GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: ESU travels to Kutztown for its annual PSAC East match-up with the Golden Bears. The Warriors are coming off a 27-13 loss to Bloomsburg, while the Golden Bears fell 26-22 at Shippensburg last Saturday. ESU has played five of its first seven games on the road and will be back at home for its final three games following this weekend's contest.

RADIO COVERAGE: Live on WVPO 840 AM and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 21st season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 9th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 12:30 p.m.

THE SERIES: ESU has won the last eight meetings and is 42-14-1 in the all-time series which goes back to 1941. The Warriors won 24-23 in their last trip to Kutztown for the 2007 season finale on a 40-yard field goal by Greg Knauss with 18 seconds left. Kutztown's last win was a 17-16 victory at ESU in 2000.

LAST TIME OUT: Derrick Price ran for 165 yards and a TD and Kenny Domzalski put the game away with a 28-yard TD run with 4:15 left as No. 5 Bloomsburg defeated ESU, 27-13, at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The Huskies went 98 yards in four plays, all on the ground, on the game-deciding drive following a 50-yard punt by R-Sr. WR Sam Shuman, who also caught a TD pass and handled the punting for the first time in his career.

ESU trailed 20-6 five minutes into the second half, giving up 10 points before running its first offensive play, but got back in the game with an eight play, 80-yard march engineered by R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall. Shuman hauled in a 27-yard scoring pass with 6:59 left in the third and the Warriors' defense came up with five consecutive stops - four three-and-outs and a fumble recovery - before the Huskies' final scoring drive. Price ran for eight yards on first down, then broke a 59-yard run and Domzalski scored two plays later.

The Huskies' fourth-ranked scoring defense in Division (10.0 ppg) forced four turnovers and limited the Warriors to 10 yards the rest of the way after their 80-yard touchdown drive. ESU started at the BU 43 and its own 41 and 48-yard lines in the fourth quarter, trailing 20-13, but went three-and-out each time.

ESU's defense generated three turnovers, including two interceptions by Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger, who leads the PSAC with five picks this season. R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed had eight tackles and two sacks.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 223-144-3 record in his 36th season as head football coach at ESU. Douds is in his 44th season at ESU overall and is one of five active coaches in Division II, and one of just 16 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.

Raymond Monica (North Alabama '90) has a 17-22 record in his fourth season at Kutztown. Monica came to Kutztown after serving as defensive coordinator at Division I-A Temple University for eight seasons. Prior to arriving at Temple, Monica coached for nine seasons at the University of North Alabama, which won three straight Division II national championships from 1993-95.

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: ESU fell out of the top 10 of the second set of rankings for the NCAA Division II Super Regional One after being ranked No. 5 last week. Bloomsburg (7-0) is first, followed by Edinboro (6-1), Charleston (7-0), Bentley (6-1), Slippery Rock (5-2), California (5-2), West Liberty State (6-1), Bowie State (5-2), Shepherd (5-2) and Shippensburg (5-2). ESU has made three appearances in the NCAA playoffs (1991, 2004 and 2005) and won the Northeast Region and advanced to the national semifinals in 2005.

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET: The Warriors went 1-1 in their two-game stretch vs. West Chester and Bloomsburg, who they faced in consecutive weeks for the fourth straight year. ESU broke a six-game losing streak vs. West Chester with a 21-20 win, but has dropped its last four meetings with Bloomsburg.

Since 2000, ESU is 4-7 vs. West Chester and 3-8 vs. Bloomsburg, and 34-4 against the other schools in the PSAC East. ESU is 15-1 in its last 16 games against opponents other than the Golden Rams and the Huskies.

THE MARSHALL PLAN: R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall is 7-2 as a starter, going 2-0 last season and 5-2 this year. He is in the top three among PSAC quarterbacks in five categories:

PSAC Ranks
QB Rating - 2nd, 151.6 (15th in DII)
Completion % - 2nd, 63.6 (19th in DII)
Total Offense - 2nd, 257.7 ypg
Passing - 3rd, 227.1 ypg
TD Passes - t-3rd, 13
Rushing by QB - 4th, 214 yards (30.6 ypg)

Marshall compiled a rating of 168.3 in four games last season, including two starts. He has thrown for 2,312 yards, 21 TD and 10 interceptions in 10 games over the last two years.

