GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University opens the 2008 season against Virginia Union in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and the Warriors' first match-up with a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) opponent. The Panthers, tied for No. 25 with Bloomsburg in the AFCA preseason poll, are the defending CIAA East Division champions and return 20 starters from last year's team that went 9-3, including a 58-51 loss to Tuskegee in the Pioneer Bowl. ESU is coming off a 3-6 season, its first losing mark since 1999, but brings back 13 starters (6 offense, 7 defense) and both kicking specialists from a year ago.

NEW SURFACE: Tonight's game features the debut of FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium, 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. The defending PSAC champion men's soccer team hosts Lincoln at 4 p.m. in the first half of tonight's unique doubleheader, while across campus, the field hockey team unveils the new FieldTurf at Whitenight Field in their season opener at 4:30 p.m.

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.

Community, public and university participants will be recognized in pre-game ceremonies for having made the FieldTurf possible. They include Senator Mellow and the Student Activities Association; ESU President, Dr. Robert J. Dillman; Director of Athletics, Dr. Tom Gioglio, Director of Alumni Engagement, John Ross; and Student Activities Association President, Mike Quick; along with Athletic Hall of Fame member Joe Heverin '63, who played an integral fundraising role for the project.

LETS GET IT STARTED: ESU is 23-11 in its previous 34 season openers under veteran head coach Denny Douds. The Warriors had won seven straight season openers dating to 1999 before dropping its last two openers, 9-7 to Bentley in 2006 and 26-3 at eventual NCAA Division II semifinalist California last year. ESU is 48-31-1 all-time in its first game of the season entering the 81st season of varsity football.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) is in his 35th season as head football coach at ESU, and his 43rd season at ESU overall. Douds 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 enters tonight's game with a career record of 209-140-3 and is three victories away from tying the PSAC record of 212 wins held by Gene Carpenter, who coached at Millersville from 1970-2000. Douds 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.

Greg Richardson (NC Central '74) is entering his second stint as a collegiate head coach after being promoted from defensive coordinator following the resignation of Arrington Jones last spring. Richardson had a 7-23 record at Livingstone (N.C.) from 1999-2001.

PSAC PRESEASON POLL: ESU was picked to finish third in the 2008 PSAC East Coaches Poll, which was released earlier this month. 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, defending champion California, 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.

ESU vs. THE TOP 25: The Warriors' last win over a program ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll was a 41-34 victory over No. 25 California on Sept. 23, 2006. Quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns to help ESU overcome a 31-21 halftime deficit, and wide receiver Evan Prall tied the school record with 14 catches and had 186 yards and a touchdown.

WARRIORS ON TV: ESU's first eight games, including all six home games, will be televised in 2008. Blue Ridge TV-13 is in its 21st year televising ESU football and will have live coverage of every game from Eiler-Martin Stadium. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines. Additionally, four games will be 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. The broadcast outlets in the Poconos are WQMY-53 (channel 16 on Blue Ridge Cable) and WSWB-38 (channel 11 on Blue Ridge).

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.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Often overlooked, ESU's special teams will be a strength in 2008 with three of the top players in school history at their respective positions - Jr. K Greg Knauss, Sr. P Nick Krut and Sr. KR/WR Drew Stem. Knauss and Krut added another chapter to ESU's lengthy history of All-PSAC kickers and punters last season. The Warriors have boasted the top specialists in the East in four of the past seven years - 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Knauss was 13-of-19 on field goal attempts, ranked third in Division II with 1.4 field goals per game, and set two school records as a sophomore. He made a 53-yard field goal on the final play of the first half against IUP, and drilled five field goals for all of the scoring in a 30-15 loss at West Chester. Knauss finished the season with a game-winning 40-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to give the Warriors a 24-23 victory at Kutztown.

Krut was second in the PSAC with a 40.7-yard average of 48 punts last year and helped ESU finish sixth in Division II with a 36.5 net punting average. The Warriors have been ranked in the top 10 in the nation in net punting in each of the last four seasons. A versatile punter and valuable weapon in the field position battle, Krut landed 15 punts inside the 20 and also launched nine punts of more than 50 yards.

Stem has put together two spectacular seasons as the kick returner, averaging better than 28 yards per return both years. His career kick return average of 29.6 yards is the best in school history, and his average of 30.9 yards on 14 returns last year ranks second in a single season. Stem also averaged 12.7 yards on seven punt returns last year. He had 21 catches in the first five games as a wide receiver before suffering a season-ending injury against Slippery Rock.

ON OFFENSE: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken put up solid numbers in his first season as a starter - 1,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions - and was third in the PSAC with 252.1 yards per game. He was also incredibly consistent, throwing for more than 230 yards in six of his seven starts. Roken also improved throughout his junior year, averaging 269 yards per game in his final four starts, with eight touchdowns and only three interceptions in 154 attempts. He had his best game in the season finale at Kutztown, going 25-for-43 for 312 yards, and led the Warriors to a 24-23 comeback victory.

Roken returns his top four receivers, including all-conference players R-Jr. Sam Shuman and Sr. Drew Stem, as his top targets in 2008. Shuman led ESU with 36 catches for 534 yards and scored four touchdowns, and already has 67 catches for 1,0006 yards and seven scores in his first two years. He was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection last fall and is majoring in Pharmacy.

