EAST STROUDSBURG -- Following an impressive defensive performance in a win over Mercyhurst, the East Stroudsburg University football team will head to Lock Haven for its PSAC East opener on Saturday night. Kickoff between the Warriors (2-1) and Bald Eagles (1-2) is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Hubert Jack Stadium.

How To Follow

• Fans will be allowed at Hubert Jack Stadium. Facial coverings are not required, but LHU encourages social distancing. Face coverings are required inside campus buildings. Ticketing and Tailgating information can be found on golhu.com.
• Stream: The game will be broadcasted on 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.
• Radio: Bigfoot Country 103.1 FM 840 AM enters its 56th year broadcasting Warriors' football. Chuck Seese (pxp) and Bob Brittain (color) are on the call for every home and away game on the radio dials and online. 
• Live stats are available here.

The Series

• The Warriors and Bald Eagles have met 22 times, with ESU holding a 13-9 edge.
• First meeting in 1926, ESU thumped LHU, 99-0 in the first game of the series. 
• The Warriors won seven consecutive meetings from 1999 to 2015.
• In the latest meeting in 2019, Jake Cirillo threw for five touchdowns and 280 yards in a 63-14 win at Hubert Jack Stadium.  ESU built a 42-7 halftime lead, featuring three receiving touchdowns from Javier Buffalo. ESU posted 497 yards of total offense, while forcing the Bald Eagles to punt seven times in the win.

Last Time Out

• The Warriors' stout defense allowed less than 100 yards of total offense through three quarters and built a 17-0 halftime lead to knock off Mercyhurst, 17-7 last Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
• The Lakers were able to get on the scoreboard with a touchdown drive early on in the fourth quarter, but ESU buckled down defensively and forced a turnover-on-downs the following drive to secure the victory.
• Gunner Anglovich, the PSAC's leading rusher, accounted for 136 yards from scrimmage (89 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving). Matt DeLaurentis filled in for the injured Jake Cirillo, completing 14-25 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.

Runnin' and Gunnin': Anglovich continues to lead the PSAC in rushing (23rd nationally), averaging 101.7 yards per game. He currently ranks second in all-purpose yards per game in the conference, trailing Clarion's Quinn Zinobile by less than two yards. He has reached triple digits in yards from scrimmage in all three contests this season. He looks to become the first Warrior to lead the PSAC in rushing since all-time ESU rushing leader Robert Healy ran for 116.3 yards per game as a redshirt-senior in 2016.  

Stout D: Despite a historically rich tradition of offense, it's been the Warriors' defense that has led ESU to a successful start to the 2021 season. The Warriors rank 11th nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage (22.9%), 26th in red zone defense (60.0 %), 38th in rushing defense (102.3 ypg), 22nd in scoring defense (14.3 ppg), 21st in team sacks (3.67 per game) and 50th in total defense (312.3).  

My Dear Watson: Tyler Watson has made his presence felt from the free safety position, collecting an interception and forcing a fumble through the first three games of the 2021 campaign. Watson, a captain, ranks 13th in the country and is tied for first in the PSAC in passes defended, averaging 1.7 passes defended per contest.

Hay, That's Mine: Aiden Hayward has caused havoc in opponents' backfields this season, causing two fumbles in three contests. His two forced fumbles are tied for 10th most in Division II.

Taking Care of The Rock

• The Warriors are one of just 18 teams (out of 163) in Division II to not throw an interception this season and have not thrown an interception in 692 days, dating back to Nov. 2, 2019 against Shepherd. The streak spans five entire games, parts of six games, 21 quarters and 146 attempted passes. Among Division II teams, ESU's 146 attempts ranks second to only the University of Mary's  187 attempts without throwing an interception among active leaders.
• Of the 18 teams, ESU has attempted the sixth-most passes this season (84) without throwing an interception.
• Three quarterbacks have attempted passes for ESU since its last interception (Jake Cirillo, Ben Moser and Matt DeLaurentis).
• During that span, Cirillo (74 att.), Moser (32 att.) and DeLaurentis (40 att.) have completed 78-146 passes for seven touchdowns.
• The Warriors have turned over the ball just twice this season, both on fumbles from the quarterback position.
• As a result, the Warriors are tied for 12th in the country in turnovers and 22nd in turnover margin.

