

Among active DII kickers, Groff ranks 1st with 1.4 FG made and 2.0 FG attempted per game.

He has made 4 field goals of 51+ yards in his career - the only kicker in PSAC history with more than 1 field goal from that distance.

Career - 42-58 - 26-32 inside 40 - 16-26 over 40
• 15-for-19 (7-for-9 40+) to tie or give ESU lead
• 7-for-7 (2-for-2 over 40) in final 1:00 of 1st half
• 6 FG of 48+ yards (4-for-7 from 50+ yards)
• has made 4 of the 5 longest FG in school history

2012 - 15-23 - 9-13 inside 40 - 6-10 over 40
• Made FG of 52 at Bloomsburg and Millersville, and 51 at Clarion
• t-3rd in DII with 1.5 field goals/game
• 1st in DII with 9.3 points/game
• 93 points were 2nd-most in school history

2011 - 11-14 - 5-7 inside 40 - 6-7 over 40
• 6 FG of 40+ yards - tied for ESU record
• the rest of PSAC kickers were 9-for-30 from 40+
• made 2 longest FG in the PSAC (52 and 48 yards)
• 52-yard FG at Kutztown
• missed first 3 games due to injury

2010 - 16-21 - 12-12 inside 40 - 4-9 over 40
• ESU record with 16 field goals
• perfect inside 40 yards
• 1 of 2 kickers in DII to make a FG in every game
• 87 points rank 3rd in school history

ESU Career Field Goal Percentage
1. 72.4 -- Taylor Groff (42-58)
2. 67.2 -- Mark Brubaker (39-58)

ESU Career Field Goals
1. 50 -- Ed Detwiler (1989-92)  [also PSAC record]
2. 42 -- Taylor Groff (2010-pres.)
3. 39 -- Mark Brubaker (2002-05)

ESU Career Field Goals of 40+ Yards
1. 16 -- Taylor Groff
2. 12 -- Ed Detwiler

ESU Career Points by Kicker
1. 287 -- Mark Brubaker
2. 262 -- Ed Detwiler
3. 230 -- Taylor Groff

BAIR ENTERS 3RD YEAR AS PUNTER
Jr. Jordan Bair is one of the PSAC's most experienced punters, entering his 3rd year as the Warriors' starter.

In 2012, he was 10th in the PSAC in net average (33.8) after ranking 6th in net punting (32.9) as a freshman.

• 2012 - 37.2 avg, 33.8 net, 30 punts (11 inside 20), long 53
• 2011 - 37.8 avg, 32.9 net, 44 punts (10 inside 20), long 53

ESU has been a regular among the Division II leaders in net punting, ranking in the top 5 in three of the last nine years. The Warriors led the nation in 2004 (40.6) and 2008 (39.7) and ranked 3rd in 2006 (36.0).

RULE CHANGE
The NCAA instituted two rule changes on kickoffs prior to the 2012 season. The kickoff spot was moved up 5 yards (to the 35-yard line), and the touchback spot was moved up 5 yards (to the 25-yard line).

Sr. Taylor Groff has helped ESU rank 3rd in the PSAC in average opponents drive start in 2012, and 1st in 2010. In his career, he has 37 touchbacks on 174 kickoffs (21.2 percent):
• 2012 - 23 touchbacks, 72 kickoffs (31.9%)
• 2011 - 3 touchbacks, 37 kickoffs (8.1%)
• 2010 - 11 touchbacks, 65 kickoffs (16.9%)

THE DEFENSE

6 RETURNING STARTERS - BUT STILL YOUNG
After returning just 2 starters entering the 2012 season, the Warriors return 6 starters for 2013 - including the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year in R-Jr. DL Bryan Thomson.

Even with a large number of returners, the Warriors have just 1 senior on the defense in OLB Darius Jackson.

Of the 25 players on the depth chart, there are:
SR -- 1 starter
JR -- 6 starters, 3 backups
SO -- 2 starters, 2 backups
R-FR -- 0 starters, 4 backups
FR -- 2 starters, 5 backups

THE RETURNERS: ESU's 6 returning defensive starters ...
DE -- R-Jr. Brandon Gattelli (18 starts - all 10 in 2012)
DL -- R-Jr. Bryan Thomson (11 starts - all 10 in 2012)
MLB -- Jr. Cody Simcox (9 starts in 1st season at ESU)
OLB -- Sr. Darius Jackson (14 starts - 9 in 2012, 5 at fullback in 2011-12)
CB -- So. Teron Dobbs (8 starts after moving to CB from WR)
S - R-Jr. Anthony Singlar (15 starts - all 10 in 2012)

DEPTH, EXPERIENCE ON THE LINE: Of the 8 players on the depth chart on the defensive line, 7 are in at least their 3rd year in the Warriors' program and have combined for 111 games and 31 starts.

