GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University hosts West Chester in a match-up of two schools with PSAC championship game aspirations. The Warriors enter with a 5-0 record and 2-0 mark in PSAC East play. The Golden Rams, the defending PSAC East champions and preseason favorite, are 3-2 (2-0 PSAC East) with losses to PSAC West power California and Delaware, a perennial top 25 program at the Division I FCS level.

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 2:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: R-So. QB Matt Marshall threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns, two to R-So. WR Jeff Giglio, and Sr. FB Jesse Reider ran for two scores to lead ESU to a 52-12 win over Cheyney last Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Marshall was 17-for-26 in his first career start and R-Fr. Ray Wagner threw a 44-yard TD to R-So. WR Ed Kiser on his first career pass attempt. R-Sr. TB Joe Partridge (19 rush, 78 yards, TD) led a rushing attack that compiled 215 yards, and ESU had 573 yards of total offense.

THE SERIES: West Chester holds a 52-20 advantage in the all-time series that dates to 1926, ESU's first year of varsity football. The Golden Rams have won the last five meetings, including a 30-15 win last year. Three of the previous five games were decided by a single point - ESU's 28-27 win in 2003, and WCU's victories by scores of 38-37 (OT) in 2004 and 18-17 in 2006.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 214-140-3 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 8 of the game notes.

Bill Zwaan (Delaware '79) has a 48-20 record in his sixth season as head coach at West Chester. He guided Widener to a six-year record of 54-14 from 1997-2002 and has a career mark of 103-34. Zwaan has led the Golden Rams to four straight NCAA playoff appearances and two PSAC East championships.

STARTING STRONG: ESU has started 5-0 three times under head coach Denny Douds - 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.

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 have done just that in the last three weeks. 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.

THROWIN' WITH ROKEN: R-Sr. QB Tim Roken is the only quarterback 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. He 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) in four starts this season.

In his last two starts, 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 (11th), 414 (13th)
Total Offense - 435 (10th), 424 (14th)
Completions - 31, t-20th
Attempts - 59, t-7th

2008 Division II national rankings
Passing Yards per game - 281.8, 16th
Total Offense per game - 291.8, 13th

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.

A TALE OF TWO QUARTERS: ESU quarterbacks have thrown for at least 100 yards in a quarter six times in the last three games. Roken hit the mark in the 1st and 2nd quarters vs. Clarion and the 3rd and 4th quarters vs. Shippensburg, and Marshall went over the mark in the 2nd and 3rd quarters last week.

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.

BEST IN THE PSAC: ESU leads the PSAC with 302.0 passing yards per game and is second with 36.4 points per game. The Warriors have averaged 405.7 yards passing over the past three weeks, and the top five wide receivers - R-Sr. Doug Ogden, Sr. Drew Stem, R-Jr. Sam Shuman, R-So. Jeff Giglio and R-So. Ed Kiser - are all averaging at least 50 yards per game and 13 yards per reception.

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

HITTING 100: R-Jr. WR Sam Shuman just missed his third straight 100-yard receiving game, with five catches for 96 yards vs. Cheyney. ESU had two 100-yard receivers against both Shippensburg and Clarion - 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.

TURNING IT ON: Shuman is sixth in the PSAC in both receptions (4.2) and yards per game (75.0) this season. He has emerged as the Warriors' top receiver in the past three weeks after catching just one pass for 27 yards in the first two games. Shuman led ESU with 36 catches for 534 yards last season, was named to the All-PSAC East second team, 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.

MR. CONSISTENCY: R-Sr. WR Doug Ogden is eighth in the conference with 69.6 yards per game and had a career day against Shippensburg. He hauled in eight catches for 161 yards against the Raiders, seven for 141 yards in the second half, as ESU overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. A three-year starter, the senior from ES South has posted at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in 15 of the Warriors' 25 games since 2006.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sr. WR Drew Stem caught his third TD pass of the season last week, a 14-yard strike from Marshall in the third quarter. He showcased his versatility the previous week 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 was a second team All-PSAC East selection last year despite playing in just five games. He is also ESU's career leader in kick return average at 29.2 yards per return and averaged 143.2 all-purpose yards per game a year ago, including 268 yards vs. Millersville.