He earned his third career PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week award vs. Clarion after completing 79.3 percent of his passes (23-for-29), the second-best day in school history, for 316 yards and 3 TDs. He was also honored by the conference following the final two games of the 2008 season in wins over Millersville and Slippery Rock.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Marshall has been almost perfect in the first quarter this season, going 37-for-49 (75.5 percent) for 566 yards, 3 TDs and one interception. He was 11-for-12 for 94 yards and a TD to start the season opener at Virginia Union, and has thrown for at least 80 yards in the first quarter in five of the Warriors' first seven games.

PSAC DEFENSIVE LEADERS: The Warriors are tied for 2nd in the PSAC with 16 forced turnovers led by two players who pace the conference in their respective categories. Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger has a conference-high 5 interceptions (tied for 8th in Division II), including two in each of the Warriors' home games vs. Clarion and Bloomsburg, and Jr. OLB Mark Kalo has 3 forced fumbles, all in the last two weeks.

Jr. CB David Castillo, who was 2nd in the PSAC with 15 passes defensed (3 interceptions, 12 breakups) last season, is currently tied for 3rd with 7 passes defensed this year (2 interceptions, 5 breakups). Artinger has one pass breakup to go with his 5 interceptions. The Warriors have also recovered 6 fumbles, led by 2 from R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed, a first team Daktronics Division II and third team Associated Press Little All-American last year, is 4th in the PSAC with 9.6 tackles per game, 5th with 5.0 sacks and 8th with 8.5 tackles for a loss. Freed tied his career-highs with 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks last week vs. Bloomsburg.

Freed has reached double figures in tackles in 12 of his 18 career starts, and has at least 8 tackles in all but one game. He tied for 6th in Division II with 11.5 tackles per game last year and recorded 126 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks and 4 interceptions. He was a three-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week and had 13 or more tackles six times.

PROTECT THE FOOTBALL: ESU is 3rd in the PSAC with a +4 turnover margin. The Warriors have forced at least two turnovers in six of their first seven games, while the offense didn't have a turnover in consecutive games at Cheyney and West Chester - the first time they have been turnover-free in consecutive games since at least the 2002 season.

BALANCING ACT: The Warriors have run the ball on 57.8 percent of their 460 offensive plays this season, averaging 38.0 rush attempts and 27.7 pass attempts per game. The ratio is the Warriors' largest towards the run since the 2001 season.

BALANCING ACT (2): ESU had scored at least one TD both rushing and passing in 11 consecutive games entering last week's game but found the end zone just one time, on a 27-yard pass from R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall to R-Sr. WR Sam Shuman.

The Warriors have thrown a touchdown pass in 20 straight games and 82 of their 85 games since 2002. Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06) had a TD pass in 47 of his 48 career games, including an NCAA Division II record 39 straight.

ALL-AROUND GUY: R-Sr. WR Sam Shuman punted seven times for the Warriors last week vs. Bloomsburg, averaging 30.9 yards per punt with two inside the 20-yard line, and caught a 27-yard TD pass for ESU's only score. A quarterback, defensive back and punter at Hempfield HS, Shuman has also thrown the ball during his career, going 5-for-6 for 216 yards passing and a TD. He is 2-for-2 for 102 yards this season and was 3-for-3 for 114 yards last year. He is a Pharmacy major and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team in 2007.

Shuman is the first ESU player in 24 years to complete a pass, score a touchdown and punt in the same season. Quarterback Ray Gentilella was 84-for-191 with 9 TDs, scored a rushing TD and punted eight times in 1985. The early 1980's were a golden era for dual threat punters for the Warriors, as Joey Pingitore scored two rushing TDs (7 carries, 71 yards) in 1983 and one rushing TD (4 carries, 78 yards) in 1984. Pingitore completed his only career pass in 1982.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: R-Sr. Sam Shuman, R-Jr. Jeff Giglio and R-Jr. Ed Kiser are all averaging at least 16 yards per catch for the second straight season and have combined for more than 4,000 yards in their careers.

