GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University hits the road for the first of three straight games away from Eiler-Martin Stadium to close the 2008 regular season. The Warrors travel to Long Island for their first-ever PSAC East game against C.W. Post, which joined the conference as an associate member for football and field hockey this year. The two squads are very familiar with each other, meeting eight times since 1978, including twice during the 2005 season. ESU won 66-49 at Hickox Field during the regular season and 55-28 in the Northeast Region championship game at Eiler-Martin Stadium which gave the Warriors their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

RADIO COVERAGE: 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 11:30 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT: R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge led a productive offense with 27 carries for 97 yards and the Warriors' defense limited Kutztown to a third-quarter field goal as ESU posted a 27-3 victory on Senior Day at Eiler-Martin Stadium. ESU led 13-0 at halftime on a 14-yard touchdown pass from R-Sr. QB Tim Roken to R-So. WR Jeff Giglio with 3:01 left in the first quarter, and two second-quarter field goals from Jr. K Greg Knauss. The Warriors had two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

THE SERIES: ESU is 6-2 in its eight meetings all-time against C.W. Post and has won four straight games in the series. Both 2005 match-ups were record-breaking for the Warriors, as quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger threw for 506 yards and set a PSAC record with nine touchdowns in the regular season game, and the postseason victory gave ESU 11 wins, a school record. A 28-13 ESU win at Eiler-Martin Stadium in 2004 was the first meeting since 1982. The Warriors won three of the first five games from 1978 through 1982.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 215-142-3 record in his 35th season as head football coach at ESU. Douds is in his 43rd season at ESU overall and 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. He 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 9 of the game notes.

Bryan Collins (St. John's '87) has an 86-31 record in his 11th season as head coach at C.W. Post. He entered the season ranked among the national leaders with a .763 career winning percentage. Collins was named the Northeast 10 Coach of the Year four times in 10 seasons and has made three NCAA playoff appearances.

DOUDS MILESTONES: A victory today would give ESU head coach Denny Douds 216 career wins, exactly half of the 432 wins in the 81-year history of the program. ESU enters today's game with an all-time record of 431-278-19 (.605). Earlier this season, the Warriors' head coach became the PSAC's career leader in victories when he won his 213th game, 44-41 (OT) vs. Shippensburg. The following week against Cheyney, he coached his 200th game against the PSAC East. Douds will also have an opportunity to win 100 road games during his career, entering today's game with a 98-82-3 record away from Eiler-Martin Stadium.

SPECIAL TEAMS: ESU entered the 2008 with a definitive advantage in every facet of special teams, with Jr. K Greg Knauss and Sr. P Nick Krut named first team All-PSAC East last season and Sr. WR Drew Stem coming into the year as the school record-holder for career kick return average. All three were on display in last week's win vs. Kutztown - Knauss was 2-for-2 on field goals, including a season-long 44-yarder; Krut landed two of his five punts inside the 20-yard line and had a career-long 73-yarder; and Stem returned seven punts for 108 yards, featuring a career-long 37-yard runback.

SENIOR DAY: Twelve of the Warriors' 15 seniors started last week's final home game, and all 15 saw significant action. Ten members of ESU's senior class were members on the 2005 Northeast Region championship team that finished with an 11-3 record and played in the Division II semifinals - OL David Biever, WR Doug Ogden, OLB David Pacchioni, TB Joe Partridge, FB Jesse Reider, LB Fred Rice, QB Tim Roken, DL Jeff Shrive, WR Drew Stem and LB Steve Van Alstine. Another five players - OL Ryan Ehrie, P Nick Krut, DB Lionel Mitchell, DL Miguel Rivera and OL Keith Weaver - have since joined the program. In the last three-plus seasons, ESU has a 27-15 record and is 13-9 in PSAC East contests.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU dropped one spot to No. 8 in the third set of rankings for Super Regional 1 (formerly the Northeast Region) which were released on Monday. The Warriors were No. 8 in the initial rankings and rose to No. 7 last week. Six schools will be selected for the NCAA Division II playoffs in each of the country's four regions. Earned access will be given to a school if it is among the top eight in the region and the only representative of its conference, with the regional rankings filling the remainder of the playoff field.

The Warriors are sixth in Division II in the ECAC/Lambert poll, falling two spots despite last week's win over Kutztown. Bloomsburg, California, Edinboro, American International and West Chester hold the top five spots. ESU received the Lambert Trophy in 2005 as the top team in the division in the ECAC.