THE PLAYMAKER: R-So. WR Jeff Giglio leads the Warriors' talented receiving corps with five touchdown catches and is third on the team in receptions (18) and yards (271). 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 is also one of the top kick returners in the PSAC with a 25.7-yard average on seven returns.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES: R-So. WR Ed Kiser has set his season-high in receiving yards in back-to-back weeks - five for 71 vs. Shippensburg, followed by three for 75 and a TD vs. Cheyney. 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 saw significant work last week against Cheyney, with 19 carries (18 in the first half) for 78 yards and a touchdown. He had three rushing touchdowns in a limited capacity vs. Shippensburg and came through in key situations, scoring on runs of 1, 1 and 7 yards and ripping off a 13-yard run on the Warriors' only offensive play of overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.

Partridge has run for nearly 1,300 yards (1,293) and 14 touchdowns and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry in his career at ESU. He was second team All-PSAC East as a junior after ranking fifth in the PSAC with 87.2 rushing yards per game and holds the school record with a 284-yard, four TD effort last year against Cheyney.

Sr. FB Jesse Reider (8 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD) and R-So. WR Zach Krise (10 carries, 36 yards) also contributed to a season-high 215 rushing yards against Cheyney. Reider scored on a one-yard run as the fullback in the second quarter and spent time as the featured tailback in the second half, scoring on a 12-yard run. Krise saw his first career action at tailback and has three catches for 38 yards in his career.

R-Fr. Russell Johnson started against Clarion and Shippensburg before being held out of last week's game. He had 16 carries for 49 yards and a five-yard TD vs. Shippensburg; 22 for 35 yards and a TD in his first career start at Clarion; and had 16 of his 17 carries in the fourth quarter of the first two games.

IN THE FRONT ROW: ESU's offensive line remains intact through the first five games and has been one of the top front fives in the PSAC. The Warriors have given up just six sacks in 174 pass attempts this season after R-So. QB Matt Marshall was brought down twice last week against Cheyney. The previous week against Shippensburg, Roken wasn't sacked while setting the school record with 59 pass attempts.

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.

THE HEAVY PACKAGE: The Warriors have 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 for the past four weeks and Biever started at tight end last week, 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 first three receptions of his career for 51 yards over the past two weeks.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS (OFFENSE): ESU was 10-of-14 on third down conversions last week and leads the PSAC with a 47.9 percent success rate on third down this season. Last year, the Warriors were 13th of 14 teams with a 27.3 percent showing and converted at an 18.3 percent clip through the first five games. ESU last converted 10 third down opportunities in a game in a 40-37 loss to Bloomsburg in 2003, going 10-for-16.

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 46.6-yard punting average this season, and ESU is third in the nation with a 39.2-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 15 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 KNOTES: 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 ... 5-of-9 this year, making 5-of-6 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: The Warriors are third in the PSAC in pass efficiency defense (104.6 rating) and fifth in scoring defense (20.4 points per game). ESU has six interceptions and has allowed just four passing touchdowns through the first five games. The total defense numbers (332.8 yards per game, 10th PSAC) are split evenly between the run and the pass, as ESU is surrendering 166.8 yards on the ground (10th PSAC) and 166.0 through the air (6th PSAC). Cheyney had 173 yards rushing and 171 yards passing last week.

While ESU allowed 41 points against Shippensburg, a closer look shows that the defense limited the Raiders to 12 first downs and 333 yards of total offense - 198 less than the 531 yards that the Warriors' offense put up. The 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. 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.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS (DEFENSE): ESU's defense has excelled on third down, stopping its opponents more than 70 percent of the time (29.3-percent success rate). The Warriors have held three of their first five opponents under 25 percent on third down conversions - Virginia Union (3-15), Gannon (2-12) and Cheyney (3-14).

BACK IN BUSINESS: ESU linebackers Matt Freed (R-So. OLB) and Fred Rice (R-Sr. ILB) rank first and third 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 11.6 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 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 20 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 49 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.

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 19 tackles and three pass breakups this season.

On the other side, So. CB David Castillo is tied for second in the PSAC in passes defensed (seven, 1.4 per game). Castillo has two interceptions and five pass breakups and scored on a 64-yard interception return vs. Gannon. He has made 10 straight starts since moving into the lineup as a freshman.

Jr. FS Nicholas Artinger has started all five 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.

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 five games and leads the defensive line with 20 tackles (3.5 TFL) and had his first sack of the season last week. Case has made four starts and has 16 tackles, 2.5 TFL and three pass deflections in the last three weeks. 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.

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 had 2.5 TFL and five tackles overall against Cheyney and threw Ship's Kevin Marshall for a five-yard loss on a key 2nd-and-6 play in overtime two weeks ago. R-Sr. Jeff Shrive (Scranton/West Scranton) has made 14 straight starts and 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

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.

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.