Complete Game Notes (PDF)  l  PSAC Week 8 Notes

Related:
ESU Athletic Hall of Fame induction information (Saturday)
* including 1975 and 1976 football teams, Don Coyer '73 and Dan Murray '96

ESU Homecoming Weekend information


SATURDAY  l  3:05 p.m.  l  EILER-MARTIN STADIUM

Follow: Blue Ridge TV-13  l  ESU Warriors "All Access"  l  redzonemedia.com  l  Live Stats  l  Twitter

TV: Live on Blue Ridge TV-13 and esuwarriors.com. Play-by-play man Chris Doty, in his 25th season, is joined in the booth by Jim Riley (7th season).

Radio: Live on WVPO (ESPN Poconos) 840 AM for the 52nd season, and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 26th season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 14th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 2:30 p.m.


1st & 10 ...  Complete Game Notes (PDF)

1 • ESU (6-1, 5-1) hosts Kutztown (3-4, 3-3) on Homecoming Weekend at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The Warriors are in the midst of a 5-game winning streak, their longest single-season streak since opening the 2008 season with a 5-0 record.

2 • ESU head coach Denny Douds earned his 250th career win in last week's 35-13 victory at Millersville. Douds is the 20th coach in NCAA history, and 3rd in DII history, to win 250 career games. He also ranks 3rd among active NCAA coaches in career wins.
2a • Douds tied Bear Bryant for 9th on the NCAA all-division list for games coached last week (425).

3 • Douds is 25-15 in Homecoming games since he was named head coach in 1974. ESU has won 2 straight Homecoming games after losing 5 straight from 2007-11. Douds is 3-1 against Kutztown on Homecoming - leading the Warriors to victories in 1978 (20-7), 1990 (38-16) and 2005 (42-14) and falling in 2010 (38-31).

4 • ESU is in the midst of its 12th single-season winning streak of 5+ games under Douds, and the 5th streak of 5+ wins since 2004.

5 • ESU inducts its 1975 and 1976 PSAC championship teams into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday. The Warriors had a two-year record of 19-0-1, going 10-0 in 1975 and 9-0-1 in 1976. Also slated for induction are Don Coyer '73, 2-time All-PSAC East defensive end, and Dan Murray '96, 3-time All-PSAC East linebacker and 1988 NFL Draft pick by Buffalo.

6 • R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes leads the PSAC and ranks 3rd in Division II in passing (358.9 ypg) and total offense (402.0 ypg). He is also 1st with 31 total TD (29 passing, 2 rushing) and t-1st in TD passes (29). Among active DII players, he is 1st in career total offense per game (346.0), 2nd in career passing per game (299.2) and 2nd in TD passes (84).

7 • Soltes was 24-for-39 for 354 yards and 5 TD, and ran for 35 yards for 389 yards total offense last week at Millersville. In 25 career starts, Soltes has
300+ passing yards in 14 games and 300+ total yards in 18 games. He already ranks in the top 10 in PSAC history in career total offense and pass TD.

8 • R-So. TB Robert Healy is the only player in college football with 400 yards both rushing (618) and receiving (496). He has 12 straight games with 100 yards from scrimmage, a school record. He ranks 11th in DII in yards from scrimmage (159.1 ypg) and has 11 TD (6 rushing, 5 receiving).

9 • Healy had 232 yards from scrimmage (117 rushing, 115 receiving) last week. He is the 2nd Warrior with 100+ rushing/receiving yards under Douds, joining Joe Pawloski at Bloomsburg (117 rushing, 119 receiving) in 1996.

10 • R-Sr. DL Bryan Thomson and R-Sr. DE Brandon Gattelli are having standout seasons. Thomson is tied for the NCAA all-division lead with 6 blocked kicks and has 4.5 sacks, and Gattelli leads the PSAC with 8.5 sacks. Gattelli (22.5) and Thomson (19.5) are the only teammates in DII's active career top 10 in career sacks.


For more ... Complete Game Notes (PDF)

THE SERIES: ESU and Kutztown have met 62 times, with the Warriors holding a 44-17-1 advantage. ESU's 43-26 win at Kutztown in 2013 ended a 3-game losing streak in the series, in which both schools scored 30+ points in each game. ESU previously won 9 straight from 2001-09. Kutztown's 3-game winning streak was tied for its longest in series history. ESU head coach Denny Douds is 26-14 in his first 40 contests against the Golden Bears, playing every year since 1974.

