GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University travels to Slippery Rock, the alma mater of head coach Denny Douds (class of 1963), looking to wrap up the eighth nine-win season in school history. The Warriors have won nine games in a season six times under Douds - 1975 (10-0), 1976 (9-0-1), 1978 (10-1), 1982 (9-2), 2004 (10-2) and 2005 (11-3). The Rock hasn't been kind to Douds or ESU, holding an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series.

THE SERIES: East Stroudsburg and Slippery Rock had met just three times in 56 years before Douds became the eighth head coach in school history in 1974. His first-ever game was against his alma mater, a 47-20 loss, but he gained a measure of redemption the following year with a 7-0 win at Slippery Rock - the Warriors' only win in the series to date - to kick off a 10-0 campaign that ended with a PSAC championship in 1975. Since then, Slippery Rock has won the last seven meetings, most recently a 31-24 victory last fall at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The win in 1975 was the sixth of Douds' career - in the last 33 years, he has added 211 wins to that total to become the winningest coach in PSAC football history.

LAST TIME OUT: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken, R-So. QB Matt Marshall and R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman threw touchdown passes as ESU rolled up 572 yards of total offense in a 45-18 win at Millersville last Saturday. The Warriors' 424 passing yards included the second-longest pass play in school history, a 96-yarder from Roken to R-So. WR Ed Kiser in the first quarter. Roken (150 yards, 2 TD) left due to injury midway through the second quarter and Marshall picked up where he left off, going 11-for-19 for 258 yards and 2 TD, both to R-So. WR Jeff Giglio (5 catches, 139 yards). All five ESU wide receivers were involved in scoring plays, with Shuman tossing a 16-yard TD pass to Sr. WR Drew Stem and R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden hauling in a 42-yarder from Roken. Sr. FB Jesse Reider ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries to power a rushing attack that gained nearly 150 yards for the third straight week.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: R-So. QB Matt Marshall became the second ESU quarterback to earn PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors, and the second straight Warrior to be recognized by the conference following an abbreviated week, for his performance at Millersville. Marshall's 258-yard day included two fourth quarter TD passes to R-So. WR Jeff Giglio, from 34 and 86 yards, and a 35-yard fumble return in the second quarter. Marshall threw two early interceptions, including a tipped screen pass that was picked off by DL Chad Miller, but ripped the ball away from Miller and set up ESU's third score of the first half with a long return. R-So. OLB Matt Freed, who is seventh in Division II with 11.3 tackles per game, had 10 tackles, a sack and forced fumble, and a 30-yard interception return for a TD in one half last week at C.W. Post.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 217-142-3 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.

Dr. George Mihalik (Slippery Rock '74) has guided the Rock football program for 21 years, compiling a career record of 141-84-4. Mihalik's teams have had a winning record in 15 of his first 20 seasons, garnered four PSAC West championships and made three appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. He entered the season ranked fifth in the PSAC and 12th in Division II with 136 career victories.

DOUDS MILESTONES: ESU head coach Denny Douds has reached a new milestone nearly every week during his 35th season on the sidelines for the Warriors. He came into the season with 209 career victories, three away from tying Millersville's Gene Carpenter's PSAC record of 212 career wins. He tied the record with a 49-28 win at Clarion on Sept. 13 and broke it in thrilling fashion with a 10-point fourth quarter comeback in a 44-41 (OT) win over Shippensburg on Sept. 20. Since then, Douds has coached his 200th career PSAC East game (Sept. 27 vs. Cheyney), won his 216th game to give him half of the 432 wins in program history (Oct. 25 at C.W. Post) and posted his 100th career road win (Nov. 1, 45-18 at Millersville).

A win over Slippery Rock today would be the 218th of his career - 212 more than his career total following the Warriors' only win over his alma mater, a 7-0 victory in the season opener on their way to an undefeated season and PSAC championship in 1975.

SENIOR DAY: The Warriors' 15 seniors will be playing their final regular season game in an ESU uniform today, with the outside shot at an NCAA Division II playoff bid still a possibility. 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 29-15 record and went 15-9 in PSAC East contests.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU held steady at No. 9 in the fifth 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 before dropping to No. 9 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.