Stem led the Warriors with 21 catches (196 yards, 2 TD) through the first five games when he went down with a season-ending injury. A valuable kick returner, Stem averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game last year, which would have ranked fourth in the PSAC. He had 268 all-purpose yards (60 receiving, 181 KR, 27 PR) in his breakout game against Millersville the week before the Slippery Rock game. R-Sr. Doug Ogden has been a consistent target throughout his first three seasons, with 78 career receptions for 983 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led the Warriors with five TD catches in 2007 (27 rec., 364 yards) and had 39 catches for 494 yards and 6 TD as a sophomore in 2006.

R-So. Jeff Giglio had a productive season as a redshirt freshman, with 17 catches for 288 yards (16.9 avg.) and two touchdowns. He made two starts and had seven catches for 112 yards in the season finale at Kutztown. Other receivers include R-So. Ed Kiser, who holds the school record in the indoor 400m (49.49 seconds) and is a member of three school record relay teams, R-So. Zach Krise, R-Fr. Adam Thomas and Fr. Michael Giglio (Jeff's twin brother), along with a host of incoming freshmen.

In the backfield, R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge enters his second season as a starter. Partridge was fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 rushing yards per game last year and ran for 698 yards and seven touchdowns, including a school-record 284 yards and four TD at Cheyney. He also caught 18 passes for 141 yards and averaged 104.9 all-purpose yards per game, 11th in the PSAC. The backups include R-Fr. Russell Johnson and Fr. Justin Lee.

Sr. Jesse Reider, last year's Redshirt Award recipient as voted on by the players, has seen significant action over the past two seasons and is the starting fullback. He is joined by R-So. Brent Jones, R-Fr. Bill Buis and R-Fr. Mike Perrotti. R-Jrs. Willie Bell and Matt Brown will share the duties at tight end.

The backup quarterback spot will be held down by R-So. Matt Marshall. R-Fr. Ray Wagner and R-So. Steve Malinchak, a transfer from Pittsburgh, are the other two quarterbacks on the roster.

IN THE FRONT ROW: While ESU returns all of its skill position talent from 2007, the offensive line was hit hard by graduation, losing LT Mike Habel (four-year starter, two-time first team All-PSAC East), LG Thomas Sugden (three-year starter) and C Michael Parshley (two-year starter).

The only returning starters are R-Jr. RT Matthew Keller and R-Jr. RG Morgan Thomas. Thomas has started all 20 games of his career at ESU, and Keller started seven games at RT last season. The other starting spots are projected to be filled by graduate student Ryan Ehrie, who played at Syracuse, at left tackle, Sr. Keith Weaver at left guard, R-Fr. Dan Caffrey at center. Sr. David Biever, a starter in 2006, returns to the Warriors after spending last year away from football. Three freshmen are also in the two-deep - R-Fr. Zachary Sarginger at left guard, Seve Rivers at center and Wrenton Wright II at right tackle.

ON DEFENSE: ESU returns seven starters, and several other players with starting experience, from last year's defense that was one of the better groups in the PSAC. The passing defense was particularly good, ranking second in the PSAC and 19th in the nation allowing just 162.7 yards per game, and ESU was sixth in the 13-team conference in scoring defense.

The defense will be led by Sr. DT Miguel Rivera (2nd team All-PSAC East, 2007), R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni (2nd team All-PSAC East, 2006) and R-Sr. LB Steve Van Alstine, the team's leading returning tackler with 53 stops.

Van Alstine, a two-year starter at outside linebacker, will move inside to fill one of the spots vacated by All-PSAC East players Jayson Frank and Dave Lotier. Pacchioni is one of the most versatile linebackers in the conference, ranking fourth on the team with 47 tackles, second with 7.0 TFL, and also had two interceptions. They will be joined by R-Sr. Fred Rice, who led the Warriors with 132 tackles as a sophomore in 2005 but has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons. He had 25 tackles at linebacker and on special teams a year ago.

The second outside linebacker spot will be filled by R-So. Matt Freed, who had 21 tackles last year, mostly on special teams, and also lined up at defensive end on passing situations. So. Mark Kalo was also a special teams contributor as a freshman, and So. Kevin Schafer started two games at safety as a freshman and will see time in the linebacking corps.

Jr. FS Mike Gnall and So. CB David Castillo are returning starters in the secondary. Gnall started seven games last season and had 40 tackles and an interception, and Castillo entered the starting lineup for the final five games of 2007. Sr. Lionel Mitchell, a two-year letterwinner who started 10 games at Alabama, will start at the other corner. The son of NFL running back Stump Mitchell, Lionel had five career interceptions for the Crimson Tide.

Jr. Nicholas Artinger, who is projected as the nickel back, and R-So. Rob Hartenfels also started games at corner last season. R-Fr. Shawnte Carroll also cracks the two-deep at corner.

The defensive line returns three starters and will be anchored by Rivera, a two-year starter and a second team All-PSAC East selection last season. R-Sr. DT Jeff Shrive (33 tackles) and R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas (24 tackles, 2.5 sacks) also started all nine games a year ago. R-So. Jeff Case had 2.0 sacks last season and is the starter at the other defensive end spot. The backups include R-Jr. DT Keith Galinsky and So. DE Alex Figueroa.

AIR/GROUND NUMBERS: ESU allowed more than 200 yards passing just three times during its nine-game schedule last season - against IUP, Slippery Rock and West Chester. In the other six games, the Warriors gave up just 126.2 yards per game through the air. However, the rushing defense surrendered more than 170 yards in the six of the final seven games after holding the first two opponents under 100 yards.