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EAST STROUDSBURG - Jeff Kidd threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns and led three fourth-quarter scoring drives, leading LIU Post to a 41-40 win over East Stroudsburg University in the season opener for both schools on Thursday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

Redshirt senior quarterback Matt Soltes threw for 347 yards and gained 366 yards of total offense for ESU. Redshirt junior tailback Robert Healy ran for 90 yards, including a 75-yarder in the fourth quarter, and had seven catches for 121 yards. Redshirt senior wide receiver Jon Schnaars had six catches for 120 yards.

Malik Pierre ran for 117 yards and Mike Williams added 73 to lead LIU Post's rushing attack which gained 237 yards. The Pioneers had 629 yards total offense, including an 11-yard touchdown from wide receiver James Higgins to tight end Sean Binckes (7 catches, 76 yards) in the third quarter.

Kyle Ward had six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown and Shane Hubbard had six catches for 80 yards and a 37-yard TD for the game's final points with 3:47 remaining.

ESU drove to midfield before turning the ball over on downs with 1:30 remaining.

Freshman kicker Nicolas Ruiz made four field goals, an ESU freshman record, with three in the first half (25, 42 and 32 yards) and a 30-yarder in the third quarter.

ESU took a 26-22 lead late in the third quarter on a 13-yard TD run by freshman tailback James Bell, and surged to a 33-22 advantage on a one-yard TD run by redshirt senior tailback Gerald Van De Cruz (13 carries, 64 yards), his second of the game, with 12:31 remaining.

LIU Post cut ESU's lead to 33-28 on a 10-yard TD run by Pierre with just over eight minutes left. ESU answered on Healy's 75-yard TD with 7:26 remaining to stay in front, 40-28, but the Pioneers scored on a 54-yard TD pass to Ward and then Hubbard's game-winner.

ESU opened its 42nd season under head coach Denny Douds, who is in his 50th year on the Warriors coaching staff including eight seasons as an assistant from 1966-73. Douds has coached in 430 career games, most among active coaches and ninth-most in NCAA history, and has 250 wins, a PSAC record, third among active coaches and 20th in NCAA history.

Soltes, a two-time Harlon Hill candidate, surpassed Damian Poalucci for second in school history in career passing yards and became the eighth PSAC quarterback with 10,000 yards total offense. Healy had his third career game with 200 yards from scrimmage.


Game Notes
* Kickoff was pushed back 40 minutes to 7:45 p.m. due to a lightning delay in ESU's women's soccer team's 1-0 win vs. Lock Haven. The Warriors are the defending PSAC champions.

* Last fall (Sept. 6), ESU won 43-35 at LIU Post, rallying from a 12-point 4th-quarter deficit following a lightning delay of almost an hour 30 minutes.

* The 81 total points are the most in a one-point game in program history (798th game).
* Douds coached his 430th game as head coach, and 498th on ESU's coaching staff.
* ESU falls to 30-12 in season openers under Douds. The Warriors had won 7 straight and 14 of 16 openers since 1999.
* ESU had been 4-0 in home night season openers at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

* Soltes (347 passing yards) had his 15th career game with 300 yards passing in 27 starts.
* Soltes (366 total yards) had his 19th career game with 300 yards total offense - the most among active DII QB's.

* Soltes moved into 2nd at ESU and 13th in PSAC history in career passing yards:
14,350 - Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06)
8,991 - MATT SOLTES (2012-   )
8,644 - Damian Poalucci (1994-97)

* Soltes moved into 7th in PSAC history in career total offense (10,294).

* Healy had his 3rd career game with 200 yards from scrimmage (211) and his 3rd career 100-yard receiving game.
* Healy has 100 yards from scrimmage in 18 of 23 career games at ESU.
* Healy moved into 6th at ESU in career yards from scrimmage (2,922).
* He led all active PSAC players in career yards from scrimmage per game (123.2 ypg) entering the season.
* He has 22 career TD (14 rushing, 8 receiving) in 23 games.
* Healy moved into 7th at ESU in career rushing yards (2,036) and became the 8th Warrior with 2,000 career yards.
* Healy's 75-yard run was ESU's longest since 2003, when Anthony Carfagno had an 83-yard run vs. Clarion.

* Schnaars had his 8th career 100-yard receiving game.
* Schnaars entered the year with a TD in 7 consecutive games, which was the longest active streak in DII.
* Schnaars entered ESU's career top 10 in career receptions (131 - t-9th).
* He is 43 yards from becoming the 12th Warrior with 2,000 career yards (currently 1,957).

Most field goals in a game, ESU history
5 - Greg Knauss (2007 at West Chester)
4 - Nicolas Ruiz (2015 vs. LIU Post) [Freshman record]
4 - Taylor Groff (2012 vs. Kutztown)
4 - Matt Seagreaves (1994 at Lafayette)
4 - Ed Detwiler (1992 vs. California)

* ESU had 1 offensive player make his 1st career start - Fr. TB James Bell.
* ESU had 7 defensive players make their 1st career starts - R-So. DL Marc Ranaudo, R-Fr. DE David Caldwell, Jr., R-So. OLB Sekou Jones, R-So. MLB Mike Wiand, R-Jr. OLB Jerry Peralte, Sr. CB Jimmy Myers and R-Fr. S Christian Campbell.

* ESU had 7 true freshmen play - TB James Bell, WR Anthony Guarino, FB Dylan Smith, LB Mike Poulter, DE Joseph Odebode, DE Mike Zakrzewski and K Nicolas Ruiz.