GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University looks for its fourth 5-0 start in 35 seasons under head coach Denny Douds as the Warriors host Cheyney at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Douds set the PSAC record with his 213th career victory in thrilling fashion last week against Shippensburg, as ESU overcame a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes in a 44-41 overtime win.

The milestones continue to pile up for Douds, who will coach his 200th game against a PSAC East opponent on Saturday. The Warriors are 127-71-1 (64 percent) in conference action under Douds and have won a share of nine PSAC East championships.

Television/Radio Coverage

Television: Live on Blue Ridge TV-13. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined in the booth by Jim Riley, along with Drenen Tucker on the sidelines.

Radio: 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 5:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken threw for 414 yards and engineered a game-tying 87-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes to force overtime, and Jr. K Greg Knauss made a 29-yard field goal to give ESU a 44-41 win over Shippensburg and head coach Denny Douds the PSAC record for career wins. The Warriors pulled within a touchdown three times in a back-and-forth second half before scoring the final 13 points of the game to win their PSAC East opener.

THE SERIES: ESU won last year's meeting 42-6 for its 28th straight win over Cheyney, which set the NCAA Division II record for consecutive wins over one opponent in an uninterruped series. The Warriors own the all-time series 51-1, with Cheyney's 7-3 win during its 1979 PSAC East championship season the only blemish. ESU has scored at least 35 points every year since putting up a series-record 78 points in 1996, and has averaged 49.8 points per game during that span.

WINNING STREAKS, ONE OPPONENT, UNINTERRUPTED SERIES
All-Time Record: Yale vs. Wesleyan (Conn.), 46 - 1875-1913
Active Record (All Divisions): Grambling vs. Prarie View, 31 - 1977-current; 2007 - 17-14
Active Record (Division I-A/FBS): Tennessee vs. Kentucky, 23 (1985-current); 2007 - 52-50 (4 OT)
Notre Dame vs. Navy (ended 43-game streak in 2007) - Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 (3 OT)

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) has a 213-140-3 record 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 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 7 of the game notes.

Jeff Braxton (Salisbury State) is in his first season as head coach at Cheyney. He came to the PSAC from Delaware State, and has also coached at Bowie State, Hofstra, Towson, Fordham, Wesley, Morehouse and Tennessee State.

STARTING STRONG: ESU has started 4-0 five times under head coach Denny Douds - 1975, 1976, 2004, 2005 and 2008. The Warriors have been 5-0 three times - 1975, 1976 and 2004 - under Douds, and 11 times in school history, including the school's first year of varsity football in 1926.

DOUDS' LONGEVITY: There have been more than 70 head football coaches at the other 13 PSAC institutions, and at least four at every school, since Denny Douds took over as ESU's eighth head football coach in 1974. Since then, he has coached 17 AP Little All-Americans, five AFCA All-Americans and five finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, including quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger, who won the award in 2005.

In his 34 years as head coach, Douds has mentored 168 first team All-PSAC selections and 714 letterwinners. An additional 151 players earned letters in his eight years as an assistant coach from 1966-73. Including the numerous Warriors who were members of the team but didn't earn a letter, more than 1,000 players have contributed to the ESU football program during Douds' 43 years in the Poconos.

Along with the PSAC career wins record, Douds is within reach of another milestone for success and longevity - with three more victories (giving him 216 for his career), Douds will be the head coach for exactly half of ESU's 432 wins in the program's storied 81-year history.

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME: ESU has 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. The Warriors are 3-6 all-time in overtime games and broke a four-game losing streak with their 44-41 win over Shippensburg last Saturday.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken has thrown for 400 yards in each of the last two weeks, going 24-of-33 for 420 yards and 5 TDs at Clarion and 31-of-59 for 414 yards and 1 TD vs. Shippensburg.

Roken leads the PSAC in passing yards (281.8) and total offense (291.8) per game and has accounted for 10 touchdowns (9 pass, 1 run) for an offense that is tied for fourth with 32.5 points per game.

In the last two weeks, 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
* completed the fifth-most passes in a game in school history with 31 vs. Shippensburg
* rolled up 859 yards of total offense (429.5 per game) - 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)
five 400-yard games - came in games 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 in a 10-game season

* had the fourth-highest two-game passing yardage total in school history
1,110 - Damian Poalucci, 1996 - vs. Cheyney (494) and Mansfield (616)
999 - Damian Poalucci, 1996 - vs. New Haven (527) and Southern Conn. (472)
863 - Jimmy Terwilliger, 2005 - vs. Edinboro (317) and C.W. Post (546)
834 - Tim Roken, 2008 - vs. Clarion (420) and Shippensburg (414)

Three-game passing yardage, school history
1,337 - Damian Poalucci, 1996
1,188 - Jimmy Terwilliger, 2005
1,178 - Damian Poalucci, 1996
(Roken needs 344 yds to tie)

2008 Division II single-game highs
Passing Yards - 420, 7th . . 414, 9th
Completions - 31, t-14th
Attempts - 59, t-5th

2008 Division II national rankings
Passing Yards per game - 281.8, 15th
Total Offense per game - 291.8, 17th

A TALE OF TWO HALVES: Roken's remarkable second half against Shippensburg, in which he was 22-of-37 for 321 yards and a touchdown, came against the backdrop of a difficult first 30 minutes (9-of-22, 93 yards, 4 Ints.). Combining the first half at Clarion, when he was 15-for-20 for 283 yards and four TDs, with his second half vs. Shippensburg, Roken was 37-of-57 for 604 yards and five TDs in 60 minutes of football.

