Complete Game Notes (PDF)  l  PSAC Week 6 Notes  l  Last week's recap (L 69-67 5OT vs. Ship)

SATURDAY  l  1:00 p.m.  l  O'Shields-Stevenson Stadium

Follow:  redzonemedia.com  l  Twitter

Radio: Live on WVPO (ESPN Poconos) 840 AM for the 53rd season, and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 27th season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 15th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 12:30 p.m.

Tickets/Parking: Per Cheyney University, tickets are $20 for their Homecoming game. Parking is $10 per vehicle.


1st & 10 ...  Complete Game Notes (PDF)

1 • ESU travels to Cheyney for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The Warriors have won 35 consecutive games vs. Cheyney, an NCAA Division II record for consecutive victories in an uninterrupted series. ESU leads the all-time series, 58-1, with Cheyney's only win (7-3) in 1979.

2 • ESU fell to Shippensburg, 69-67 (5OT), in the longest game in program history last Saturday. The 5OT contest tied the PSAC record and was one short of the DII record (for games between DII opponents). ESU led 27-0 in the 2nd quarter and 41-14 with 5:03 left in the 3rd quarter before Ship scored 27 straight to tie the game at 41-all.

3 • Head coach Denny Douds holds the PSAC record for career wins (252), ranking 3rd in DII history, 20th in NCAA history and 3rd among active coaches.

4 • Douds holds the DII record and leads active coaches in career games (434). He coached his 500th overall game with the Warriors on Sept. 19 (56-12 W vs. Edinboro). Douds has been part of 502 of ESU's 802 games, and 297 of 468 wins, as a varsity program (since 1926).
4a • Douds is in his 42nd season as head coach and 50th at ESU overall.

5 • R-Sr. WR Jon Schnaars set PSAC records for catches (20) and TD (7) vs. Ship. Both are the most in college football this season.

6 • R-Sr. QB Matt Soltes tied a PSAC record for TD passes (9) vs. Ship. He threw for 594 yards (2nd at ESU, 3rd in PSAC history) and had 616 total yards (2nd at ESU, 4th in PSAC history). Soltes set a DII record with his 6th career game with 500 yards total offense, and tied a DII record with his 2nd game with 600 yards total offense.

7 • Soltes leads DII in passing (385.8 ypg) and is 2nd in total offense (415.6 ypg). He is a 2-time Harlon Hill candidate, joining 2014 winner Jason Vander Laan (QB, Ferris St) as the only active 2-time candidates. Soltes leads active DII QB's in career total offense per game (353.1 - 2nd in DII history), total offense (12,006 yds), passing yards per game (311.0) and pass TD (105).

8 • Schnaars leads DII in receiving (150.8 ypg), receptions (10.2 per game) and TD (11). He leads active DII players in career TD catches (34). Schnaars (20 rec, 218 yds, 7 TD) and Sr. WR Gerard Wendowski (10 rec, 222 yds, 2 TD) were the 1st ESU teammates with 200+ receiving yards.

9 • R-Jr. TB Robert Healy is the only NCAA player with 300+ yards rushing (412) and receiving (456) thru 5 weeks. He is 7th in DII in yards from scrimmage per game (172.8 ypg).  

10 • Healy (864) and Schnaars (754) have 1,618 combined rushing/receiving yards, the most among 2 teammates in DII football.


For more ... Complete Game Notes (PDF)

THE SERIES: ESU's 35 straight wins over Cheyney are an NCAA all-division record for an uninterrupted series. The Warriors won last year's meeting, 49-21, at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Only one of the last 15 meetings has been decided by less than 21 points - a 10-6 win at Cheyney's O'Shields-Stevenson Stadium in 2011. ESU leads the all-time series, 58-1, with Cheyney's only win coming in 1979 (7-3) when the Wolves won the PSAC East regular season title and advanced to the State Game, falling to Lock Haven, 48-14.

TAKEAWAYS vs. SHIPPENSBURG
1. Wendowski (10-222), Schnaars (20-218) and Healy (9-133) caught 39 of Soltes' school-record 40 completions.
2. Wendowski and Schnaars set a school record for combined receiving yards by 2 players (440).
3. Soltes threw for 499 yards and 5 TD (Schnaars: 17 rec, 201 yds, 4 TD) in regulation.
4. Soltes (594 pass yds, 616 total yds, 9 TD) and Schnaars (20 rec, 7 TD) both have NCAA single-game highs in 2015.
5. Soltes is the 1st ESU QB with 5+ TD passes in 3 straight games. He has 5+ TD passes in 10 career games (DII record is 12 - Curt Anes, Grand Valley State, 1999-02).
6. Soltes became the 10th QB in DII history with 10,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards (ESU - Soltes, Terwilliger and Grand Valley - Anes, Cullen Finnerty are only schools with 2 QB's on that list).
7. ESU set a school record with 107 offensive plays and gained 693 yards (7th in school history).
8. Combined 136 points were the 2nd-most in PSAC history (147 - West Liberty 84, Edinboro 63 in 2009 DII Playoffs).

