Number 500?: Since records have been kept since 1926, ESU holds a program record of 499-359-19 for a 58 percent winning percentage. ESU looks to collect its 500th win in program history on Saturday against the Bald Eagles.
Above .500?: After the 3-0 start, ESU head coach Jimmy Terwilliger has evened his career record to 19-19. He looks to take his winning percentage to above .500 for the first time since Nov. 2, 2019 when Terwilliger held a 12-11 record after falling to Shepherd on Nov. 6, 2021
Last Week: Facing one of the top defenses in the conference, the East Stroudsburg University football team ran for 344 yards – the most since 2005 – and three touchdowns, while the Warrior defense held Seton Hill to 256 total yards in a dominant 55-21 victory over the Griffins on a Sunny Family Weekend Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Tyriq Lewis rushed for 129 yards and surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards to highlight their impressive rushing performance.
The Series: Saturday’s contest will mark the 25th meeting between institutions, with the programs first meeting in 1926 in a 99-0 win for ESU. The Warriors lead 15-8, with victories in three consecutive games and have won 11 of the past 13 games since 1999.
Last Time against LHU: The Warriors dominated the Bald Eagles last season in a 48-7 Family Weekend win for ESU. ESU scored 48 unanswered points until LHU scored its first touchdown. Devon Banks took home a 33-yd interception for a touchdown to open the scoring in the second quarter. Matt DeLaurentis threw a pair of touchdowns, while Tyriq Lewis rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Watson led ESU with seven tackles.
A look at the Bald Eagles: LHU is off to a 2-1 start with a dominant season-opening win against Post (58-7) and a thrilling 21-20 triumph over Clarion last week. Watch out for running back Chris Collier, who was named the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week after posting 169 rushing yards and a touchdown against Clarion this past week. He has rushed for at least 78 yards in all three games this season. Trailing 20-14 with seven seconds left, QB Danny Sanchez tossed a 31-yd touchdown pass off a reverse flea flicker to stun Clarion on the road.
Former Seawolves Squaring Off: A pair of Stony Brook Seawolve transfers appear to be the starting quarterbacks this week in ESU’s Charlie McKee and LHU’s Danny Sanchez. They did not overlap during their time on Long Island.
Running and Gunning: Charlie McKee shined during in the first-half performance against Seton Hill, tossing three touchdowns and running for two more, including a 69-yd outburst which is the longest rushing touchdown by a Warrior quarterback since at least 1969. McKee has completed 73.53% of his passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns to start his career in the Red and Black.
Feed Tyriq: Led by an experienced offensive line and Warrior tailback Tyriq Lewis, ESU’s rushing offense leads the entire PSAC (226.7 yards per game) and ranks 14th of 161 programs in NCAA Division II. Lewis, who enters his first season as the designated lead back, ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards per carry, 11th in rushing yards overall and 12th in rushing yards per game.
Setting the Pace: Along with rushing offense, the Warriors pace the PSAC in 3rd down percentage (.567, 7th in DII), 4th down conversion percentage (1.000), completion percentage (.773, 2nd in DII), defensive touchdowns (2, sixth in DII), fumbles recovered (5, fifth in DII), rushing defense (67.0, 14th in DII), scoring defense (14.0 ppg, 15th in DII), scoring offense (43.3 ppg, 13th in DII), total defense (261.1 yards per game, 21st in DII), turnover margin (2.33, 7th in DII) and turnovers gained (9, ninth in DII).
Up Next: After taking on LHU, ESU is back on the road against Kutztown to close the month of September. The matchup at Andre Reed Stadium is scheduled for noon. ESU returns to Eiler-Martin Stadium for Homecoming Weekend on Sat., Oct. 7 at 6:05 p.m. against Millersville.
