GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University opens the 2009 season at Virginia Union in a rematch of last year's season opener in which the Warriors upended the No. 25-ranked Panthers 14-11 at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The win was the first step in a 9-2 season for ESU, the eighth 9-win season in school history and the seventh under head coach Denny Douds, the PSAC record-holder with 218 career victories entering his 36th season.

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 6:30 p.m.

SEASON OPENERS: ESU is 24-11 in its previous 35 season openers under head coach Denny Douds. The Warriors won seven straight openers from 1999-2005 and broke a two-game losing streak in the first game of the year with last season's win vs. Virginia Union. ESU is 49-31-11 all-time in its first game of the season entering the 82nd year of varsity football.

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) holds the PSAC record for career wins with a 218-142-3 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 7 of the game notes.

Michael Bailey, Director of Athletics at Virginia Union since 2002, is in his first season as the head football coach of the Panthers. Bailey arrived in Richmond as an assistant football coach prior to the 1996 season, serving as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under Willard Bailey. Greg Richardson, previously the school's defensive coordinator, was head coach during a 5-5 season in 2008.

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.

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.

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 also expects to announce a partnership with PA SportsFever, which has broadcast five games over the past two seasons.

2009 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The 2009 ESU football roster features 44 players - 30 true freshmen, 12 redshirt freshmen and two junior college transfers - who may see their first career action for the Warriors this season. The rest of the roster includes 11 seniors, 15 juniors and 12 sophomores.

ESU has played 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.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN: R-Jr. OLB Matt Freed was a first team Daktronics Division II and third team AP Little All-American in his first year as a starter in 2008. Freed led the PSAC and was tied for sixth in Division II with 11.5 tackles per game and had 126 tackles, 11.0 tackles for a loss, four sacks and four interceptions. He was also a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II selection.

He was a three-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week (Gannon, C.W. Post, Slippery Rock) and the d2football.com national Defensive Player of the Week with 15 tackles (3.0 TFL), two sacks and two interceptions against Gannon. Freed had 10 or more tackles in eight games and at least 13 tackles five times.

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.

WARRIORS ON OFFENSE: While ESU loses eight starters from last year's offense, including WR Doug Ogden (three-year starter), QB Tim Roken and TB Joe Partridge (two-year starters) and LG Keith Weaver (All-Region, 1st team All-PSAC East), the Warriors still bring back several valuable members of a group that led the PSAC in passing (298.9 ypg) and was third in scoring (35.2 ppg) in 2008.

THE MARSHALL PLAN: R-Jr. QB Matt Marshall started two games (Cheyney, Slippery Rock) and played in two others last season and finished with a quarterback rating of 168.3. He was the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week in the final two weeks of the season, when he went 28-for-44 for 572 yards with six touchdowns in 6 1/2 quarters of action. Marshall was named the d2football.com national Offensive Player of the Week following the Millersville game.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: R-Sr. Sam Shuman, R-Jr. Jeff Giglio and R-Jr. Ed Kiser all averaged at least 16 yards per catch last season as ESU led the PSAC in passing at 298.9 yards per game.

Shuman had career-highs in receptions and yards last season and has four career 100-yard receiving games, including two in 2008. He led ESU with 36 catches for 534 yards in 2007, when he was second team All-PSAC East and named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II team while majoring in Pharmacy.

Giglio tied for 4th in the PSAC with 10 receiving TDs and was 7th with 68.1 yards per game last year. He finished the year with 301 yards over the final two games (5 catches, 139 yards, 2 TD at Millersville;
8 catches, 162 yards, TD at Slippery Rock) for the first two 100-yard games of his career. He had 15 catches for 383 yards and 5 TD with Marshall at quarterback last season.

Kiser averaged 18.5 yards on 24 catches and hauled in a 96-yard TD pass from Roken at Millersville, the second-longest pass play in school history. He 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.

FRESH START: The departure of Joe Partridge, who set the school record with 284 rushing yards at Cheyney in 2007 and gained more than 2,000 all-purpose yards during his career, gives several players an opportunity to contribute at tailback in 2009. R-Fr. Justin Lee is the projected starter and ran for a pair of touchdowns with the first team offense during the spring game last April. R-Jr. Zach Krise, a backup wide receiver the last two years, carried 11 times for 39 yards last season. True freshmen Eric Deery and Kendrick Williams have also seen a lot of action in the preseason - Deery ran for 1,718 yards and 13 TD at Phillipsburg (N.J.) and Williams set a conference record with 2,186 yards and 22 TD at Nottingham (N.J.) during their senior years last fall.