NATIONAL LEADER: Sr. P Nick Krut leads Division II in punting with a 45.5-yard average and holds an edge of nearly two yards per punt over the rest of the country (Will Batson, North Alabama, 43.9). Krut has led the nation every week since his 57.5-yard average on four punts at Clarion in the third week of the season. He is attempting to become the second Warriors punter to be an NCAA statistical champion - Adam Hostetter set the school record with a 44.4-yard average in 2001.

Along with setting ESU's single-season record, Krut will also break the 30-year old school record for career average, currently held by Jim Villani (40.5-yard average, 1978-79). He enters this week's game with a 42.0-yard average on 115 punts, has 22 punts of 50+ yards and 36 inside the 20-yard line.

Krut was first team All-PSAC East last season, finishing second in the PSAC with a 40.7-yard average. His senior year 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 punt of at least 60 yards in six of the Warriors' 10 games this season
* 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
* an average of at least 40 yards per punt, and a punt of at least 48 yards, in every game this season

GOING THE DISTANCE (PART I): R-So. WR Ed Kiser hauled in a 96-yard touchdown pass from R-Sr. QB Tim Roken, the second-longest pass play in school history, in the first quarter at Millersville. There are six 90-yard pass plays in the ESU record book, all thrown and caught by different players, with the school record a 99-yarder from Bret Comp to Ken Kopetchny at Mansfield in 1990. None of the six were thrown by Jimmy Terwilliger, the NCAA Division II record holder with 14,350 career passing yards. Mike Terwilliger, Jimmy's father and an assistant coach for the last 31 years, threw a 94-yard pass to Tom Palubinski vs. Bloomsburg in 1976, which moves to third in school history.

GOING THE DISTANCE (PART II): R-So. WR Jeff Giglio hauled in an 86-yard touchdown pass from R-So. QB Matt Marshall in the fourth quarter at Millersville. Giglio and Kiser were track stars in high school - Giglio clocked school records in the 100 (10.6 seconds) and 200 (21.5) at Freedom HS, and Kiser was second in the state in the 400 (48.2) at Red Lion HS. Kiser has continued his success on the track at ESU, holding the school record in the indoor 400 (49.49) and running on three school record relay teams.

GOING THE DISTANCE (PART III): R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas (not a track star) 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.

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.

FREED SEVENTH IN THE NATION: R-So. OLB Matt Freed leads the PSAC and is seventh in Division II with 11.3 tackles per game this season. He has led ESU in tackles in nine of the first 10 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, and also earned PSAC East recognition at C.W. Post with 10 tackles, a sack and forced fumble, and a 30-yard interception return for a TD.

Freed is the third ESU player since 2000 to record at least 100 tackles in a season, surpassing the mark in the ninth game of the year. 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.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns (96 yards to Ed Kiser, 42 yards to Doug Ogden) last week at Millersville despite suffering a hand injury on ESU's first series which forced him to leave in the second quarter. Roken's availability is questionable for this week, but if he is unable to go, he has already left his mark on the long line of quarterbacks in school history.

Roken has thrown for 300 yards three times this season, including the second back-to-back 400-yard games in ESU history against Clarion (420 yds) and Shippensburg (414 yds). He is one of five quarterbacks in Division II with two 400-yard passing games this year.

In his 16 career starts, Roken has thrown for 3,933 yards and 32 touchdowns. His career average of 245.8 yards per game ranks third behind Jimmy Terwilliger (299.0) and Damian Poalucci (286.8) among quarterbacks that started at least two seasons at ESU (not counting Poalucci's 10 games as the holder as a freshman in 1994).

Despite leaving early in last week's game, Roken still ranks second in the PSAC in total offense (252.2 ypg) and fourth in passing (240.9), and his quarterback rating of 137.0 is sixth in a single season behind only Terwilliger's four seasons and Poalucci's 1996 campaign.

This season, Roken has:
* been named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week following the win at Clarion (6 TD - 5 pass)
* 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.

IN THE RED ZONE: The ESU offense has been nearly perfect in the red zone all season, converting on 38 of its 43 trips. In PSAC East games, the Warriors are 30-of-32, with 21 TDs and nine field goals by Jr. K Greg Knauss. Defensively, ESU is third overall (21-30) and second in conference games (13-21).

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: The Warriors lead the PSAC in third down offense (45.3 percent) a year after ranking 12th of 14 schools with a 27.3 percent rate. The Warriors have converted at least half of their chances four times this year. On the defensive side, half of ESU's 10 opponents have converted less than 20 percent of their third down chances.