Along with Thomson and Gattelli, the other 2 projected starters have plenty of experience in R-Jr. DL Jon Noble and Jr. DE Tarik Haddad, who started 2 games last year and is also the Warriors' long snapper.

Listed as backups are R-Jr. DE Sam Trunzo, R-So. DE Antoine Ray, R-Jr. DL Josh Przywara and R-Fr. DE Ahmad McFarland, who will also play tackle.

RUSHING THE PASSER: The Warriors led the PSAC and were tied for 9th in DII with 3.0 sacks per game in 2012, after posting just 6 sacks in their first 6 games.

In the final 4 games, they got to the quarterback 24 times - 4 vs. Kutztown, 6 at LIU Post, 6 at Millersville and 8 at Mercyhurst.

The Warriors return players who had 16.5 of their 30 sacks last year, including Thomson (team-high 5.0), Gattelli (4.5), Przywara (3.0) and Noble (1.5) on the defensive line.

ALL-AMERICA SEASON RECAPPED: R-Jr. DL Bryan Thomson was named to the Football Gazette All-America 3rd team and was the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year in his 1st season as a starter in 2012. He played in all 11 games and made 1 start as a redshirt freshman in 2011.

Thomson had 50 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and blocked 6 kicks to tie ESU's single-season school record. He had all 5.0 sacks over the final 4 weeks of the year - including 9 tackles, 2.0 TFL, a sack, fumble recovery and blocked PAT in the season finale at Mercyhurst. He also had 2.0 sacks at LIU Post and sacks against Kutztown and Millersville.

Thomson was the first sophomore to be named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year since ESU linebacker Kevin Nagle in 1998.

BLOCK THAT KICK: Thomson tied the school single-season record with 6 blocked kicks (3 PAT, 3 FG) held by linebacker Joe Menton (1995), and the career record of 8 blocked kicks (5 PAT, 3 FG) held by defensive tackle Matt Delancey (1993-96), currently a strength coach at Florida.

ESU opponents were just 3-for-8 on field goals in 2012, with Thomson accounting for 3 blocks.

DEFENSIVE ALIGNMENT: ESU will shift from a 4-4 defense to a 4-3 this season, but opponents should still see plenty of the 8-man front that Warriors fans are accustomed to.

The 4th linebacker will be replaced by a 2nd safety who will primarily play close to the line of scrimmage - similar to the "chief" outside linebacker position in the previous incarnation of the Warriors' defense.

The new safety position will be filled by one of ESU's most experienced players, R-Jr. Anthony Singlar, who led the Warriors with 86 tackles and ranked 6th in the PSAC with 8.6 tackles per game as free safety in 2012.

Singlar has made 15 career starts - 10 in 2012, and 5 in 2011. In those 5 starts as a redshirt freshman, he had 42 tackles.

Fr. Dean Vitale, who joined the Warriors for spring practice, will be the starter at free safety.

AT THE CORNERS: So. Teron Dobbs is entrenched at one cornerback spot after starting 8 games as a true freshman. Dobbs made the roster as a wide reciever but moved to corner after week 1, played in week 2 vs. Shippensburg and made his first career start in week 3 vs. Cheyney. He led the Warriors with 3 interceptions, had 32 tackles and 4 pass breakups.

Three players are in the mix on the other side in R-Jr. Konrad Mims and freshmen Derek Ramseur-Benson and Christopher Sutton. Mims was a member of ESU's roster in 2011 but did not see any game action.

MANNING THE MIDDLE: Jr. Cody Simcox, the Warriors' 3rd-leading tackler last year (71) and 2nd-leading returner in 2013, will man the middle linebacker spot in ESU's 4-3 alignment.

Simcox started the final 9 games of 2012, his first at ESU after transferring from Maine, where he was a tight end. He was an All-State AAAA 2nd team linebacker as a senior at Wilson-West Lawn in 2010.

YOUNG ON THE OUTSIDE: Sr. Darius Jackson, the only senior on the ESU defense, is the only outside linebacker with on-field experience for the Warriors entering the season.

Jackson started 9 games and played in all 10 in 2012, his first on defense after playing fullback his first 2 years. He was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Cheyney - 5 tackles, 2.5 TFL, forced fumble, interception return for 54-yard TD, and defensive 2-point conversion. He had 46 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2 interceptions last year.