MORE ROKEN (2007): Roken is in his second season as the Warriors' starting quarterback. He was second in the PSAC in total offense (269.0 ypg) and third in passing (252.1 ypg) last year, throwing for 1,765 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts. He 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.

ESU APPROACHES SINGLE-GAME RECORDS: The Warriors ran 90 offensive plays against Shippensburg, the fourth-most in school history. The school record is 106 plays vs. Southern Conn. in 1994, followed by 94 at New Haven in 1996 and 91 vs. Mansfield in 1993.

ESU also attempted 60 passes (59 by Tim Roken, 1 by Drew Stem), the second-most in a single game. The Warriors threw the ball 61 times vs. Millersville in 1999 and 57 at Lafayette in 1970.

CAREER-HIGHS: Four of the Warriors' top five wide receivers have set career-highs in yardage over the past two weeks - R-Sr. Doug Ogden (163 vs. Ship), R-Jr. Sam Shuman (141 at Clarion), Sr. Drew Stem (132 at Clarion) and R-So. Ed Kiser (71 vs. Ship). R-So. Jeff Giglio had a career-high 112 yards in the final game of the 2007 season at Kutztown.

HITTING 100: ESU has had two 100-yard receivers in each of the last two weeks - Ogden (163) and Shuman (111) vs. Shippensburg, and Shuman (141) and Stem (132) at Clarion. Shuman had the first back-to-back 100-yard games for a Warriors receiver since Evan Prall, who had 23 career 100-yard games.

Prall, Shuman and Ogden were all involved the last time the Warriors had two receivers over 100 yards in consecutive weeks, achieving the feat in the final two games of the 2006 season against Bloomsburg and Kutztown.

MR. CONSISTENCY: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden is fifth in the PSAC in receiving with 79.0 yards per game after his career day vs. Shippensburg. Ogden had seven of his eight catches for 141 yards in the second half of ESU's comeback effort. A three-year starter, the senior from East Stroudsburg South has posted at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 14 of the Warriors' 24 games since 2006.

TURNING IT ON: R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman, ESU's top receiver with 36 catches for 534 yards last season, had just one catch for 27 yards in the first two weeks. Since then, he has 15 catches for 258 yards in the last two games and has moved into the top 10 in the PSAC for both receptions (4.0) and yards (69.8) per game. Shuman was a second team All-PSAC East selection as a sophomore and also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II honors. He had a 3.4 grade-point average in Pharmacy in his first four semesters at ESU.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sr. WR Drew Stem showcased his versatility against Shippensburg, catching a four-yard TD pass on fourth-and-two in the fourth quarter, throwing a 25-yard pass to R-So. Ed Kiser late in the game, and returning kicks (2 for 60 yards) and punts (6 for 19 yards). Stem leads ESU and is fifth in the PSAC with 18 catches (4.5 per game) and has 202 yards through the air. He is also ESU's career leader in kick return average at 29.3 yards per return and averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game a year ago, including 268 yards vs. Millersville.

EMERGING PLAYMAKER: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio has developed into a reliable target in the Warriors' offense, hauling in 15 passes for 184 yards so far this season. He had his biggest game vs. Gannon, with five catches for 88 yards and two TDs. Giglio is also one of the top kick returners in the PSAC and finished the 2007 season with his first 100-yard receiving game (seven catches, 112 yards) at Kutztown.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES: R-So. WR Ed Kiser had a breakout game against Shippensburg, hauling in five passes for 71 yards. 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.

THE RUNNING GAME: R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge had three rushing touchdowns last week, including the game-tying score from one yard out with 1:02 left, and ripped off a 13-yard run on the Warriors' only offensive play of overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. Partridge had 10 carries for 32 yards for the game and also scored on runs of one and seven yards in the third quarter as ESU's goal-line back.

Partridge set the school record with 284 rushing yards on 34 carries and tied the school record with four touchdowns in last year's meeting with Cheyney. He was second team All-PSAC East as a junior after ranking fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 rushing yards per game, and 11th with 104.9 all-purpose yards per game.

R-Fr. Russell Johnson has started the last two games after Partridge was held out of the Clarion game due to injury. He had 16 carries for 49 yards and a five-yard TD vs Shippensburg, and had a 49-yard run called back on a holding penalty at the end of the first half. Johnson ran 22 times for 35 yards and a TD in his first career start at Clarion. He had 31 yards rushing in both of the first two games, with 16 of his 17 carries coming in the fourth quarter.