THE MARSHALL PLAN: R-So. QB Matt Marshall was 1-for-8 with three interceptions after throwing a pick on the first pass of his first career start against Cheyney on Sept. 27. Since then he has been nearly perfect, playing the entire game against the Wolves and the final 2 1/2 quarters last week at Millersville. In his last 6 1/2 quarters, Marshall is 28-for-44 for 572 yards with five touchdowns, an average of 13.0 yards per attempt and 20.4 yards per completion.

Marshall was 17-for-26 for 314 yards and three TDs in his first career start vs. Cheyney, marking the first time in school history two different quarterbacks have thrown for more than 300 yards in consecutive weeks. Roken had 420 and 414 yards in the previous two games.

Four of his five TD passes have gone to R-So. WR Jeff Giglio and have covered 36 and 39 yards (vs. Cheyney) and 34 and 86 yards (at Millersville). Giglio has seven catches for 221 yards (31.6 avg.) with Marshall at quarterback this season.

20-PLUS CLUB: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden is averaging 20.8 yards per catch and leads the Warriors with 35 receptions for 729 yards this season. He has 12 catches for 278 yards and two TDs in the last two weeks, including eight catches for 194 yards (the most in the PSAC this season) and a TD at C.W. Post.

Ogden is in the exclusive company of nine other Warriors wide receivers who have averaged at least 20 yards per reception (min. 20 rec. / 500 yds.) since 1980. The school record of 30.3 yards per catch was set by Tim Bishop (18 rec., 546 yds.) in 1983.

BALANCING ACT: The Warriors' receiving corps has five players with at least 20 catches and compares favorably with the receivers on the 1996 and 2005 teams, which helped quarterbacks Damian Poalucci and Jimmy Terwilliger set NCAA Division II passing records. While no player will approach 50 receptions this season, all five wide receivers have at least 300 yards, and four are averaging at least 15 yards per catch.

PITCHING THE PIGSKIN: R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman, a former high school quarterback, threw his first career TD pass to Sr. WR Drew Stem (16 yards) last week and threw a 57-yard pass to R-So. WR Ed Kiser at Bloomsburg. Shuman led ESU with 31 catches for 545 yards through the first eight weeks but has taken a back seat to Ogden the last two games (2 catches, 7 yards). Shuman was the Warriors' leading receiver with 36 catches for 534 yards a year ago.

FIVE BY FIVE (PART I): 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.

FIVE BY FIVE (PART II): All five wide receivers were involved in at least one scoring play at Millersville:

Kiser, 96 yd pass from Roken; 1st, 7:26
Ogden, 42 yd pass from Roken; 1st, 7:04
Stem, 16 yd pass from Shuman; 2nd, 1:00
Giglio, 34 yd pass from Marshall; 4th, 7:47
Giglio, 86 yd pass from Marshall; 4th, 3:23

THE RUNNING GAME: The Warriors have run for 152.3 yards per game over the last three weeks (160 vs. Kutztown, 149 at C.W. Post, 148 at Millersville) after averaging 99.1 yards per game through the first seven games. Sr. FB Jesse Reider has run for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries over the last two weeks while replacing R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge, who left the C.W. Post game due to injury in the second quarter. He had 21 carries for 76 yards and two TD in relief of Partridge, and carried 22 times for 91 yards and a TD at Millersville.

Reider entered the game at C.W. Post with 25 carries in his career, including eight carries for 74 yards and two TDs while playing fullback and tailback earlier in the season vs. Cheyney. Reider was ESU's Redshirt Award winner last season and has been a key contributor on special teams throughout his career, making 23 tackles. He has started nine career games at fullback and one at tailback.

Partridge had eight carries for 35 yards and a TD before leaving vs. C.W. Post. The previous week, he had 27 carries for 97 yards vs. Kutztown, nearly topping the 100-yard mark for the third time in his career. Partridge went over 1,500 career yards and has 1,573 yards, 17 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 320 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. He has 1,573 net yards (1,596 yards gained, 23 yards lost) on 320 career carries for an average of 4.9 yards per play.

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.

HITTING 100: The Warriors' offense is known nationally for its prolific passing attack, but has also featured at least one 100-yard rushing game every season since 1990. That streak will end this season if a Warrior doesn't top the century mark at Slippery Rock. ESU backs have gone over 75 yards six times this season, with Partridge coming the closest with 97 yards vs. Kutztown, followed by a pair of 91-yard games, one each by Partridge and Reider.