IN THE FRONT ROW: R-Sr. Morgan Thomas has started 30 career games, 17 at right guard and 13 at right tackle, and moves to left tackle for his senior season. He was second team All-PSAC East last year and was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by CDSdraft.com this summer. R-So. Dan Caffrey returns as the Warriors' center and started all 11 games after moving from the defensive line, where he spent his redshirt season.

R-So. Zach Sarginger played in eight games last year, mostly on special teams, and is the projected starter at right guard. R-Fr. Seve Rivers (left guard) and R-Fr. Wrenton Wright II (right tackle) will both see their first career action in the season opener.

ESU started the same five players on the offensive line in 10 of its 11 games last season, with graduate student Ryan Ehrie (Syracuse) lining up at left tackle, Keith Weaver (1st team All-PSAC East, 2nd team All-Region) at left guard, Caffrey at center, Thomas at right guard and Matthew Keller (two-year starter) at right tackle. The quintet combined for 82 career starts at the end of the season.

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 its posssessions) and kicked 12 field goals.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: The Warriors were second in the PSAC in third down offense (46.1 percent) last season.
by distance: 1-2 yards: 72% (26-36) 3-5 yards: 64% (14-22) 6+ yards: 33% (31-95)

WARRIORS ON DEFENSE: Returning All-American Matt Freed is the leader of a defense that lost six starters from last season. DT Miguel Rivera (three-year starter, 1st team All-PSAC East), DT Jeff Shrive, linebackers David Pacchioni, Fred Rice and Steve Van Alstine and CB Lionel Mitchell (Alabama, 1st team All-PSAC East, Cactus Bowl) combined for 124 starts during their careers for the Warriors.

Freed was the only first-year starter at linebacker last year and is the only returning starter this season. The projected starters are Jr. OLB Mark Kalo, Jr. ILB Kevin Schafer and R-So. ILB Taylor Cave, who have all been strong special teams contributors during their careers. Schafer made two starts at safety as a true freshman in 2007.

THE DEFENSIVE LINE: R-Sr. Matthew Faas and R-Jr. Jeff Case are both returning starters at defensive end. Faas had 35 tackles, led ESU's defensive linemen with 9.0 TFL and tied for the PSAC lead with four fumble recoveries, while Case had 33 tackles and 5.0 TFL. R-So. DE Cody Berry tied for the team lead with four sacks. Starters at defensive tackle are R-Sr. Keith Galinsky and R-So. Rudy Cerami.

BREAK IT UP: Jr. CB David Castillo was second in the PSAC with 15 passes defended (three interceptions, 12 pass breakups) and had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Gannon. He has started 16 straight games since midway through his freshman year.

THE SECONDARY: Senior safeties Nicholas Artinger (18 career starts) and Mike Gnall (9 starts) join Castillo to give ESU experience in the secondary. Artinger started 10 games last year while Gnall made seven starts as a sophomore in 2007. R-So. Shawnte Carroll made his first career start last season vs. Kutztown, and freshmen Mark Henderson and John Mack are also expected to contribute in the defensive backfield and on kick and punt returns.

ON SPECIAL TEAMS: The departure of All-American punter Nick Krut (46.0-yd avg. in 2008) and two-year starting kicker Greg Knauss, who set school records with a 53-yard field goal and five field goals in a game, leave both spots open going into the 2009 season. R-Jr. K Drew Reinhard and Fr. P Joseph Janovic will both see their first career action this fall.

PSAC DOMINANCE: In the past 10 years, ESU has had seven first team All-PSAC East punters and six first team kickers. Denny Douds has coached 14 first team kickers and 13 first team punters in his 35 seasons at ESU.

ESU'S RECORD WHEN . . : ESU is 51-4 when scoring at least 30 points and 59-9 when allowing less than 30 points since the start of the 2000 season. The Warriors have a 69-30 record in that time.

TOUCHDOWN DRIVES: ESU scored 47 offensive touchdowns last season, with 38 of the scoring drives resolved in three minutes or less.

less than 1:00 - 9
1:00-1:59 - 20
2:00-2:59 - 9

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Two members of this years 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

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.

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 204-97-1 (.677) record in PSAC games for the third-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field championship 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 athelte 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 114-59 record at Eiler-Martin Stadium under head coach Denny Douds and a 34-16 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.