HISTORIC NUMBERS THROUGH 5 GAMES
• Soltes - 1,929 passing yards (most thru 5 games - Soltes had 1,900 yards in 2014)
• Soltes - 2,078 total yards (2nd-most - Soltes had 2,154 yards in 2014)
• Soltes - 20 pass TD (tied for most - Damian Poalucci had 20 in 1996)
• Healy - 864 yards from scrimmage (most - Healy had 736 yards in 2014)
• Schnaars - 51 receptions (most - Evan Prall had 36 in 2006)
• Schnaars - 754 receiving yards (most - Prall had 688 in 2005)
• Schnaars - 11 receiving TD (most - Prall had 9 in 2005)

TRENDING UP: ESU has notched 2 straight winning seasons (6-5 in 2014, 7-4 in 2013), building on a 5-5 mark in 2012 after consecutive 3-8 seasons in 2010 and 2011. Since 2000, ESU is 103-67 (.606) with a .500+ record in 12 of 15 years.

DOUDS' MILESTONES: Douds is one of 13 men to reach 40 seasons as head coach in NCAA football history, the 9th to coach 40 years at one school, and the 5th to spend all of his 40+ year career at the same institution. He joins Eddie Robinson (Grambling, 1941-42, 45-97), John E. Dorman (Upper Iowa, 1905-06, 09-42, 45-59), Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1966-2011) and Jim Malosky (Minn.-Duluth, 1958-97) on that list.

Entering this week: has coached more games (434) than any active coach in NCAA football ... ranks 1st in DII history in games coached (set in 2011), and 9th in NCAA history ... 3rd in career wins (252) among active NCAA coaches ... 1st in the PSAC in career wins (set in 2008), 3rd in DII history and 20th in NCAA history ... 53 career wins since turning 65 - more than 10 of the other 15 PSAC coaches have in their careers.

DOUDS DWARFS PSAC EAST: Douds had 250 career wins entering 2015 ... the other 7 coaches in the PSAC East had combined for 164 wins while coaching in the PSAC - WCU's Bill Zwaan (101), Ship's Mark Maciejewski (31), Bloom's Paul Darragh (21), KU's Jim Clements (6), Cheyney's Chris Roulhac (3), Mill's Greg Breitbach (2) and LHU's Dave Taynor (0) ... Douds had coached 41 seasons in the PSAC entering 2015 (other 7 - combined for 24).

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63) has a career record of 252-179-3 (.584) in his 42nd season. He is in his 50th season at ESU overall, including 8 years as an assistant coach from 1966-73. He has led the Warriors to 9 PSAC titles and 4 NCAA Playoff appearances since taking over as head coach in 1974. His teams won outright state titles in 1975, 1978 and 1982 before the State Game was discontinued following the 1987 season. His teams have claimed PSAC East divisional titles in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1991, 2002 and 2003. NCAA Playoff appearances have come in 1991, 2004, 2005 - when the Warriors won the Northeast Region title and advanced to the national semifinals - and 2009.

Chris Roulhac is interim head coach at Cheyney and is in his second term as head coach of the Wolves, previously guiding the program from 1992-94. Roulhac was PSAC East Coach of the Year in 1993 with a 3-8 record and had an overall mark of 3-30 in 3 seasons (currently 3-35 in his 4th season. Roulhac has held coaching positions at Drexel, Roman Catholic HS, Simon Gratz HS, George Washington HS, West Chester (under Danny Hale), Temple (4 seasons), Colgate, Dartmouth and Ottawa of the CFL.

DOUDS' FOES: Douds has faced 108 head coaches in his career at ESU ... Dave Taynor (LHU) was Douds' 108th opponent on Sept. 26 ... Douds is 71-37 against first-time foes ... Douds faced Millersville's Gene Carpenter 27 times, and faced Danny Hale 26 times between his career at WCU and Bloom ... Among active coaches, his most frequent opponents are West Chester's Bill Zwaan (13), SRU's George Mihalik (12) and LIU Post's Bryan Collins (10).

PROGRAM WINS: ESU has a 468-315-19 (.595) record in its 88th year of varsity football. West Chester (575), IUP (531) and Slippery Rock (478) are the only other PSAC programs with at least 450 wins (Bloomsburg has 446) ... As head coach, Douds is responsible for 54.1 percent of the program's games (434 of 802), and 53.9 percent of its wins (252 of 468) ... Including 68 games and 45 wins as an assistant coach under Charlie Reese from 1966-73, he has coached in 502 of the 802 games (62.6 percent) and 297 of the 468 wins (63.5 percent) in program history ... There have been at least 4 head coaches at every other PSAC school since Douds was named head coach in 1974.