ESU Consecutive Passes without an Interception (Individual QB)
211, Matt Soltes . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . 2013
170, Jimmy Terwilliger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005-06
137, Matt Soltes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . 2015
136, Jimmy Terwilliger (R-FR) . . . .. . . . . . 2003
121, Damian Poalucci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997
119, Jeremy Palm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001-02
74, Jake Cirillo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2019-21

ESU Consecutive Passes without an Interception (Multiple QBs)
176, Matt Soltes/Nate Daniels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013
173, Jimmy Terwilliger/Joey DeLuise........................2005-06
146, Jake Cirillo/Ben Moser/Matt DeLaurentis..........2019-21

Consecutive Passing Attempts without throwing an Interception (Min. 60 passes thrown in 2021)

Rank	School	Attempts	Date of Last INT
1.)	Mary	187	Nov. 2, 2019
2.)	East Stroudsburg	146	Nov. 2, 2019
3.)	Chadron State	142	Oct. 31, 2020
4.)	Fairmont	129	Oct. 19, 2019
5.)	Sioux Falls	111	Nov. 16, 2019
6.)	IUP	94	Nov. 23, 2019
7.)	Bluefield State	93	First year of reinstatement
T8.)	Wayne State (Neb.)	93	Nov. 16, 2019
T8.)	Concordia-St. Paul	93	Nov. 16, 2019
10.)	Minnesota Duluth	88	Nov. 16, 2019

Red Zone, Our Zone: ESU has owned the red zone from an offensive and defensive perspective, ranking 26th in the country in red zone defense (60.0) and have scored on eight of nine possessions in the red zone offensively. Seven of those eight drives resulted in touchdowns.    

Control the Line of Scrimmage: ESU's offensive and defensive line have helped the Warriors to a 2-1 start. The Warriors have allowed just three sacks in three games, while the defensive pass rush has produced 11 sacks through three contests. The offensive line has made holes for Anglovich, the PSAC's leading rusher, as the Warriors rank second among  PSAC teams in rushing yards per contest.

Dirty Laundry: ESU will look to correct its penalty woes, with 29 penalties this season for an average of 85 yards per game. That mark ranks 146 of 163 in fewest penalties per game among Division II foes.

He Does It All: Fullback and captain David Akinwande has become an important part of ESU's offensive attack, rushing for 138 yards this season on just 15 carries. Akinwande put together a 50-yard rush on one of the first plays from scrimmage of the season against Pace and ran for a crucial 20-yard first down that sealed the win against Mercyhurst. Akinwande, a man of many talents, is also a nursing major at ESU. He helped administer COVID-19 vaccines at nearby Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, including giving a vaccine to ESU football athletic trainer Jayme Galdieri. Akinwande additionally serves as ESU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) President.

Scouting Lock Haven

• LHU enters the matchup with a 1-2 record, posting a 20-0 win over Lincoln in the season opener, but fell to PSAC West opponents Cal U (59-0) and Slippery Rock (57-7) by large margins.
• The Bald Eagles are under direction of first year head coach John Kelling, who most recently served as the defensive coordinator at Frostburg State prior to taking the reigns at LHU. He helped Frostburg State to three 10-plus win seasons from 2016-18, guiding the Bobcats to the top scoring defense in the Mountain East Conference in 2019.
• The Bald Eagles use a plethora of players, with four players attempting passes, 13 players attempting a rush and 12 players catching a pass through three games this season.
• Starting quarterback and Schneckville, Pa. native Ethan Persa has completed 23-of-51 passes this season for 207 yards.
• The youthful LHU squad had 20 freshmen listed on their two-deep depth cart heading into the season opener.

Historic Performance

• Only Johnny Lee Davis (5 sacks 1991 at Lenoir-Rhyne) and Eric Sampson (5 sacks in 1988 vs. Kutztown) have recorded more than Deshawn McCarthy's four sack game against Pace in the season opener.
• McCarthy ranks fifth in the country in sacks with 1.5 per contest and is currently 12th in DII with 2.2 tackles for loss per game

Up Next: The Warriors complete the two-game road trip against Kutztown on Oct. 2 at noon.