Shuman is 124 yards away from becoming the eighth player in ESU history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. He had a season-high 97 yards and 2 TDs on four catches at Cheyney, just missing his fifth career 100-yard receiving game, and has at least one 100-yard game in each of his first three seasons. Shuman was second team All-PSAC East as a sophomore when he led the Warriors in receptions (36) and yards (534).
2009 yards per catch: 16.2 Career yards per catch: 15.5

Giglio ranked as high as 6th in Division II in receiving yards this season with an average of 118.2 through the first four games, which included three straight 100-yard games. He is currently 3rd in the PSAC in receiving yards (84.3), tied for 5th in receptions (5.0) and 2nd in all-purpose yards (125.1).

R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall and Giglio have connected 49 times for 923 yards and 8 TDs in 10 games over the last two years, including four 100-yard games. Giglio had 41 catches for 749 yards and 10 TDs last year, was tied for 4th in the PSAC in receiving TDs and ranked 7th in receiving yards (68.1 per game).
2009 yards per catch: 16.9 Career yards per catch: 17.5

Kiser has emerged as the Warriors' second-leading receivier this year and has accounted for 568 all-purpose yards (330 receiving, 44 rushing, 194 KR) for an average of 81.1 yards per game. He was 5th on the team in receptions (24) and 4th in yards (444) in 2008, averaging 18.5 yards per catch, and hauled in a 96-yard TD pass at Millersville for the second-longest pass play in school history.

Kiser held the school record in the 400m (49.49) until it was broken last year and contributed to three school record-setting relay teams for the Warriors.
2009 yards per catch: 18.3 Career yards per catch: 18.4

THE NEXT GENERATION: R-Fr. Jordan Hallman and Fr. Bryan Ogden have both set career-highs in receiving in the past two weeks. Hallman caught six passes for 42 yards, including the game-winning TD on a five-yard pass in the fourth quarter at West Chester, and has 16 catches for 135 yards and 2 TDs this year. His first career score was a 32-yard catch at Gannon.

Ogden had four catches for 44 yards vs. Bloomsburg and has eight catches for 107 yards this season. He caught two passes for 20 yards at West Chester and had a 37-yard catch at Cheyney.

GOING DEEP: The Warriors have seven receivers who have caught a pass of at least 30 yards this season. Long pass plays have been a staple of the Warriors offense for the past decade — ESU has had at least five receivers with a 30-yard reception in each season since 2001, including 10 players who had at least one 30-yard play during the 2005 NCAA semifinal season.

THE RUNNING GAME: R-Jr. TB Zach Krise, who was 12th in Division II with 128.0 rushing yards and 5th with 26.0 carries per game through the first three weeks, left the West Chester game with an injury late in the second quarter and did not return. Krise had 11 carries for 42 yards and three catches for 64 yards before leaving the field at Farrell Stadium. He ran for 107 yards and a TD on 26 carries at Virginia Union, 184 yards and 2 TD on 29 carries at Gannon and 93 yards on 23 carries vs. Clarion. He was the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week with 222 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs in ESU's win at Gannon.

STEPPING IN, STEPPING UP: True freshmen Kendrick Williams and Eric Deery will step in as the Warriors' ball carriers in an offense that is averaging 38 rushing attempts per game.

Williams had 106 all-purpose yards in his first career start last week vs. Bloomsburg, running 16 times for 49 yards and catching three passes for 57 yards. He saw his first career action on ESU's go-ahead 55-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter at West Chester with 50 yards on six carries. He gained nine yards on his first career carry and had the key play in the drive, picking up a 4th-and-1 at the 35-yard line with a 30-yard run. Marshall hit Hallman for the score two plays later as the Warriors beat the Golden Rams for the first time since 2003.

Deery saw his first career action at Cheyney, running for 121 yards on 15 carries to become the first ESU true freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game since Stewart Ford eclipsed the 100-yard mark five times in 1997 on his way to a 1,109-yard season, the second-best in school history.

Williams and Deery had standout high school careers in New Jersey, where they were both third team All-State. Williams set a conference record with 2,186 yards and 22 TD on 320 carries at Nottingham (Hamilton, N.J.), including a Mercer County record with 428 yards and scored 4 TD against rival Hamilton. Deery was the Warren County Player of the Year and was second in Phillipsburg HS history with 1,718 yards rushing and 13 TD as a senior.

IN THE FRONT ROW: R-Sr. Morgan Thomas has started 37 career games (7 at LT, 17 at RG, 13 at RT) and made the switch to left tackle this season. He was second team All-PSAC East last year and was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by CDSdraft.com this summer.

