PREVIEW: ESU Football vs. Bloomsburg

EAST STROUDSBURG – After three road games over the past four weeks, the East Stroudsburg University football team is set to begin a two-game homestand on Saturday, when the Warriors (6-1, 3-1 PSAC East) battle Bloomsburg (1-6, 0-4 PSAC East) on Saturday afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium for Youth Day. Game Time is set for 1:05 p.m. in the Poconos. 

How To Follow

• All six home games this season at Eiler-Martin Stadium will be broadcasted by Blue Ridge TV-13, with long-time broadcasters Chris Doty and Bob Capasso on the call for Saturday.
• Fans outside the region can view the Blue Ridge TV-13 feed globally via the PSAC Sports Digital Network. 
• For the 58th consecutive season, all 11 of ESU’s regular-season contests can be heard on the radio waves on Bigfoot Country Poconos 96.7-97.3 FM, along with an online feed on bigfootpoconos.com. Chuck Seese and Bob Brittian will call the action from Eiler-Martin Stadium.
• Live statistics are available on esuwarriors.com. 
• Follow @ESUWarriors on Facebook, X, and Instagram for pregame, in-game and postgame updates.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: Saturday’s contest serves as the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Pennsylvania Game at Eiler-Martin Stadium. ESU head coach Jimmy Terwilliger serves as a board member for the organization, while players Justin Cook, Deshawn McCarthy and Tahir Mills volunteer as “Bigs” in the organization. BBBS is always looking for people eager to positively impact a child and improve their community at the same time. Big Brothers especially are in high demand. For a few hours, a couple times a month, you can give a Little the invaluable gift of your friendship. By simply changing their perspective of what the world can offer, you can literally start changing their life. Play a board game. Make fun crafts. Hit the playground together. Just as your options are unlimited, so is your Little’s potential. To learn more about becoming a volunteer, visit bbbsnepa.com/volunteer.

Youth Day: Along with the BBBSNEPA initiative, ESU encourages local youth teams to attend Saturday’s matchup with the Huskies. Any youth football player that wears his/her jersey to the game will not be charged admission. 

The Hidden Opponent: ESU Football will be hosting its Mental Health Awareness Game in partnership with ESU’s The Hidden Opponent chapter. The Hidden Opponent is an accredited non-profit and advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and addresses the stigma within sports culture. Fans are encouraged to visit the marketing table during the game to learn more about the organization and its purpose.

Soles4Souls Raffle: THE ESU volleyball team is collecting new and slightly worn shoes at both their game against Kutztown on Fri., Oct. 20 at 7:00 p.m. along with the student-athletes collecting shoes at the main entrance of the football stadium. Fans who bring shoes will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win an ESU swag basket. To see how your shoes make an impact, visit: soles4souls.org/give-shoes

The Series: It will be the 86th meeting between programs separated by 72 miles on I-80. With two wins, ESU now trails in the all-time series by a mark of 43-41-2. ESU seeks its first three-game winning streak against BU since the 90s, when ESU won four consecutive matchups from 1990-93.

7-1?: The Warriors look to keep its winning ways going against Bloomsburg. A win over the Huskies will lift ESU to a 7-1 record, matching its best start through eight games since 2004. Led by sophomore QB and now head coach Jimmy Terwilliger, ESU began the campaign 7-0 before suffering its first loss of the season to West Chester in a tough 38-37 overtime loss on Homecoming. ESU started the season with a 7-1-1 record in 1993, 7-1 in 1992, 7-1-1 in 1991, 7-1 in 1982 (PSAC Champions), 7-1 in 1978 (PSAC Champions). ESU has now won its first eight games in a season since 1976, when Jimmy’s father and current offensive coordinator Mike Terwilliger led ESU to an 8-0 record, as ESU went on to tie Shippensburg in the PSAC Championship to close the season for a final record of 9-0-1.

AOW x 2: After helping guide the East Stroudsburg University football team to its first win over West Chester since 2012, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced on Monday afternoon that ESU safety TJ Harris and ESU returner Justin Cook were honored as PSAC East Athletes of the Week. Harris was named the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week, while Cook was tabbed the Special Teams Athlete of the Week. Harris made two interceptions and four tackles, while Cook accounted for 67 kickoff return yards on just a pair of returns. The Warriors last earned PSAC East Defensive and Special Teams Athlete of the Week during the 2021 season when Ryan Hieber and Devin Bartholomew were both selected. 

Party Like Its 1991?: After taking down West Chester last week for the first time since 2012, the Warriors look to defeat Bloomsburg for the third consecutive season. ESU has not taken down Bloomsburg and West Chester in the same season since 1991. During the PSAC East championship campaign, ESU defeated Bloomsburg 20-10 in Moosic at Lackawanna County Stadium, while earning a 28-21 Homecoming win over WCU. 

Husky 3-Peat?: ESU has not defeated Bloomsburg in three consecutive games since the Warriors downed BU in four straight matchups from 1990-1993.

Marksmen: The ESU quarterback room, with Sean McTaggart serving as the starting quarterback has combined to post the eighth-best completion percentage in all of NCAA Division II, completing 67.7% of passes in 2023. Only Slippery Rock (70.1%) has a higher percentage in the PSAC. Additionally, the Warriors rank fourth of 161 teams in team passing efficiency, leading the conference in the category.

D-Fence: The Warrior defense allowing just 18.3 points per game and 271.3 yards per game is a big reason why ESU sits at 6-1 after seven weeks. ESU currently allows just 73.3 rushing yards per game, which would rank second all-time at ESU since 1974. Only in 1978 has ESU totaled a lower output for its opponents, with an average of 59.7 rushing yards per game. ESU has yet to allow a 100-yd rusher this season and have 100 yards rushing total just twice this season against Pace and Kutztown. Overall, ESU’s rush defense ranks 12th in the country.

RUSH ESU: Along with the dominant rush defense, ESU’s rushing offense also paces the PSAC, averaging 197.6 yards per game on the ground. The Warriors are led on the ground by Tyriq Lewis, who ranks 32nd nationally in rushing and 13th in rushing yards per carry. Lewis has reached the end zone in every game except IUP, with seven rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. He has scored on the ground in six of seven contests and five consecutive matchups he was scored on the ground. 

Up Next: The Warriors are back at Eiler-Martin Stadium next week against Shippensburg for its annual faculty day at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Gametime against the Raiders will take place at 1:05 p.m.