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM 35-13 WIN at MILLERSVILLE
1. R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes threw 5 TD passes for the 2nd straight week, and 4+ TD passes for the 6th time in 7 games. He is tied for the DII lead with 29 TD passes and leads DII QB's with 31 TD responsible for (29 passing, 2 rushing).
2. R-Jr. WR Jon Schnaars (8 catches, 108 yards, 3 TD) has 7 TD in the last 3 games ... he is the first ESU player with 2+ TD catches in 3 straight games since Evan Prall in the 2005 NCAA Playoffs ... Mike Mancuso had 2+ TD in 4 straight games in the final 4 games of the 1996 season.
3. R-Sr. TE Steven Jones had his 20th career TD catch, t-7th in school history. He has 80 career catches for 1,354 yards.
4. R-Sr. DL Bryan Thomson had 2 blocked kicks in a game for the 2nd time this season ... his 6 blocks this year are tied for the school record (he also had 6 in 2012, and Joe Menton had 6 in 1995) ... he holds the school record with 16 career blocked kicks ... ESU opponents are 0-for-4 on FG this year (Thomson has 3 blocks) ... since the start of 2012, ESU opponents are 10-for-23 on FG (Thomson has 6 blocks).
5. ESU's defense held Millersville to 101 yards and 5 first downs in the 2nd half on Saturday (missed FG, punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt). In all, the Marauders gained just 130 yards on their last 7 possessions.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR vs. KUTZTOWN
1. Kutztown is one of 3 PSAC teams to rank in the top 6 in scoring offense (6th - 35.1 ppg) and defense (5th - 21.1 ppg)
    ESU ranks 2nd in scoring offense (40.4 ppg) and 11th in scoring defense (30.4 ppg)
2. ESU has the PSAC's No. 1-ranked pass offense (365.1 ypg - 5th in DII) and No. 2 pass efficiency offense (165.0)
    Kutztown's pass defense ranks 3rd in the PSAC in fewest yards allowed (185.9) and 2nd in pass efficiency (105.5)
    Kutztown has allowed just 8 pass TD and has 9 Int. in 7 games ... ESU has 29 TD passes and 9 Int.
3. Kutztown ranks 2nd in the PSAC and 4th in DII in turnover margin (+1.9), and t-2nd in the PSAC with 19 takeaways
    Kutztown has allowed just 10 TD in 24 red zone opportunities
    Kutztown has scored on 24 of its 27 red zone opportunities (3rd in DII), including 17 TD
4. ESU has thrown for 300+ yards in its last 5 meetings with Kutztown, including 305 yards (+ 205 rushing) last year
5. The QB's
ESU's Matt Soltes - 167.5 pass efficiency, 29 pass TD, 9 Int, 15.7 yds per completion, 9.3 yds per attempt, 302 rush yds
KU's Chad Barton - 135.7 pass efficiency, 19 pass TD, 3 Int, 11.0 yds per completion, 6.5 yds per attempt, 16 rush yds

DOUDS' MILESTONES: Last year, Douds became 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 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).

Entering this week: has coached more games (425) than any active coach in NCAA football ... ranks 1st in DII history in games coached (set in 2011), and t-9th in NCAA history ... 3rd in career wins (250) among active NCAA coaches ... 1st in the PSAC in career wins (set in 2008), 3rd in DII history and 20th in NCAA history ... 51 career wins since turning 65 - more than 10 of the other 15 PSAC coaches have in their careers.

DOUDS DWARFS PSAC EAST: Douds' 244 career wins entering 2014 were almost double the PSAC win total (130) of the other 7 coaches in the PSAC East - WCU's Bill Zwaan (90), Ship's Mark Maciejewski (25), Bloom's Paul Darragh (10), LHU's John Allen (4), Mill's Greg Breitbach (1) and Cheyney's Anthony Johnson and KU's Jim Clements (0) ... Douds coached 40 seasons in the PSAC entering 2014 (other 7 - combined 19).

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) has a career record of 250-172-3 (.592) in his 41st season. He is in his 49th season at ESU overall, including 8 years as an assistant coach from 1966-73. 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.

Jim Clements (Widener '96) is 3-4 in his 1st season at Kutztown, and has a career record of 69-28 in his 9th collegiate season, including a mark of 66-24 in 8 years at Delaware Valley (2006-13). He led the Aggies to 4 straight Middle Atlantic Conference championships (2008-11) and 3 NCAA 2nd round appearances (2009-11). He was a 3-time MAC Coach of the Year and posted an 11-1 record in 2011, including an undefeated regular season. Clements was previously assistant head coach/defensive coordinator for 2 years following a 6-year stint his alma mater, Widener.

PSAC CHANGES: PSAC crossover games vs. Slippery Rock (Sept. 13) and Edinboro (Sept. 20) counted towards the PSAC's divisional standings for the first time in 2014, creating a 9-game PSAC schedule. The final crossover game (Nov. 15 vs. Gannon) will not count. The State Game, in its 7th year after returning in 2008, will be played that weekend.

TRENDING UP: ESU notched a 7-4 record in 2013, building on a 5-5 campaign in 2012 after consecutive 3-8 seasons in 2010 and 2011. Since 2000, the Warriors are 101-60 (.627) with a .500+ record in 11 of 14 seasons.

DOUDS' FOES: Douds faces Kutztown's Jim Clements for the 1st time ... he has coached against 105 different head coaches in his career at ESU and is 70-35 against first-time foes ... he faced Cheyney's Anthony Johnson (W 49-21) on Oct. 11 and will also face Brad Rzyczycki (Gannon) for the first time later this fall ... Douds faced Millersville's Gene Carpenter 27 times, and faced Danny Hale 26 times between his career at WCU and Bloom ... Among active coaches, his most frequent opponents are WCU's Bill Zwaan (12), SRU's George Mihalik (9) and LIU Post's Bryan Collins (9).