The Warriors are breaking in three first-year starters and have had the same starting five up front in six of their seven games this season. R-So. Dan Caffrey has started all 18 games in his career at center after moving from the defensive line, where he spent his redshirt season. R-Fr. Seve Rivers (left guard) and R-Fr. Wrenton Wright II (right tackle) have started all seven games this year, and R-So. Zach Sarginger (right guard) has started six games. Jr. Mike Dimitriou started at right guard vs. Cheyney. ESU used the same starting lineup on the offensive line in 10 of its 11 games last season.

OFFENSIVE VERSATILITY: ESU has rotated offensive linemen at tight end, along with regular tight ends Willie Bell and Matt Brown, the last two years and added Sr. Dan Finnegan, an offensive lineman, at fullback to join R-Jr. Brent Jones this season. Finnegan changed numbers to 48 (from 68) earlier this year. Jr. OL Mike Dimitriou has also seen action at tight end.

MAGIC NUMBER = 140: ESU has won its last 13 games when running for at least 140 yards. The Warriors have topped the mark three times this year (143 at Virginia Union, 187 at Gannon, 235 at Cheyney). The last loss with at least 140 yards was a 49-28 setback vs. West Chester in 2006.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: The Warriors have converted at least 50 percent of their 3rd downs in four of the first seven games, and rank 3rd in the PSAC at 42.7 percent. ESU was 2nd at 46.1 percent in 2008.

RED ZONE SUCCESS: ESU led the PSAC in red zone offense last season, scoring points on 44 of its 48 possessions inside the 20-yard line (92%). The Warriors scored 32 touchdowns (72% of their posssessions) and kicked 12 field goals.
This year: ESU ranks 7th in the PSAC at 79.3 percent (23-29) with 18 TDs

GOING THE DISTANCE: ESU had three scoring drives that covered 88 yards at Cheyney, and has six drives of at least 85 yards this season.
85-yard drives over the last four seasons: 2009 - 6 2008 - 4 2007 - 1 2006 - 3

GOING THE DISTANCE (2): ESU had a 16-play drive that took 6:47 off the clock and led to a field goal in the second quarter at Cheyney. The Warriors have had 196 scoring drives (150 touchdowns, 46 field goals) since the start of the 2006 season, and just four that have lasted at least 6:00. The longest drive in that stretch was a 12-play, 44-yard possession that took 6:55 and set up the game's final field goal in a 12-0 win at Edinboro in 2006.

RED ZONE/4TH DOWN DEFENSE: ESU is 2nd in the PSAC and tied for 13th in Division II in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on just 63 percent (12-of-19) of their trips inside the 20-yard line. Of the Warriors' seven stops, two are missed field goals, three are turnovers on downs, and two have come by way of an interception - both in the last two weeks. The Warriors are rated even higher in Division II in fourth down defense, allowing just one conversion on seven attempts to rank 4th in the nation.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed and R-Sr. WR Sam Shuman have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team in their careers. Freed was named to the first team last year with a 3.55 GPA as a History major. Shuman, a Pharmacy major completing his ninth semester at ESU, was Academic All-District in 2007.

WARRIORS ON DEFENSE: The Warriors have used just two starting defensive lineups this season, with 10 of their 11 projected starters entering the season on the field for all seven games. Jr. ILB Kevin Schafer has been held out of two games (Cheyney, Bloomsburg) due to injury and was replaced by So. ILB Mike Bergey, who has made his first two career starts.

ESU has six first-year starters on the defensive side of the ball. The veterans are R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas (27 career starts), Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger (25), Jr. CB David Castillo (23), R-Jr. All-American OLB Matt Freed (18) and R-Jr. DE Jeff Case (17). Freed was the only first-year starter at linebacker last season and is the only returning starter among the Warriors' four linebackers this season.

TURNING IT OVER: ESU is 2nd in the PSAC with 16 turnovers forced this season and is in a four-way tie for the lead with 10 interceptions. The Warriors have forced at least two turnovers in six of their first seven games this season, including two key fumble recoveries in the fourth quarter at West Chester two weeks ago.