The other starter is projected to be R-So. Kaje Cowans, a transfer from Bowie State, where he played in 8 games in 2012. Also in contention is R-Fr. Zach Miller, a former local standout at Pen Argyl.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: ESU's rushing defense improved by almost 80 yards per game last year - from 220.2 ypg (16th in the PSAC) to 142.8 (7th). The pass defense fell by almost the same amount, however - the Warriors allowed 310.0 passing yards per game, 155th of 156 schools in DII. They ranked 153rd in pass efficiency defense (163.5), tied for 138th in interceptions (8) and 133rd in scoring defense (35.9 ppg).

The PSAC East schedule doesn't figure to get any easier after the division produced 5 of the top 35 offenses in DII in terms of yards per game in 2012.

The highlights last year were a top-10 national ranking in sacks (t-9th - 3.0 per game), with 24 in the last 6 games, and limiting opponents to 3.9 rushing yards per attempt.

Two areas will be key to the Warriors' performance in 2013 - red zone defense and turnovers forced. ESU has ranked in the top 5 in the PSAC in red zone defense in 3 of the last 5 years, but was t-11th last year allowing points on 80.5 percent of opponents' possessions. In the turnover department, the Warriors forced just 19 turnovers last season (8 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries). Their output has declined in each of the last 4 years - 33 in 2009, 23 in 2010, 21 in 2011 and 19 in 2012.

STARTS BY CLASS
Seniors: 104 - 89 offense, 15 defense
Juniors: 77 - 22 on offense, 55 on defense
Sophomores: 25 - 17 on offense, 8 on defense

WARRIORS HISTORY

FAMILY AFFAIR
1 Warrior has a father who played for Coach Douds:
• R-So. QB Matt Soltes - father Andy lettered at QB in 1982, threw game-winning TD at West Chester

In addition, 1 Warrior has a relative who played for ESU under Douds:
• Sr. WR Dusty Reed - uncle Pat Flaherty was All-America center in 1976 and is currently the offensive line coach of the NY Giants

At least 7 other father-son combinations have earned letters since Douds arrived in 1966:

• Falcone - Michael, LB '73; Bryan, LB '00-02
• Hull - Chris, DE '84-87; Sam, DL '09-12
• Jackson - Steven, C '69-71; Greg, TE '98-99
• Marshall - Brian, QB '81; Matt, QB '08-10 (3rd in career total offense)
• McNamee - Doug, DB/WR '64-66, Todd, K/P '85-88
• Stem - Willard, FS '72-75; Drew, WR '05-08
• Terwilliger - Mike, QB '74-77 (Douds' first 4 seasons, 36th year as asst. coach); Jimmy, QB '03-06 (Harlon Hill Award in 2005)

PSAC PRESEASON POLL
• ESU was picked to finish 5th in the 2013 PSAC East Coaches Poll
1. Shippensburg (6 1st-place votes)
2. Bloomsburg (1)
3. West Chester (1)
4. Kutztown
5. ESU
6. Lock Haven
7. Millersville
8. Cheyney

WARRIORS FROM 2000-09
• The Warriors wrapped up their winningest decade in school history in the 2000's, going 77-34 for a .694 winning percentage
• They had 9 winning seasons in 10 years, made 3 NCAA Playoff appearances (2004, 2005, 2009), won PSAC East titles in 2002 and 2003, and had a school-record 11 wins in 2005
• ESU has an all-time record of 453-303-19 (.597)

UNDER THE LIGHTS
ESU is 6-4 in night games since lights were installed in 2007:
9-15-07 -- L 23-38 vs. IUP
8-28-08 -- W 14-11 vs. #25 Virginia Union
9-6-08 -- W 23-10 vs. Gannon
9-27-08 -- W 52-12 vs. Cheyney
9-12-09 -- W 45-31 vs. Clarion
9-11-10 -- L 17-23 vs. IUP
9-1-11 -- W 56-14 vs. Pace
9-17-11 -- L 19-22 vs. #21 California
9-8-12 -- W 31-0 vs. Lock Haven
9-15-12 -- L 21-63 vs. Shippensburg

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME
• ESU is 4-6 all-time in overtime contests and has won its last two games in OT, 27-20 at Kutztown in 2009 and 44-41 vs. Shippensburg in 2008
• The win vs. Shippensburg gave head coach Denny Douds the PSAC record with his 213th career victory

OVERTIME GAMES
1991 - L 34-33 vs. Shippensburg (NCAA Playoffs)
1996 - W 27-20 vs. Kutztown
1999 - L 33-27 at Shepherd (2OT)
2000 - W 35-28 vs. Shepherd
2000 - L 33-26 vs. Millersville
2000 - L 17-14 vs. Shippensburg
2004 - L 38-37 vs. West Chester
2005 - L 31-24 vs. Bloomsburg
2008 - W 44-41 vs. Shippensburg
2009 - W 27-20 at Kutztown