IN THE FRONT ROW: Lost in ESU's offensive output (90 plays, 531 yards) against Shippensburg is the play of the offensive line. The Warriors' front five didn't allow a sack in a school-record 59 pass attempts by R-Sr. QB Tim Roken and has given up just four sacks in 145 pass attempts this season, the most in the PSAC.

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, R-Jr. G Morgan Thomas has started every game of his career (24 straight starts), and R-Jr. T Matthew Keller has 11 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.

ESU lost three starters from last year's team - 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).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sr. P Nick Krut and Jr. K Greg Knauss were both first team All-PSAC East selections last year and added another chapter to ESU's history of All-PSAC kickers and punters. The Warriors have boasted the top specialists in the East in four of the past seven years - 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

KRUT LEADS DIVISION II: Sr. P Nick Krut leads Division II with a 46.7-yard punting average this season, and ESU is fourth in the nation with a 39.3-yard net punting average. Krut has the top single-game punting average in the country this year (min. 2 punts) when he averaged 57.5 yards on four punts against Clarion. His day included kicks of 59, 61 and 63 yards to surpass his previous career long of 60 yards. Krut has 14 punts of 50 or more yards in his career as a three-year starter. He was second in the PSAC with a 40.7-yard average on 48 punts last season and helped ESU finish sixth in Division II with a net of 36.5 yards per punt. ESU has finished in the top 10 in the nation in net punting in each of the last four seasons.

KNAUSS HITS GAME-WINNER: Jr. K Greg Knauss made the second game-winning field goal of his career at ESU with a 29-yarder in overtime against Shippensburg ... he was 3-for-4 in the game, also hitting from 34 and 24 yards ... 4-of-8 this year, making 4-of-5 from inside 40 yards ... 13-of-19 on field goals last season ... ranked third in Division II with 1.4 field goals per game ... set two school records last season ... made 53-yard field goal on the final play of the first half against IUP ... drilled five field goals for all of the scoring in a 30-15 loss at West Chester ... made game-winning 40-yard kick with 18 seconds left to give ESU 24-23 victory at Kutztown in season finale.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: While ESU allowed 41 points last week, a closer look shows that the defense limited Shippensburg to 12 first downs and 333 yards of total offense - 198 less than the 531 yards that the Warriors' offense put up. The Raiders' three first-half scoring drives covered 27, 7 and 23 yards following ESU turnovers, and the last of their three second-half TDs came on a 91-yard kick return by Kevin Marshall.

The defense has been solid all season, ranking 6th in the PSAC in scoring defense and 7th in total offense. Clarion put up 203 yards and 14 points in the fourth quarter in the third game of the year, the first letup from a group that held Gannon to 268 yards and Virginia Union to 259 yards the first to weeks.

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU linebackers Matt Freed (R-So. OLB) and Fred Rice (R-Sr. ILB) rank first and second 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.

SUDDEN IMPACT: Matt Freed is the top tackler in the PSAC and ranks eighth in Division II with 11.8 tackles per game this season. He had at least 13 tackles in each of his first three career starts, with 13 vs. Virginia Union and 13 and a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown at Clarion in addition to his national defensive player of the week honor vs. Gannon. Freed single-handedly ended the Golden Knights' final three possessions, with a sack on third down deep in Gannon territory and interceptions on the final two series of the game.

LOWERING THE BOOM: Fred "Boomer" Rice has 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 19 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 made his 24th consecutive start, while R-Sr. OLB David Pacchioni was out of the starting lineup for the first time since the start of the 2006 season last week as the Warriors went to a 5-3 front against Shippensburg's Wing T attack. 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.

THE SECONDARY: The ESU secondary, which contributed to lofty pass defense rankings (2nd in PSAC, 19th in the nation) last season at 162.7 yards per game, returned four players with starting experience and has been bolstered by 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 17 tackles and three pass breakups this season.

On the other side, So. CB David Castillo has two interceptions and three pass breakups this season and scored on a 64-yard interception return vs. Gannon. Castillo has made nine straight starts, including the final five games of his freshman season.

Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger has started all four games at free safety and had two pass breakups and his third career interception at Clarion. He started four games at cornerback in each of his first two seasons. Jr. FS Mike Gnall (7 starts, 40 tackles at FS in 2007) is contributing at nickel back and on special teams.

ON THE D-LINE: The defensive line was in on 21 tackles last week against Shippensburg. The Warriors limited the Raiders to 4.1 yards per carry, and just 2.8 yards per carry (41 carries, 113 yards) when removing Kevin Marshall's brilliant 59-yard touchdown run.

Sr. DT Miguel Rivera's five-yard tackle for a loss on a 2nd-and-6 in overtime was the latest in a series of big plays for the defense this season. R-Fr. DE Cody Berry made the Warriors' biggest play in the first three weeks with a sack and forced fumble midway through the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown against Virginia Union.

Rivera, a second team All-PSAC East selection last season, is one of three returning starters, along with R-Sr. DT Jeff Shrive and R-Jr. DE Matthew Faas. R-Jr. DT Keith Galinsky made his first career start last week, and R-So. DE Jeff Case has two starts this season.

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.

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, 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.