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 29 career starts and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has 17 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) both started at tight end last week at Millersville, and Biever and R-So. FB Brent Jones started vs. Cheyney in front of Partridge and Reider. R-Jr. TE Willie Bell provides a pass catching element, with six receptions for 124 yards, including two catches for 63 yards on back-to-back plays at Millersville.

KNAUSS KNOTES: Jr. K Greg Knauss, a first team All-PSAC East and second team All-Northeast Region selection last season, has made 11 of his last 15 field goals. Knauss was 2-of-4 at C.W. Post, with his misses coming from 52 and 53 yards. He made a season-long 44-yard kick at the end of the first half the previous week vs. Kutztown. Knauss is 10-of-11 from inside 40 yards this season and 18-of-22 from that distance in his career. His 44-yard field goal at the end of the first half against Kutztown is his only 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.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sr. WR Drew Stem is ESU's career leader in kick return average at 26.3 yards per return and had a career day returning punts vs. Kutztown, with seven returns for 108 yards. Stem 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.

BACK IN BUSINESS: Three of the Warrior's four linebackers were returning starters, with R-So. OLB Matt Freed, the nation's seventh-leading tackler, stepping into a starting role for the first time this year. R-Sr. ILB Steve Van Alstine (30 starts), R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni (29 starts) and R-Sr. ILB Fred Rice (24 starts) give the Warriors a veteran linebacking corps that ranks among the best in the PSAC.

LOWERING THE BOOM: Fred "Boomer" Rice moved into ESU's school record book last week with 277 career tackles, sixth in program history. He can take over the fifth spot from former teammate Greg Thoman, who had 280 tackles from 2002-2005. Rice is fifth in the PSAC with 8.7 tackles per game (78 tackles) 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 24 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: Pacchioni and Van Alstine both have more than 50 tackles this season and were the Warriors' starting linebackers the last two seasons before Van Alstine moved inside this year. Van Alstine was ESU's leading returning tackler entering the season, with 53 stops in 2007, while Pacchioni is one of the most versatile defenders in the PSAC and had 47 tackles, 7.0 TFL and two interceptions last season. He has 3.5 sacks this season and sacked Bloomsburg quarterback Dan Latorre in the end zone for a safety three weeks ago.

THE NEXT GENERATION: A trio of freshmen linebackers (R-Fr. ILB Taylor Cave, Fr. ILB Mike Bergey and R-Fr. OLB Bryan Billger) saw significant action at C.W. Post with Rice out for the entire game and Freed missing the second half. Cave made his first career start and had five tackles, Bergey and four tackles, and Billger was in on three tackles for the Warriors defense. Cave saw significant playing time at Millersville and had his first career interception at the goal line to kill a Marauder drive. All three have played an integral role on special teams this season.

BREAK IT UP: So. CB David Castillo is third in the PSAC 1.3 pass breakups per game (two interceptions, 11 pass break-ups) this season. He broke up two passes in four straight games earlier this season and had an interception and knocked down a pass vs. Shippensburg. He has two of the Warriors' eight interceptions this season and scored on a 64-yard interception return vs. Gannon. Castillo has made 15 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 39 tackles and three pass breakups this season. R-Fr. CB Shawnte Carroll made his first career start at Kutztown and had two pass break-ups at C.W. Post.

Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger has started nine games at safety (36 tackles, interception, four pass breakups) this season and also has eight career starts at cornerback. Jr. FS Mike Gnall made his only start of the season at Bloomsburg after starting seven games as a sophomore.

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 10 games and has 32 tackles (7.0 TFL) and two sacks along with his four fumble recoveries. Case has made nine starts and has 29 tackles (5.0 TFL), four pass deflections and his first 2 sacks of the year in the last two weeks. Berry is tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks as a freshman, and is second on the team with 7.5 tackles for a loss (29 total tackles).

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 32 tackles, 4.5 TFL and a sack this season and is one of the top interior linemen in the PSAC. R-Sr. Jeff Shrive (Scranton/West Scranton) has made 19 straight starts and has 27 tackles (4.5 TFL) this year. R-Jr. Keith Galinsky (Carbondale/Lakeland) had six tackles in his first career start against Shippensburg and his first career sack last week at Millersville.

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 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.