10 players have been involved in creating turnovers this season, led by the defensive backs. Sr. FS Nicholas Artinger leads the PSAC with 5 interceptions and Jr. CB David Castillo has two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Artinger has 8 career interceptions and Castillo has 6 career picks. R-So. ILB Taylor Cave has 2 interceptions this year and 3 in his career, including a 26-yard return for a TD vs. Clarion this season. Jr. OLB Mark Kalo leads the PSAC with 3 forced fumbles, all in the last two weeks.

BALANCED DEFENSE: Freed leads the defense with 67 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 5.0 sacks and the Warriors have seen almost every player who has stepped on the field make an impact this year. Each of the top 13 tacklers have made at least one tackle behind the line of scrimmage, including nine players who have contributed to the Warriors' 16 sacks.

The Warriors' linebackers are their top five tacklers this season. Jr. OLB Mark Kalo has 43 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks and 3 forced fumbles; R-So. ILB Taylor Cave has 34 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 3 pass breakups; Jr. ILB Kevin Schafer has 32 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble; and So. ILB Mike Bergey has 32 tackles, including 25 in the last three weeks.

R-Jr. DE Jeff Case leads the Warriors' defensive linemen with 25 tackles, 5.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks and R-So. DL Cody Berry also has 2.0 sacks this season after tying for the team lead with 4.0 sacks last year. R-Sr. DE Matthew Faas recorded 9.0 TFL last year and tied for the PSAC lead with 4 fumble recoveries. R-Sr. Keith Galinsky (21 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks) and R-So. Rudy Cerami (23 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks) are both in their first year as starters at defensive tackle. Galinsky was the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week with 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter at West Chester. Jr. Alex Figueroa and Fr. Kevon Brown have also been on the field at defensive end.

In the secondary, Artinger has started 17 games at safety over the last two years and has also made 8 starts at cornerback. Sr. FS Mike Gnall has been on the field with the punt return team the last three weeks after returning from injury and has made 9 career starts.

Castillo has 2 interceptions this season and 6 in his career, and is tied for 3rd in the PSAC with 7 passes defensed. He was 2nd in the PSAC with 15 passes defensed (3 interceptions, 12 pass breakups) last season. R-So. CB Shawnte Carroll is the starter on the other side and true freshmen Mark Henderson, John Mack and D'Jon Tillman have also contributed at cornerback and nickel back.

SHUTTING IT DOWN: The Warriors' 37-0 shutout at Cheyney was their first shutout since a 12-0 win at Edinboro in 2006. ESU has 26 shutouts in 36 seasons under head coach Denny Douds. The defense has held opponents to 9 or fewer points 23 times since 2000, including six shutouts, and has a 22-1 record in those games with the only loss coming by a 9-7 score vs. Bentley in the 2006 season opener.

2009 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: 55 players have participated through the first seven games this season, including 19 who saw their first career action for the Warriors.

The Warriors have played eight true freshmen - DB Mark Henderson, DB John Mack, DB D'Jon Tillman, DE Kevon Brown, TB Eric Deery, TB Kendrick Williams, WR Bryan Ogden and P Joseph Janovic - after playing only five true freshmen in the past two years. So. LB Mike Bergey was the only true freshman to letter last year, and Jr. CB David Castillo, Jr. OLB Mark Kalo and Jr. LB Kevin Schafer lettered in 2007.

DEPARTED ALL-AMERICAN: The Warriors boasted the top punter in Division II in 2008 in Nick Krut, a first team Daktronics Division II and first team AP Little All-American, who led Division II and ranked second in all divisions of college football with a 46.0-yard average last season. Krut had 15 punts of 50 or more yards and eight of 60 or more yards with a long of 73. He had a career average of 42.4 yards in three years.

NATION'S BEST: ESU led Division II with a 39.7-yard net punting average and has ranked in the top 5 four times in the last nine years. The Warriors also had the top net average of 40.6 in 2004. ESU has had seven first team All-PSAC East punters and six first team kickers in the past 10 years, and Denny Douds has coached 14 first team kickers and 13 first team punters in his 35 seasons at ESU.

WARRIORS ON TV: Blue Ridge TV-13 will broadcast ESU football for the 22nd year this season, with all five home games airing live across the region. Veteran play-by-play man Chris Doty is joined by color commentator Jim Riley and sideline reporter Drenen Tucker.

