Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG - Senior Drew Stem caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from senior Tim Roken to give East Stroudsburg University a 14-11 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the defense blanked the Panthers the rest of the way as the Warriors upset No. 25 Virginia Union in the first game on the newly-installed FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium in the 2008 season opener on Thursday night.
The win is the Warriors' first over a team ranked in the top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll since a 41-34 victory over No. 25 California in 2006, and marks the inaugural victory on the Eiler-Martin Stadium turf. ESU president Dr. Robert Dillman honored state senator Bob Mellow and the ESU Student Activities Association prior to the game for their contributions to making FieldTurf a reality at both the stadium and Whitenight Field.
Stem's touchdown was set up by a sack of Panthers' quarterback Cheston Hickman by redshirt freshman defensive end Cody Berry, who forced a fumble that was recovered by junior defensive end Matthew Faas at the 13-yard line. Roken threw incomplete on first down and then hit Stem over the middle, and the senior found his way into the end zone to give the Warriors the lead with 8:29 remaining. Junior Greg Knauss converted the extra point.
Michael Hampton returned the ensuing kickoff to the 49-yard line, but VUU starting quarterback Lamar Little returned and lost eight yards on the first play and threw two incomplete passes to bring up fourth down. Senior Jesse Reider forced punter Wayne Motley to pull the ball down and run, and ESU took over on downs at the VUU 41-yard line.
ESU failed to pick up fourth down conversions inside the 20-yard line on its next two possessions, but forced Virginia Union to go the length of the field. The final turnover on downs came with 1:35 left, and Little's final pass was broken up at the 25-yard line to end the game.
The Warriors led the defensive struggle 7-6 at halftime as the two teams traded first-quarter touchdowns. ESU struck first thanks to defense and special teams, as senior Nick Krut hammered a 49-yard punt following the second offensive possession, and a penalty on the return put the ball at the eight-yard line. VUU tailback Tarian Donaldson fumbled on the next play and senior linebacker Fred Rice recovered at the three-yard line. Senior tailback Joe Partridge found the end zone one play later to put ESU ahead 7-0 with 8:27 to go in the opening period.
Little led the Panthers 65 yards in six plays to put the tying touchdown on the board with a 13-yard run, but Gil Hernandez missed the extra point to keep the score 7-6, and the Warriors maintained the lead going into the break.
Virginia Union took its first lead with a 33-yard field goal by Hernandez to cap the opening drive of the second half, a 10-play, 61-yard march that made the score 9-7. The Panthers' advantage was extended to 11-7 when ESU was flagged for holding in the end zone, resulting in a safety, with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
ESU put together its first sustained drive of the game on its first possession of the fourth quarter, as Roken moved the offense 56 yards in 11 plays, keyed by passes to junior Sam Shuman for 27 yards and sophomore Ed Kiser for 18 yards.
Knauss missed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide right, but the tide turned on Virginia Union's 3rd-and-10 play from the 26, as Berry came off the right edge and sacked Hickman to force the turnover.
Linebackers Matt Freed (13 tackles), Fred Rice (11), David Pacchioni (8) and Steve Van Alstine (7) led the Warriors in tackles, and ESU limited Virginia Union to 104 yards of total offense in the second half and 259 for the game.
Roken was 12-for-28 for 122 yards and the touchdown to Stem, and Stem had six catches for 48 yards to lead the Warriors offense. Redshirt sophomore Jeff Giglio had two long kick returns in the first quarter, averaging 47.5 yards per return.
Little was 9-for-20 passing for 96 yards and Hickman threw for 43 yards after entering the game at the start of the third quarter. Donaldson (15 carries, 59 yards) and Chris Smith (10 carries, 46 yards) helped the Panthers run for 120 yards in the contest, but only 40 after halftime.
ESU will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 6 with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Gannon.