NATIONAL LEADER: Sr. P Nick Krut leads Division II in punting with a 45.6-yard average, and ESU is second in the country in net punting at 39.1 yards per punt. Krut was first team All-PSAC East last season, finishing second in the conference with a 40.7-yard average. Krut is on pace to shatter Jim Villani's 30-year old school record of a 40.5-yard career average, entering this week's game with a 42.0-yard average on 110 punts. He has 20 punts of 50+ yards and 35 inside the 20-yard line.

His senior season season includes:
* the top single-game performance in Division II (min. 2 punts) with a 57.5-yd avg. at Clarion, including kicks of 59, 61 and 63 yards
* a career-long 73-yard punt that rolled into the end zone vs. Kutztown
* a 67-yard punt that was downed at the five-yard line vs. West Chester
* a 57-yard punt that was downed at the two-yard line and two others downed inside the 10-yard line at Bloomsburg

ESU has finished in the top 10 in net punting each of the last four years and led the nation in 2004.

FREED FIFTH IN THE NATION: R-So. OLB Matt Freed leads the PSAC and is tied for fifth in Division II with 11.9 tackles per game this season. He has led ESU in tackles in seven of the first eight games, including a career-high 16 tackles vs. West Chester. He was the d2football.com Defensive Player of the Week following his 15 tackle, two sack, two interception performance against Gannon.

Freed has 10 or more tackles in six games this season, just missing the mark last week vs. Kutztown when he had nine tackles, two for a loss, and a sack.

With five more tackles, Freed will become the third ESU player since 2000 to record at least 100 tackles in a season. Fred Rice (132) and John Vetter (119) both accomplished the feat during a 14-game season in 2005. Kevin Nagle, a four-time All-PSAC East first team selection and two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, surpassed the 100-tackle mark in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES: Besides Freed's pursuit of 100 tackles, several other Warriors are within reach of individual milestones this week:

QB Tim Roken - 2,000 season passing yds (1675 - 325 away), 13 2,000-yd seasons in ESU history
QB Tim Roken - 3,500 career passing yds (3440 - 60 away), 30 career TD (28 - 2 away)
WR Doug Ogden - 1,500 career receiving yds (1436 - 64 away); has 101 career catches
WR Sam Shuman - 100 career receptions (98 - 2 away); has 1,551 career yards and 9 TD
LB Fred Rice - 7th in career tackles (270 - 5 away from tying DL Phil Calamia, 1981-84)

HOME SWEET HOME: ESU played six of its first eight games on the newly-installed FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium and finished with a 5-1 record at home this season. The Warriors are 33-13 in regular season home games since the start of the 2000 season, and 36-14 when including a 3-1 mark in NCAA Division II playoff games.

HITTING THE ROAD: The Warriors' stretch of three straight road games to finish the regular season is nearly unprecedented, occuring only three other times in school history - 1926, 1929 and 1945. ESU has played three consecutive home games to end the regular season only twice, in 1927 and 1976.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: The Warriors were impressive on both offense (10-of-18) and defense (2-of-13) on third downs in their win over Kutztown last week. Both groups are in the top three in the conference - the offense is converting 45.1 percent of its chances, while the defense has held opponents to 30.3 percent. Kutztown was the fifth team in the first eight games to convert less than 20 percent of its third downs against the Warriors.

KNAUSS KNOTES: Jr. K Greg Knauss, a first team All-PSAC East and second team All-Northeast Region selection last season, has made eight of his last 10 field goals, including a season-long 44-yard kick at the end of the first half last week. He missed his first three field goals this season (37, 43 and 49 yards) but has been nearly automatic since then, missing only from 44 and 52 yards out. He is 7-of-8 from inside 40 yards this season and 15-of-19 from that distance in his career. His 44-yard field goal at the end of the first half last week was his first from beyond 40 yards this season after going 4-of-5 from 40-49 yards a year ago.

Knauss has two game-winning field goals for the Warriors, making a 29-yarder in overtime against Shippensburg this season and a 40-yarder with 18 seconds left for a 24-23 win at Kutztown in the season finale last year. He also set two school records in 2007, with a 53-yarder vs. IUP and five field goals in a 30-15 loss at West Chester. Knauss was third in Division II with 1.4 field goals per game and was 13-of-19 a year ago.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken is one of three quarterbacks in Division II with two 400-yard passing games this year, going 24-of-33 for 420 yards and 5 TDs at Clarion and 31-of-59 for 414 yards and 1 TD vs. Shippensburg.