GREGORY-DOUDS FIELD AT EILER-MARTIN STADIUM
• Field renamed to honor coaches Jack Gregory and Denny Douds after ESU's 58-14 win vs. Cheyney on Oct. 30, 2010
• Gregory had 49-11-2 (.806) record from 1959-65 and won 1964 and 1965 PSAC championships
• Douds has been ESU's head coach since 1974
• Eiler-Martin Stadium has been the home of the Warriors since 1938
• John R. Eiler was an outstanding athlete at the school in the early 1930s and later athletic director and a championship soccer coach
• Gene Martin was the Warriors' head football coach from 1942-57 and the school's long-time Dean of Men
• The Warriors have a 123-74 home record (.624) under Douds

Renovations include:
• New home bleachers were added in 1960
• The current press box was installed in 1988
• The track was resurfaced and expanded to 8 lanes in 2005
• Lights were added prior to the 2007 season
• FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2008 season

ESU IN THE NCAA PLAYOFFS
• ESU has played in the NCAA Division II Playoffs four times, most recently in 2009 when they fell to Edinboro, 31-16, in the first round
• The Warriors have also played in the postseason in 1991, 2004 and 2005, when they advanced to the national semifinals
• ESU has a 4-4 record in four postseason trips

PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
• ESU has won a share of nine PSAC titles under head coach Denny Douds, and 12 in school history
• The most recent championships came in 1991, 2002 and 2003, when the Warriors won the PSAC East championship
• Overall PSAC titles came in: 1942, 1954, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1982
• ESU has a 203-111-1 (.646) record in PSAC games for the 3rd-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field title was awarded in 1960

WARRIORS ON RADIO
• WVPO 840 AM is in its 51st season broadcasting ESU football and will once again carry all 11 games in 2013
• Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award winner,  is in his 25th season as the voice of the Warriors
• He is joined in the booth by Bob Brittain, who is in his 13th year providing the color commentary

WARRIORS ON TV
• Blue Ridge TV-13 will broadcast ESU football for the 27th year this season, with all 6 home games airing live across the region
• Play-by-play man Chris Doty (24th year) is joined by color commentator Jim Riley (6th year) and sideline reporter Ellen Currie (1st year)

ESU WARRIORS ALL ACCESS
• All 6 broadcasts this year will be available online through ESU Warriors "All Access" at www.esuwarriors.com
• The single-season package ($24.95) gives access for all football content, live and archived, through August 31, 2014
• The single-day package ($6.95) gives access for a 24-hour period

JAMES FRANKLIN UPDATE (Bio  l  Twitter)
• James Franklin '95, a two-year starter at QB and a Harlon Hill candidate in 1994, is in his 3rd season as head coach at Vanderbilt
• Franklin led the Commodores to a 9-4 record - their first 9-win season since 1915 - and a Music City Bowl win over NC State in 2012
• Vandy opened 2013 with a 39-35 loss to Ole Miss on Aug. 29
• next up: Sept. 7 vs. Austin Peay

WARRIORS IN THE PROS/DIVISION I
James Franklin is one of 9 former ESU players or graduate assistant coaches in the NFL or Division I college football:
• Pat Flaherty '78: NY Giants, offensive line coach, 2x Super Bowl champion
• Vic Fangio '80: SF 49ers, defensive coordinator
• Joe Marciano (GA): Houston Texans, special teams coordinator
• Joe Baker (GA): Dallas Cowboys, assistant secondary coach
• John Glenn '05: Seattle Seahawks, assistant special teams coach
• James Franklin '95: Vanderbilt, head coach (Packers, Chiefs in NFL)
• Brent Pry (GA): Vanderbilt, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
• Harry Hiestand '83: Notre Dame, offensive line - also Tennessee, Bears (NFL)
• Marshall Roberts M'03: Liberty, special teams coordinator/cornerbacks

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES
• ESU has produced 66 Capital One Academic All-District selections over the last 6 years, 2nd-most in the PSAC
• ESU led the PSAC with 15 selections in 2010-11 and 10 selections in
2007-08 and 2008-09
• ESU has 21 PSAC "Top 10" award winners over the last 5 years, also 2nd-most in the PSAC

The football program has had 5 Academic All-Americans:
2010, 2009 - Matt Freed, LB, 1st team
2004 - Matt Crispell, DB, 1st team
1992 - Ed Detwiler, P, 2nd team
1984 - Ernie Siegrist, TE, 1st team
1979 - Warren Brown, LB, 2nd team