Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. - Redshirt junior tailback Zach Krise ran 26 times for 107 yards and a pair of two-yard touchdowns as East Stroudsburg University won its 2009 season opener 19-6 at Virginia Union on Thursday night at Hovey Field.

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Marshall completed 14 of his first 15 passes and finished the game 20-for-32 for 218 yards. Marshall also ran for 48 yards and led an ESU offense that compiled 413 yards, 26 first downs and controlled the ball for 34:35.

The Warriors opened the scoring with a six-yard pass from Marshall to redshirt junior Ed Kiser following a 15 play, 89-yard drive over 6:41 late in the first quarter. Marshall was 7-for-8 and also had a 10-yard run and Krise carried five times for 25 yards on the drive.

ESU went ahead 12-0 on Krise's first touchdown of the game with 11:38 left in the second quarter following a Virginia Union turnover as junior linebacker Kevin Schafer had a sack and forced fumble that was recovered by redshirt junior defensive end Jeff Case at the VUU 37-yard line. Marshall completed a 32-yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Sam Shuman to overcome a 3rd-and-28 and Krise scored on third-and-one from the two-yard line.

The Panthers got on the board for the only time of the night on a 60-yard run by Tarain Donaldson (16 carries, 104 yards) with 9:58 left in the second quarter. ESU threatened twice more in the first half but didn't come away with any points, missing a 34-yard field goal and coming up empty on first-and-goal from the five, and took a 12-6 lead into the half.

Virginia Union fumbled on its first two plays of the second half, recovering both times, and surrendered a sack to give the Warriors outstanding field position at the 40-yard line. The offense cashed in after Krise converted a fourth-and-two with a seven-yard run, and put ESU in the end zone five plays later. Redshirt junior Drew Reinhard made the extra point after missing his first two to give ESU a 19-6 lead.

The defense and the running game did the rest of the work for the Warriors, as they limited Virginia Union to 109 yards and Krise ran 17 times for 75 yards after intermission.

ESU improved to 25-11 in its 36 season openers under head coach Denny Douds, who extended his PSAC record with the 219th victory of his career. The Warriors were playing their first-ever game in the state of Virginia and second against Virginia Union after a 14-11 win over the No. 25 Panthers in last year's season opener.

Kiser (four catches, 75 yards), Shuman (5-76) and redshirt junior Jeff Giglio (6-69) led the Warriors' receiving corps and Shuman also threw a 52-yard pass to Kiser in the second quarter. Redshirt senior tight end Willie Bell caught four passes for 34 yards and Marshall spread the ball around to six different receivers.

Redshirt junior linebacker Matt Freed, an All-American in 2008, had eight tackles and one of the Warriors' four sacks. Case had seven tackles (2.5 for a loss), a sack and a fumble recovery and freshman cornerback John Mack also recovered a fumble in the third quarter.

Linebacker Hurley Hemphill had 14 tackles for Virginia Union. Quarterback Noel Johnson-Alexander was 15-for-26 for 154 yards before being replaced by Cheston Hickman, who went 6-for-8 for 46 yards. Joseph Jean-Pierre was the leading receiver with five catches for 67 yards.

ESU travels to Erie to take on Gannon next Saturday at 6 p.m. and is on the road for five of the first six weeks of the 2009 season. The Warriors defeated the Golden Knights, 23-10, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools last fall.