Since the first half of the Shippensburg game, when he was 9-for-22 with four interceptions, Roken has thrown just three interceptions in his last 151 attempts. He is 63-of-151 for 869 yards, an average of 14 yards per completion, and four touchdowns in that stretch.

Roken is third in the PSAC in passing average (239.3 yards per game) and total offense (246.6 yards per game) entering this week's contest. He has thrown for 1,675 yards this season and should become the seventh quarterback in school history to have a 2,000-yard season.

This season, Roken has:
* been named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week following the win at Clarion (6 TD - 5 pass, 1 run)
* set ESU's single-game record for passing attempts with 59 vs. Shippensburg
* two games with 400 yards of total offense - 435 at Clarion; 424 vs. Shippensburg
* matched Jimmy Terwilliger with two career 400-yard passing games
* become the second ESU QB to have consecutive 400-yard passing games (Damian Poalucci, 1996)
* had the fourth-highest two-game passing yardage total in school history

ROKEN IN 2007: Threw for 1,765 yards with 15 TD and seven interceptions in seven starts ... ranked second in the PSAC in total offense (269.0 ypg) and third in passing (252.1 ypg) ... had at least 200 yards passing in six starts and closed the year with a season-high 312 yards in a comeback win at Kutztown.

THE RUNNING GAME: The Warriors ran for 160 yards, their second-highest output of the season, in last week's win over Kutztown. R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge had 27 carries for 97 yards, nearly topping the 100-yard mark for the third time in his career. Partridge went over 1,500 career yards and has 1,538 yards, 16 touchdowns and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry as a two-year starter. He also has games of 78 yards (vs. Cheyney), 83 yards (vs. Gannon) and 91 yards (at Bloomsburg) this season.

As a junior, Partridge ran for 698 yards and seven touchdowns, including a school-record 284 yards and four TDs at Cheyney. He was second team All-PSAC East and was fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 yards per game.

FALLING FORWARD: Partridge has 312 carries in his career at ESU and has been hit for a loss only a handful of times, suffering only 23 yards worth of losses in his four years with the Warriors. Partridge has 477 yards rushing and only 10 negative yards this season, ran for 698 yards with only 11 negative yards as a junior, and suffered two one-yard losses in his first two seasons.

CAREER-HIGH: R-Fr. TB Russell Johnson had the best game of his young career against Kutztown, carrying nine times for 51 yards and a touchdown. He started consecutive games against Clarion and Shippensburg and averaged just 2.7 yards per carry entering the game, but broke a career-long 26-yard run, caught a 17-yard pass and scored on a six-yard run against the Golden Bears.

REDSHIRT WINNER: Sr. FB Jesse Reider scored his fourth career touchdown and third this season with a one-yard run last week. ESU's Redshirt Award winner last season, Reider had eight carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Cheyney. He has started eight career games at fullback and has also been a key contributor on special teams, making 23 tackles over the past three seasons.

THROUGH THE AIR: ESU's passing attack, which led the PSAC with 302.0 yards per game through the first five games, has been limited to just 201.7 yards per game over the past three weeks. The Warriors still rank third in the conference in passing offense at 264.4 yards per game, and all five wide receivers have at least 19 catches and 269 yards receiving.

ESU's receiving corps is by far the deepest in the PSAC. Among the four other top passing offenses in the state, West Chester and Edinboro have three receivers who match those numbers across the board and California and IUP have just two.

FIVE BY FIVE: All five wide receivers caught at least five passes in ESU's comeback win over Shippensburg, led by R-Sr. Doug Ogden (8-163) and R-Jr. Sam Shuman (6-111). R-Sr. QB Tim Roken's 31 completions were fifth-most in school history in a single game.

LEADING MAN: Shuman has been ESU's top receiver the last two seasons, leading the Warriors with 31 catches for 545 yards this season. He had 36 catches for 534 yards a year ago. Shuman has two 100-yard games this year (141 at Clarion, 111 vs. Ship) and just missed a third with 96 yards vs. Cheyney. Shuman was second team All-PSAC East in 2007 and also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II honors while majoring in Pharmacy.

MR. CONSISTENCY: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden caught his 100th career pass two weeks ago and is closing in on the 1,500-yard mark in his career. He is also the Warriors' active leader with 16 career touchdown receptions. Ogden has been a consistent producer in his career as a three-year starter, posting at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 17 of 28 games since 2006.