ESU will also have two games broadcast across the state by the SPORTSfever Television Network - Bloomsburg (Oct. 10) and Millersville (Oct. 31). Five ESU games have been broadcast by SPORTSfever over the last two years. The telecasts will air on STN-affiliated stations WTVE (Philadelphia-Lehigh Valley-South Jersey), WGCB (Harrisburg-Lancaster-York), WQMY (Wilkes-Barre-Scranton-Williamsport) and WQED (Pittsburgh-Western Pennsylvania). They will also be featured on FSN Pittsburgh on Monday nights and replay on Time Warner, Armstrong, Atlantic Broadband, Blue Ridge, Service Electric and Comcast (WIUP) cable systems throughout Pennsylvania.

WARRIORS ON RADIO: WVPO 840 AM is in its 47th season broadcasting ESU football and will once again carry all 11 games in 2009. Chuck Seese, recently honored as the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award winner to recognize his contributions to ESU and the PSAC, is in his 21st season as the voice of the Warriors. He is joined in the booth by Bob Brittain, who is in his ninth year providing the color commentary.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: ESU is 4-1 in night games since lights were installed at Eiler-Martin Stadium before the 2007 season. The Warriors dropped their inaugural game to IUP (38-23) on Sept. 15, 2007, but won all four since then — Virginia Union (14-11), Gannon (23-10) and Cheyney (52-12) in 2008, and Clarion (45-31) in 2009, the only night game on this year's schedule.

PSAC PRESEASON POLL: ESU was picked to finish third in the 2009 PSAC East Coaches Poll, which was released at PSAC media day on August 3. The Warriors, who received one first place vote, were selected behind preseason favorite Bloomsburg and defending PSAC East champion West Chester. C.W. Post was fourth, followed by Shippensburg, Kutztown, Millersville and Cheyney.

In the West, defending PSAC champion and two-time NCAA semifinalist California was picked to defend its title, followed by Edinboro, IUP and Mercyhurst. Slippery Rock, Gannon and Clarion, all on the Warriors' schedule in 2009, were fifth through seventh. The 2009 season will mark the second year of the PSAC State Game, which was held annually from 1960-1987 and returned last season.

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, 2008, which gave head coach Denny Douds the PSAC record with his 213th career victory. ESU is 3-6 all-time in overtime contests.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Two members of this year's team have fathers who earned letters for the Warriors under Coach Douds. They join at least five other father-son combinations who have been affiliated with ESU football since Douds arrived in 1966:

R-Fr. DE Sam Hull - father Chris was a four-year letterwinner at DE from 1984-87
R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall - father Brian was the Warriors' leading passer in 1981

* Michael Falcone lettered at linebacker in 1973, his son Bryan earned 3 letters at linebacker from 2000-02
* Steven Jackson lettered 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
* Willard Stem was an All-American safety in 1975, his son Drew was a two-year starter at wide receiver and kick returner in 2007 and 2008
* 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 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 206-98-1 (.677) record in PSAC games for the third-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field title was awarded in 1960.

EILER-MARTIN STADIUM: Eiler-Martin Stadium has been home to the ESU football program since 1938 and was named in honor of John R. Eiler, an outstanding athlete at the school in the early 1930s and later athletic director and a championship soccer coach, and Gene Martin, the Warriors' head football coach from 1942-57 and the school's long-time Dean of Men. The stadium has been upgraded several times since its construction. New home bleachers were added in 1960, the current press box was installed in 1988, the track was resurfaced and expanded in 2005, lights were added in 2007 and FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2008 season. The Warriors have a 115-60 record at Eiler-Martin Stadium under head coach Denny Douds and a 35-17 home record since the start of the 2000 season.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: ESU has led the PSAC with 10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II selections in each of the last two years and produced two Academic All-Americans in 2008-09, men's basketball player Chris Bach and track & field athlete Paul Wagner. ESU also led the conference with five “Top 10” honorees last year. R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed was first team Academic All-District last year and will have an opportunity to become the fifth ESU football player to be named an Academic All-American. Matt Crispell (DB, 2004) and Ernie Siegrist (TE, 1984) were both first team Academic All-Americans and Ed Detwiler (K-P, 1992) and Warren Brown (LB, 1979) were mentioned on the second team.