Box Score  l  Pregame Info

FAIRMONT, W.V. - Redshirt junior tailback Jaymar Anderson had 26 carries for 125 yards, senior wide receiver Tim Wilson caught four passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and East Stroudsburg University's rebuilt defense held Fairmont State's offense to nine points, all in the first half, for a 20-16 win in non-conference football in the 2017 opener on Thursday night in West Virginia.

ESU scored 17 straight points in a 14-minute span, covering most of the second quarter and the early part of the third, to lead 20-9 with just under 25 minutes left.

The only scoring in the remainder of the contest was an eight-yard interception return for a TD by Fairmont's Naiquan Thomas on ESU's second play of the fourth quarter.

FSU, which was 10-2 overall and reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time in school history in 2016, drove inside the ESU 20-yard line with less than four minutes left, but the Warriors defense held on fourth-and-six from the 15-yard to turn the ball over on downs.

ESU managed to erase the final 3:49 off the clock, gaining one first down by rush and another by a 15-yard facemask on third-and-21, to seal their ninth season-opening win in the last 10 years.

The defense forced three fumbles and held Fairmont State to 197 yards on their final nine possessions - the biggest chunk an 11-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a fumble at the ESU 12-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter - after FSU scored a field goal and a touchdown on two of its first three possessions.

Anderson had ESU's eighth 100-yard rushing game in a season opener in its 44th year under head coach Denny Douds, who leads active NCAA coaches in career games (452 - 8th all-time) and is second among active coaches in career wins (261 - t-16th all-time).

Anderson ran eight times for 79 yards and a TD in last year's season opener, a 49-14 win at Brevard, before suffering a season-ending injury - removing the top backup to all-time leading rusher Robert Healy, who set ESU single-season recods with 1,163 yards and 18 TD in 8.5 games last fall.

ESU redshirt senior quarterback Tim DiGiorgio, who started the final four games last season, was 10-for-28 for 168 yards, one TD and three interceptions, connecting with Wilson (58 rec, 910 yds, 8 TD in 2016) for a 10-yard go-ahead TD with 8:16 left in the second quarter after the Warriors were stopped on downs inside the five-yard line on their previous possession.

DiGiorgio found Wilson for a 43-yard gain to the one-yard line on ESU's next drive, with sophomore fullback Wyatt Clements plunging in from one-yard out for his first career TD and a 17-9 lead with 3:49 left in the first half.

Sophomore kicker Jordan Walters was 2-for-2 on field goals, hitting from 20 and 24 yards, and 2-for-2 on extra points in his debut for the Warriors.

JaJuan Young-Battle was 21-for-32 for 234 yards and carried 11 times for 57 yards to lead Fairmont State. Terrell Charles, who had 887 yards and 12 TD in 2016, had 12 carries for 41 yards.

Andre Hall (5 catches, 79 yards) and Shawn Harris (5 catches, 77 yards) paced FSU's receivers. Laurence King, who had 88 catches, 973 yards and 7 TD as a freshman, caught five passes for 38 yards.

Anderson, junior tailback James Bell (8 carries, 16 yards; 2 catches, 22 yards) and redshirt junior tailback Marquis Fells (4 carries, 9 yards) helped ESU gain 140 rushing yards on 45 carries.

ESU built a 32:10 to 27:50 advantage in time of possession thanks to the running game.

Three Warriors had forced fumbles and three had fumble recoveries. Redshirt freshman safety Dylan Murphy forced a fumble recovered by senior safety Jean Charles on a punt following FSU's first possession, setting up Walter's 20-yard field goal for the first points of the night. In the third quarter, redshirt sophomore safety Justin Johnson forced and recovered a fumble on FSU's second possession of the second half, and sophomore cornerback Jamal Cooley forced a fumble, recovered by redshirt senior linebacker Dakota Everett, end to Fairmont's long drive on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Cooley and redshirt senior linebacker Sekou Jones both had a team-high 10 tackles. Everett had eight stops, a sack, fumble recovery and blocked the extra point after Fairmont took a 9-3 lead with its only offensive TD of the game in the first minute of the second quarter.

The Warriors returned six starters from the 2016 defense, which had 24 different players make starts, including 13 defensive backs. All three starters on the defensive line were replaced, with redshirt sophomore end Justin Barat, a part-time starter in 2016, and junior Mike Zakrzewski the two returners with the most experience. Redshirt junior nose guard Joseph Ruggiero and redshirt freshman free safety Calvin Fielding both made their first career starts for the Warriors defense.

ESU faced Fairmont State for the first time, and a school from the Mountain East Conference (formerly WVIAC) for the first time since ending a six-game series vs. Shepherd in 2003.

The Warriors are on the road at No. 9-ranked IUP next Saturday at 4 p.m. The Crimson Hawks won their opener vs. Ashland, 26-23, on a 47-yard field goal at the buzzer on Thursday night.


GAME NOTES

ESU rushing yards, season opener, under Denny Douds (since 1974)
154 - Andre Castiglioni vs. Clarion, 2000
149 - Andre Castiglioni vs. Clarion, 2001
139 - Robert Healy at Brevard, 2016
130 - Pete Radocha vs. Montclair, 1976
125 - JAYMAR ANDERSON at Fairmont State, 2017
107 - Zach Krise at Virginia Union, 2009
106 - Orlando Williams vs. AIC, 1995
101 - Kendrick Williams vs. Pace, 2011

* Healy (3,993 career rushing yards) had 16 career 100-yard rushing games over the last 4 years.
* Anderson is the first ESU running back with a 100-yard game, besides Healy, since Eric Deery (167) and Kendrick Williams (151) both went over 100 vs. Cheyney in 2012.
* Anderson is the 43rd player with a 100-yard rushing game in ESU's 44th season under Douds.

* ESU had 46 players see action in the season opener, including 13 who saw their first action at ESU:
TB - Devante Robinson (R-Fr.)
WR - Jylil Reeder (Jr.), Hassan Evans (Jr.)
DE - Denis Corbin (Fr.), Isaiah Reigel (Fr.)
DL - Joseph Ruggiero (R-Jr.), Keanan Baines (Fr.), Andre Eldridge (Fr.)
CB - Mark Collins, Jr. (R-Jr.)
S - Dylan Murphy (R-Fr.)
FS - Calvin Fielding (R-Fr.), Billy Inge III (R-Jr.)
K - Jordan Walters (So.)

* 7 Warriors made their 1st career starts:
TB - Jaymar Anderson (R-Jr.)
FB - Wyatt Clements (So.)
WR - Jylil Reeder (Jr.)
LG - Mike Nieman (R-Jr.)
RT - Shane Trevorah (R-Jr.)
NG - Joseph Ruggiero (R-Jr.)
FS - Calvin Fielding (R-Fr.)

* Fairmont State's Jason Woodman was the 111th opponent for ESU head coach Denny Douds
* Douds improves to 73-38 in his first match-up vs. a head coach
* IUP's Paul Tortorella will be the 112th next week

* ESU has won 34 straight games when holding its opponent under 20 points
* ESU is 75-2 in its last 77 games when entering the 4th quarter with a lead of 10+ points (led 20-9 entering 4th)