ALL-PURPOSE GUY: Sr. WR Drew Stem had 130 all-purpose yards last week (seven punt returns for 108 yards, one kick return for 22 yards) and leads ESU with 104.0 all-purpose yards per game this year. He went over 100 all-purpose yards for the fourth time this season, along with 199 at Clarion, 146 vs. West Chester and 103 vs. Shippensburg. Stem is ESU's career leader in kick return average at 26.7 yards per return and averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game a year ago, including 268 yards vs. Millersville. He was a second team All-PSAC East selection at wide receiver last season.

THE PLAYMAKER: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio leads the Warriors' talented receiving corps with six touchdown catches and has 25 receptions for 361 yards. He has two multi-touchdown games, with five catches for 88 yards and two TDs vs. Gannon, and three catches for 87 yards and TDs of 36 and 39 yards vs. Cheyney. Giglio has also returned 11 kicks for a 21.8-yard average.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES: R-So. WR Ed Kiser has emerged as a consistent target in the ESU passing game, with 15 catches for 264 yards over the past five weeks. He had ESU's longest reception of the season at Bloomsburg, a 57-yard pass from R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman. Kiser and Giglio 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.

IN THE FRONT ROW: ESU started the same five players on the offensive line through the first six games before making its first change of the season at Bloomsburg when R-Jr. RG Morgan Thomas was held out due to injury. Thomas had started all 26 games of his career at ESU before missing the Bloomsburg game. Sr. David Biever, who started nine games at guard in 2006, started in place of Thomas. The Warriors used four different combinations last season.

Three Warriors have made their first career starts on the offensive line this season - Gr. LT Ryan Ehrie, Sr. LG Keith Weaver and R-Fr. C Dan Caffrey. On the right side, Thomas has 27 career starts and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has 14 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.

THE HEAVY PACKAGE: ESU has shown great offensive versatility this season, often sending out five wide receivers on one play and then replacing them with tight ends and fullbacks on the next. Sr. OL David Biever (72) and Jr. OL Dan Finnegan (68) have reported as tackle eligible players and Biever started at tight end against Cheyney, along with R-So. FB Brent Jones, in front of Partridge and Reider. R-Jr. TE Willie Bell provides a pass catching element, with the four receptions for 61 yards.

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU linebackers Matt Freed (R-So. OLB) and Fred Rice (R-Sr. ILB) rank first and sixth in the PSAC in tackles per game this season. They have both earned the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week award - Rice had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery against Virginia Union, and Freed had 15 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions against Gannon to garner PSAC and d2football.com national defensive player of the week.

LOWERING THE BOOM: Fred "Boomer" Rice has 71 tackles (8.9 per game) and hit double figures in tackles in the first four games this season - 11 vs. Virginia Union, 11 vs. Gannon, 12 at Clarion and 10 vs. Shippensburg. Rice has made 23 career starts for the Warriors but hadn't started since the first three games of the 2006 season before missing the rest of the year due to injury. He played behind PSAC East selections Jayson Frank and Dave Lotier last season. Rice started 12 games and led the Warriors with 132 tackles during his sophomore season in 2005.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: R-Sr. ILB Steve Van Alstine and R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni have combined to make 55 starts at linebacker in their careers at ESU - every game since the start of the 2006 season, with the exception of the Shippensburg game this year when Pacchioni was out of the lineup as the Warriors went to a 5-3 front. Van Alstine started the last two years at outside linebacker and was ESU's leading returning tackler entering this year, with 53 stops in 2007. Pacchioni is one of the most versatile defenders in the PSAC and had 47 tackles, 7.0 TFL and two interceptions last season. He leads the Warriors with 3.5 sacks this season and sacked Bloomsburg quarterback Dan Latorre in the end zone for a safety two weeks ago.

BREAK IT UP: So. CB David Castillo leads the PSAC and is tied for 9th in Division II with 1.6 pass breakups per game (two interceptions, 11 pass break-ups) this season. He has broken up two passes in each of the last four games and had an interception and knocked down a pass the previous week vs. Shippensburg. He has two of the Warriors' six interceptions this season and scored on a 64-yard interception return vs. Gannon. Castillo has made 13 straight starts since moving into the lineup midway through his freshman season.

THE SECONDARY: The ESU secondary returned four players with starting experience and added 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 30 tackles and three pass breakups this season.

Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger has started seven games at safety (26 tackles, interception, three pass breakups) this season and also has eight career starts at cornerback. Jr. FS Mike Gnall made his first start of the season two weeks ago at Bloomsburg before being held out last week. Gnall made seven starts at safety as a sophomore.