RETURNING ALL-PSAC EAST: ESU has 4 players who have earned All-PSAC East status in their careers:
QB - R-Sr. Matt Soltes (2013 and 2014 2nd team, 2012 Freshman of the Year)
TB - R-Jr. Robert Healy (2013 and 2014 2nd team, 2013 Freshman of the Year)
WR - R-Sr. Jon Schnaars (2014 2nd team)
CB - Sr. Teron Dobbs (2014 2nd team)

TWO TERWILLIGERS: Jimmy Terwilliger, the 2005 Harlon Hill Trophy winner as a junior at ESU, joins the Warriors' coaching staff as defensive backs coach ... He joins his father, Mike Terwilliger, ESU's offensive coordinator, on Denny Douds' staff ... Mike Terwilliger enters his 38th year as assistant coach after 4 years as ESU's starting QB from 1974-77 - Douds' first 4 years as head coach ... Mike was a 2-time 1st team All-PSAC East selection, leading ESU to a 30-4-1 record, the 1975 PSAC championship (10-0) and a tie in the 1976 State Game (9-0-1) ... Jimmy was 36-12 in 4 years as ESU's starting QB from 2003-06 and is the only 4-time 1st team All-PSAC East QB in conference history ... he set 18 DII and 2 NCAA all-division records, tying the all-time mark with 148 career TD passes and setting DII records for passing yards (14,350) and total offense (16,064), among other standards.

THE OFFENSE

ESU has routinely fielded one of the top offenses in DII, both in passing offense and total offense. The Warriors are one of 2 teams in DII (along with Colorado Mines) to average 300+ yards passing per game in each of the last 4 years:
2011 - 323.2 ypg ... 2012 - 327.6 ypg ... 2013 - 318.6 ypg ... 2014 - 329.1 ypg

R-Sr. QB Matt Soltes has started 31 of ESU's 37 games since the start of the 2012 season. In that span, ESU ranks:
• 2nd in DII in yards per play (6.8) of 169 teams in the division
• 5th in DII in passing yards per game (333.2 ypg)
• 5th in DII in total offense per game (490.8 ypg)

3,000 - 1,000: R-Sr. QB Matt Soltes and R-Jr. TB Robert Healy are the only active teammates in DII to account for 3,000+ yards total offense (Soltes) and 1,000+ yards from scrimmage (Healy) in each of the last 2 years:
• 2014 - Soltes (3,054 total yards), Healy (1,378 yards from scrimmage)
• 2013 - Soltes (3,716 total yards), Healy (1,333 yards from scrimmage)

10,000 - 3,000: Soltes and Healy are the only active teammates in DII, and one of three tandems in NCAA football, with 10,000 career yards total offense and 3,000 career yards from scrimmage

ESU (Matt Soltes 12,006 total yards -- Robert Healy 3,575 yards from scrimmage)
Oregon (Vernon Adams 12,351 total yards -- Byron Marshall 3,170 yards from scrimmage)
Guilford (Matt Pawlowski 10,158 total yards -- Adam Smith 3,254 yards from scrimmage)

HEALY, SCHNAARS  ARE DII'S TOP TANDEM: R-Jr. TB Robert Healy and R-Sr. WR Jon Schnaars have accounted for 1,618 combined yards (rushing + receiving), the most among 2 teammates in DII football. Healy has 864 yards from scrimmage (412 rushing, 452 receiving) and Schnaars leads DII players with 754 receiving yards. They have accounted for 61.3 percent of ESU's rushing and receiving yards this season.

RECORD-SETTING: Soltes holds 2 DII, 4 PSAC and 16 ESU records:
• DII - 6 career games with 500+ yards total offense
• DII - 2 career games with 600+ yards total offense (t-1st)
• ESU/PSAC - 666 yards of total offense, 2012 at LIU Post
• ESU/PSAC - 211 consecutive passes without an interception, 2013
• ESU/PSAC - 3 career games with 500+ yards passing
• ESU/PSAC - 9 pass TD in a game, 2015 vs. Ship (t-1st)
• ESU - 12 career games with 400+ yards total offense
• ESU - 8 career games with 400+ yards passing
• ESU - 10 career games with 5+ pass TD
• ESU - 40 completions in a game, 2015 vs. Ship
   [38, Steve Mummaw, 1970 at Lafayette]
• ESU - 70 pass attempts in a game, 2015 vs. Ship
   [59, Tim Roken, 2008 vs. Ship]
• ESU - 78 offensive plays in a game, 2015 vs. Ship
   [72, James Franklin, 1994 at Millersville]
• ESU - 5+ TD passes in 3 straight games (active)
• ESU - 4+ TD  passes in 5 straight games (t-1st)
• ESU - 400+ yards total offense in 3 straight games (active)
• ESU - top 2 marks in completion % (record 85.3 vs. Clarion, 2013)

DUAL THREAT: Soltes ranks 2nd at ESU in career rushing yards by a QB (1,433) and has 5 career 100-yard rushing games. He ranks 4th in PSAC history in career rushing yards by a QB.

