EAST STROUDSBURG -- After defeating Bloomsburg for the first time since 2015 last week, the East Stroudsburg University football team looks to down Shippensburg for the first time since 2014, when the Warriors (5-3, 3-2 PSAC East) host the Raiders (6-2, 3-2 PSAC East) this Saturday. Kickoff at Eiler-Martin Stadium is set for 1:05 p.m. in the Poconos. 

How To Follow

• Fans are allowed inside Eiler-Martin Stadium. All fans are encouraged to wear masks when they cannot socially distance. Masks are required when inside any University building on campus. Ticketing information can be found here.
• TV: For the 34th consecutive season, Blue Ridge TV 13 will broadcast all home games to the region, with Chris Doty and Jim Riley calling the action.
• Stream: Fans can watch a stream of the Blue Ridge TV 13 broadcast online via the PSAC Sports Digital Network. The PSAC Sports Digital Network is available on the web, along with streaming applications for television and mobile devices for Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku (TV), iOS, Android (mobile) and Amazon Fire Tablet. Search "PSAC Sports Digital Network" to download the app. All ESU broadcasts are archived on the PSAC Sports Digital Network and can be watched on-demand.
• Radio: Bigfoot Country 103.1 FM 840 AM enters its 56th year broadcasting Warriors' football. Chuck Seese and Bob Brittain are on the call for every home and away game on the radio dials and online. 90.3 FM WESS Radio will also broadcast the game.
• Live stats are available on esuwarriors.com.

Shirts off My Back: Prior to kickoff around 12:24 p.m., the Warrior football team will honor ESU professors, faculty and staff on the field. Student-Athletes have selected an ESU employee that has made an impact on their time on campus and will pose for a photo with an ESU football jersey, resembling a shirt off their back.

The Series: ESU looks to defeat Shippensburg for the first time since 2014 and for the first time at Eiler-Martin Stadium since 2008. In 2019, the Warriors suffered a 35-10 loss at home to the Raiders. A win for ESU would mark just the second win since 2008 and the fourth win since 2000. 

Last Time Out: After allowing a touchdown on the first drive of the game, the East Stroudsburg University football team made eight consecutive stops defensively and scored 35 unanswered points in a 35-14 victory over Bloomsburg last Saturday. After conceding the opening 77-yard touchdown drive, the stingy Warrior defense allowed just 88 yards of offense over the following eight Husky drives. Three of those drives, all in the second quarter, ended in turnovers, as Tyler Watson and Ryan Hieber tallied interceptions and Deshawn McCarthy would grab a fumbled snap in mid-air. Hieber's first career interception resulted in a touchdown, while McCarthy's recovery would later result in points Offensively, the tailback duo of Tyriq Lewis (114 yards, 1 TD) and Gunner Anglovich (86 yards) combined for exactly 200 yards rushing.

McCarthy The Menace: Last week against the Huskies, Deshawn McCarthy added another sack to his impressive season, sitting with 11.5 sacks through eight weeks of the season. The native Philadelphia is tied for the Division II national lead with Tylen Coleman from Western New Mexico. McCarthy also ranks in the top-10 in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 1.8 per contest. McCarthy is four sacks away from breaking the ESU school record of 15 in a single season. McCarthy and Andre Eldridge lead the ESU defense that ranks 14th in the country in total sacks (3.5 per game).

D-Fence: With the regular season winding down, the Warrior defense has put together one of its best seasons in recent memory. The Warrior defense, which ranks 25th in the country and fifth in the conference by allowing just 18.5 points per game. 18.5 points allowed per game would be the lowest in a single season mark for ESU since the Warriors posted an 18.5 opponent points per game mark in 2002.  Prior to that, the last time ESU averaged less than 18.5 points per game allowed would be 1993.

POW WOW: ESU earned a pair of athlete of the week honors this past week for the second time this season. Ryan Hieber (Defensive Athlete of the Week) posted ESU’s first interception return for a touchdown since current defensive back coach Billy Inge registered a 20-yard pick-six West Chester in 2018. Hieber’s 22-yard return for a touchdown is the longest for a Warrior team since Darius Jackson returned a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown against Cheyney in 2013. Hieber is the first defensive lineman to find the end zone on an interception since defensive end Adam DeAngelo took back an interception for a touchdown for 28-yards against Millersville during the 2000 season.   Tyler Watson still holds the longest interception return of the season, with a 54-yard interception return against West Chester. Devin Bartholomew (Special Teams Athlete of the Week) made a pair of field goals and all of his point-after-attempts this season. ESU is the lone team to make all of its PATs this season in the PSAC. Gunner Anglovich and Deshawn McCarthy also garnered athlete of the week honors during the same week against Millersville.  ESU’s three defensive athletes of the week (McCarthy 2x, Hieber) this season are the most for the Warriors since 2008. 