GOING THE DISTANCE: R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas returned a fumbled snap on a field goal 75 yards for a touchdown vs. West Chester. The score was the first defensive fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Warriors since Phil DeCecco had a 43-yard return against Cheyney in 2002, a span of 66 games.

THE JERSEY BOYS: ESU has rotated three players at defensive end, all natives of the Garden State - R-Fr. Cody Berry (Woolwich Township, N.J./Kingsway), R-So. Jeff Case (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren) and R-Jr. Matthew Faas (Sea Girt, N.J./Wall). Faas has started all eight games and has 29 tackles (7.0 TFL), two sacks and three fumble recoveries, including his 75-yard TD vs. West Chester. Case has made seven starts and has 21 tackles, 3.0 TFL and four pass deflections this season. Berry made the biggest single play of the season to date for the Warriors, with a sack and forced fumble (recovered by Faas) deep in Virginia Union territory midway through the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown in the season opener.

THE PENNSYLVANIA BOYS: At defensive tackle, Sr. Miguel Rivera (Bethlehem/Freedom) is a three-year starter and was second team All-PSAC East last season. Rivera has been dominant over the past four weeks, with 17 tackles, 3.5 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble in that stretch. He had four tackles and a sack at Bloomsburg, seven tackles vs. West Chester and five tackles and 2.5 TFL against Cheyney. He also made the key defensive play in overtime vs. Shippensburg, with a five-yard TFL on 2nd-and-6. R-Sr. Jeff Shrive (Scranton/West Scranton) has made 17 straight starts and has 22 tackles (4.5 TFL) this year. R-Jr. Keith Galinsky (Carbondale/Lakeland) had six tackles in his first career start against Shippensburg.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Three members of this years team have fathers who earned letters for the Warriors under Coach Douds. They join at least four other father-son combinations who have been affiliated with ESU football since Douds arrived in 1966.

Fr. OLB Sam Hull - father Chris was a four-year letterwinner at DE from 1984-87
R-So. QB Matt Marshall - father Brian was the Warriors' leading passer in 1981
Sr. WR Drew Stem - father Willard was an All-American safety in 1975 and inducted into the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame last year

* Michael Falcone lettered at linebacker in 1973, his son Bryan earned three letters at linebacker from 2000-02
* Steven Jackson was a three-year letterwinner at center from 1969-71, his son Greg lettered at tight end in 1998 and 1999
* Doug McNamee (DB/WR) was a co-captain on the 1966 team, his son Todd was a four-year letterwinner as a kicker and punter from 1985-88
* Mike Terwilliger was the starting quarterback for Douds' first four years as head coach and has been an assistant coach since 1978, his son Jimmy was a four-year starter at QB and won the Harlon Hill Award as the top player in Division II in 2005

DIGGING THROUGH THE RECORD BOOK: ESU has produced a long line of record breaking quarterbacks, including Damian Poalucci, who set an NCAA Division II record with 3,831 passing yards in 1996, and Jimmy Terwilliger, who set 15 Division II records and tied the all-division record with 148 touchdown passes in his career from 2003-06.

It wouldn't appear that there are many passing records within reach, but R-Sr. Tim Roken and R-So. Matt Marshall both reached milestones this season. Roken tied Poalucci's mark with two straight 400-yard passing games against Clarion (420 yards) and Shippensburg (414 yards), and Marshall helped set another record in his first career start vs. Cheyney. He threw for 314 yards, marking the first time in school history two quarterbacks have thrown for at least 300 yards in consecutive weeks.

STARTING STRONG: The Warriors started the season with a 5-0 record, the fourth time they have won their first five games under head coach Denny Douds. ESU was also 5-0 in 1975, 1976 and 2004. The 1975 and 1976 teams won 19 straight games and had a combined 19-0-1 record, and the 2004 squad won the first seven contests on its way to a 10-2 record. The Warriors have won the first five games of the season 12 times in 81 years of varsity football.

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.

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.

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME: ESU broke a four-game losing streak in overtime games with its 44-41 win vs. Shippensburg on Sept. 20. The Warriors have played three overtime games with Shippensburg, all at home, since playing the Raiders in the first overtime game in school history, a 34-33 loss in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1991. ESU is 3-6 all-time in overtime contests.

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, were televised in 2008. Blue Ridge TV-13 was in its 21st year televising ESU football and had live coverage of every game from Eiler-Martin Stadium. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty was joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines. Additionally, four games were 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.

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.