• 2012 - 536 rushing yards (#2 QB rusher in PSAC)
• 2013 - 472 rushing yards (#2 QB rusher in PSAC)
• 2014 - 276 rushing yards (7.5 games - #5 QB rusher in PSAC)
• 2015 - 149 rushing yards (#3 QB rusher in PSAC)

500+ PASSING, 100+ RUSHING - NCAA History
One of 2 QB's in NCAA history with 500+ passing, 100+ rushing yards
• Matt Soltes - 535 passing, 131 rushing at LIU Post (2012)
• Zac Dysert (Miami OH) - 516 passing, 108 rushing at Akron (2012)

400+ PASSING, 100+ RUSHING - PSAC History
• Matt Soltes - 416 passing, 111 rushing at Shippensburg (2014)
• Matt Soltes - 535 passing, 131 rushing at LIU Post (2012)
• Jeff Petrucci (California) - 406 passing, 111 rushing vs. Edinboro (1968)

R-Sr. QB Matt Soltes
1. One of 2 active 2x Harlon Hill candidates in DII [3rd ESU 2x candidate - Jimmy Terwilliger (4), Damian Poalucci (2)]
2. 1st among active DII QB's in career total offense per game (353.1 ypg - 2nd in DII history)
3. Career pass efficiency (160.0) ranks 2nd among active DII QB's, 2nd at ESU, 3rd in PSAC history
4. Career total offense (12,006 yards) ranks 1st among active DII QB's, 2nd at ESU, 4th in PSAC history
5. Career passing yards (10,573 yards) ranks 2nd among active DII QB's, 2nd at ESU, 6th in PSAC history
6. Career pass TD (105) ranks 1st among active DII QB's, 2nd at ESU, 4th in PSAC history
7. Career TD responsible for (111) ranks 2nd among active DII QB's, 2nd at ESU, t-5th in PSAC history
8. DII record for career games with 500+ yards total offense (6) and t-1st for games with 600 yards total offense (2)
9. 1st among active DII QB's in career games with 300 (22), 400 (12), 500 (6) and 600 yards of total offense
10. One of 2 active NCAA QB's (with Oregon's Vernon Adams) with 10,000 career passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards
11. 10th DII QB with 10,000 career passing yards (10,573) and 1,000 rushing yards (1,433)

R-Jr. TB Robert Healy
1. 1st ESU player with 2,000 career rushing yards (2,358) and 1,000 receiving yards (1,217)
2. One of 3 active DII players with 2,000 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards
3. 7th in DII in yards from scrimmage per game (172.8 ypg) thru 5 weeks
4. 864 yards from scrimmage thru 5 weeks are the most in program history (had 736 in 2014)
5. Only NCAA (all-divisions) player with 400+ yards rushing (412), receiving (452) thru 5 weeks (also only with 300+)
6. One of 2 players in DII with 500+ yards rushing (817), receiving (561) in 2014
7. 1st among active PSAC players in career yards from scrimmage per game (132.4)
8. 100+ yards from scrimmage in 22 of 27 career games (200+ in 4 games)
9. Top 2 ESU seasons in yards from scrimmage by back (1,378 in 2014, 1,333 in 2013)
10. 2,358 career rushing yards - 5th at ESU (221 from school record - 2,579 by Rick Sterner, 1988-92)

R-Sr. WR Jon Schnaars
1. 1st in DII in receiving yards (150.8 ypg), receptions (10.2 rpg) and receiving TD (11) thru 5 weeks
2. PSAC records for receptions (20) and receiving TD (7) vs. Shippensburg in week 5 (218 yards)
3. Only DII player with 2 games with 200+ receiving yards (218 vs. Ship in week 5, 200 vs. Edinboro in week 3)
4. Ranks 1st among active DII receivers in career TD (34), 6th in yards (2,591) and 8th in receptions (176)
5. Ranks t-2nd at ESU in career receiving TD (34), 4th in receptions (176) and 6th in yards (2,591)
6. 25 receiving TD in last 16 games (at least 1 TD in 14 of those 16 games)
7. ESU records for receptions (51), yards (754) and TD (11) thru 5 games

Complete Game Notes (PDF)