The House that Denny Built: A home field advantage is understated this season for the Warriors, holding a 4-0 record at Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium and a 1-3 record when playing away from the Poconos. With a win, ESU will have its first five-win home season since 2008 (5-1 at home) and look to complete its first season undefeated at home since 2002 (6-0 PSAC East Champs). An undefeated home slate has been accomplished 20 times overall at ESU since 1926 and eight times under legendary Denny Douds as head coach. Along with 2002, ESU also went undefeated at home under Douds in 1996 (4-0), 1992 (5-0), 1982 (5-0), 1979 (4-0), 1976 (5-0), 1975 (5-0), and his first season in 1974 (4-0). The Warriors also accomplished undefeated home seasons in 1968 (4-0), 1966 (3-0), 1965 (6-0), 1964 (4-0), 1962 (4-0), 1960 (4-0), 1956 (4-0), 1942 (3-0), 1934 (2-0-1), 1933 (3-0), 1932 (2-0-1), 1927 (5-0) and 1926 (4-0).

Pocono Power: ESU has outscored opponents 114-42 at home for an average score to 10.5. ESU has outrushed the opposition at home by an average mark of 243.2 yards to 81 opponent rushing yards. In total yards, ESU has outgained opponents by an average of 414.3 yards to 228.0. On third downs, ESU has converted 26/53 (49%) of its chances, while opponents have succeeded just 10 times in four games (10/46, 22%).  The Warrior defense has totaled 19 sacks in four games, while the offensive line has allowed just a single sack per game. In the red zone, ESU has scored on 15-16 opportunities, with 10 resulting in touchdowns. An opponent has to record more than 100 team rushing yards (Millersville, 100), and the Warriors have not allowed a team to pass more than 198 yards at home (Pace), Only nationally-ranked Slippery Rock was able to surpass the 200-passing yard threshold (278). By quarter, the Warriors have outscored the opposition by margins of 41-7, 45-7, 14-7 and have been outscored 21-14 in the fourth quarter with each game in hand. Some top performers individually at Eiler-Martin Stadium include Gunner Anglovich (113.5 rushing yards per game), Rece Bender (112.3 all-purpose yards per game), Paul Carreras 27 (6.7) and Deshawn McCarthy (8.5 sacks, 10 TFLs) and Jake Cirillo (36-60, 515 yards 6 TD, 3 INT). 

The Swiss Army Knife: Tyler Watson has continued to impress this season with his third interception of the season and his second over the last two weeks. In the PSAC this season, he ranks in the top-10 in forced fumbles (10th), fumbles recovered (8th), interceptions per game (2nd) and passes defended (2nd) and his making a case for all-conference honors. He leads ESU in interceptions (3), pass breakups (6), tied for first in forced fumbles (2) and fumbles recovered (1) and ranks third in tackles (40).

Runnin’ and Gunnin’: Gunner Anglovich returned to action after suffering a first half injury against West Chester and turned in another solid performance with 86 yards of rushing on 15 carries. Anglovich currently ranks third in the conference in rushing yards (750), tied for second in touchdowns (8). With ESU holding a halftime lead of 21-plus points the entire second half, Tyriq Lewis had a breakout performance with a career-best 116 rushing yards and his first collegiate touchdown. 

Big Play Rece: From a 99-yard program record kickoff return for a touchdown to a 96-yard completion that is tied for the longest pass play in Division II this season with Bowie State’s Darious Bowman, Rece Bender’s explosive plays have become regular. Along with the 96-yard reception, Bender has pulled in receptions of 79 yards (Pace), 64 and 53 yards against West Chester, and 40 yards against Bloomsburg and a total of six catches of 20-yards or more through eight weeks. 

Well Earned: ESU co-captains David Akinwande and Rece Bender will be presented with a Certificate of Appreciation at the beginning of halftime for their resounding presentation in ESU’s Diversity, Equity Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action webinar series. Akinwande and Bender dived into their diverse background, with Akinwande’s early childhood being spent in Nigeria before him and his family moved to Levittown, Pa. Bender was raised in Lancaster, Pa., attending Manheim Township High School. For more information and links to view past presentations in Diversity, Equity Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action, visit esuwarriors.com/DEI.

Redzone our zone: The Warriors rank in the top-25 nationally in both redzone defense (11th) and redzone offense (25th).

Scouting Shippensburg:

• The Raiders enter the contest with a 6-2 overall record with a 3-2 record in conference. Both of SU’s losses have come on the road, falling to pair of nationally-ranked foes at Shepherd (59-27) and Kutztown (20-3). 
• The Raiders are one of the best teams in the country at extending drives, leading the PSAC and ranking third nationally in time of possession (34:20). SU is successful at getting opponents’ offenses off the field quickly, ranking ninth nationally in first downs defense.   
• At quarterback, Brycen Mussina is among the top quarterbacks in the conference, ranking in the top-five of completions (4th), completion percentage (3rd), yards (4th), and touchdowns (5th). Mussina has tallied 17 touchdowns via the air, with only three interceptions. Strong arms run in the family, as Mussina is the son of MLB Hall of Fame Pitcher Mike Mussina. 
• Kicking is a strength for the Raiders, with freshman Jaxson Montross ranking seventh in the country in field goals per game and third in the conference in scoring with an average of eight points per game. 

Up Next: ESU heads to nationally-ranked Shepherd next weekend for the final road game of the regular season.