PROGRAM WINS: ESU has a 466-308-19 (.600) record in its 87th year of varsity football. West Chester (566), IUP (526) and Slippery Rock (469) are the only other PSAC programs with at least 450 wins.

As head coach, Douds is responsible for 53.6 percent of the program's games (425 of 793), and 53.6 percent of its wins (250 of 466). Including 68 games and 45 wins as an assistant coach under Charlie Reese from 1966-73, he has coached in 493 of the 793 games (62.2 percent) and 295 of the 466 wins (63.3 percent) in program history. There have been at least 4 head coaches at every other PSAC school since Douds was named head coach in 1974.

RETURNING ALL-PSAC EAST: ESU has 7 players who have earned All-PSAC East status in their careers:
QB - R-Jr. Matt Soltes (2013 2nd team, 2012 Freshman of the Year)
TB - R-So. Robert Healy (2013 2nd team, 2013 Freshman of the Year)
WR - Sr. Dusty Reed (2011 and 2012 1st team)
TE - R-Sr. Steven Jones (2013 1st team)
DL - R-Sr. Bryan Thomson (2012 and 2013 1st team, 2012 Defensive Player of the Year)
LB - Sr. Cody Simcox (2013 2nd team)
P - Sr. Jordan Bair (2013 2nd team)

THE OFFENSE

PSAC and NCAA DII rankings:
Scoring - 40.4 ppg (2nd in PSAC, 17th in DII)
Total Offense - 527.1 ypg (1st in PSAC, 5th in DII)
Passing Offense - 365.1 ypg (1st in PSAC, 5th in DII)

1ST AND 10: ESU is averaging 26.3 1st downs per game - ahead of its school-record clip of 25.6 in 2013.
On 1st down plays this year ...
R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes: 171.6 pass efficiency rating (74-for-122; 1,156 yds; 14 TD, 4 Int.)
R-So. TB Robert Healy: 7.3 yds per touch (88 plays, 641 yds) ... 6.9 avg rushing (68-469) ... 8.6 avg receiving (20-172)

R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes
1. Only returning Harlon Hill candidate in Super Region 1 - 3rd in DII in total offense (402.0), 3rd in passing (358.9)
2. 1st in DII in total TD (31 - 29 passing, 2 rushing) and t-1st in passing TD (29)
3. Only DII QB ranked in top 10 in pass efficiency (7th - 167.5) and passing yards (3rd - 358.9)
4. Among top 10 passing QB's in DII - ranks 1st with 302 rushing yards
5. 1st among active DII QB's in career total offense/game (346.0) - 9,688 yards in 28 games (25 starts)
6. Ranks 2nd in ESU history in career total offense and 9th in PSAC history
7. Has the top 8 total offense performances among active PSAC QB's (all 450+ yards)
8. PSAC-record 5 games with 500+ yards total offense - t-1st in DII since 2001 (Bo Cordell, Tusculum, 2009-13)

R-So. TB Robert Healy
1. Only player in NCAA with 400+ yards rushing (618), receiving (496)
2. 3rd in PSAC, 11th in DII in yards from scrimmage (159.1 ypg)
3. 117 rushing yards, 115 receiving yards at Millersville - 2nd ESU player with 100/100 under Douds (425 games)
4. 39 plays of 10+ yards on 142 touches (21 rush, 18 rec)
5. 11 TD (6 rush, 5 rec) on 142 touches - 7 TD on 189 touches as a freshman
6. 100+ yards from scrimmage in 16 of 18 career games at ESU (12 straight - school record)
7. 2013 PSAC East Freshman of the Year (ESU FR record 1,129 rushing yards, 1,333 yards from scrimmage)

R-Jr. WR Jon Schnaars
1. Leads PSAC with 10 receiving TD (7 TD in last 3 games)
2. Leads ESU with 40 catches and 529 yards
3. 14 catches (tied school record), 152 yards (career-high), 2 TD in 37-33 win at Shippensburg in week 5

SOLTES THROUGH 25 STARTS: R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes has made 25 career starts for the Warriors - including 7 as a redshirt freshman in 2012, and all 11 games in 2013.

In his 25 career starts, Soltes is averaging 373.8 yards of total offense, with 8,093 passing yards and 1,253 rushing yards. He is 528-for-869 passing with 83 TD and 22 Int., and has carried 250 times and scored 6 rushing TD.

SOLTES AMONG DII'S BEST: Soltes' career rankings among active DII quarterbacks:
Total Offense - 3rd (9,688 yards) - 1st among DII juniors
Passing Yards - 5th (8,378 yards) - 1st among DII juniors
Passing TD - 2nd (84 TD) - 1st among DII juniors
Pass Efficiency - 1st (164.3)
Total Offense/Game - 1st (346.0 ypg)
Passing Yards/Game - 2nd (299.2 ypg)
Total Offense/Play - 1st (8.4)

8,000 PASSING, 1,000 RUSHING: Soltes is the only active DII QB to throw for 8,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards:
• 8,378 pass yds; 1,310 rush yds