EAST STROUDSBURG – Redshirt senior quarterback
Sean McTaggart rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, redshirt junior tailback
Deante Crawford ran for two more scores, and East Stroudsburg University held Pace to 167 yards total offense in a 31-12 win in non-conference football on Thursday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
ESU (1-1) battled through three lightning delays – pregame, halftime, and the end of the third quarter – and heavy rainfall in a game that kicked off at 7:35 p.m. and ended at eight minutes to midnight.
McTaggart was 9-of-10 passing for 74 yards and ran 11 times for 104 yards, and was complemented by Crawford (18 carries, 61 yards, 2 TD) as the Warriors gained 190 of their 324 yards on the ground. Redshirt junior fullback
Matt Frame also punched in a nine-yard touchdown on his only carry in the fourth quarter.
Senior tight end
Beau Heyser (3 catches, 45 yards), sophomore wide receiver
Jaylen Andrews (4 catches, 36 yards) and Frame (2 catches, 25 yards) had nine of the Warriors' 14 receptions. McTaggart, senior
Charlie McKee (4-for-8, 37 yards; 3 carries, 12 yards) and redshirt sophomore
Harrison Susi (1-for-2, 23 yards; 3 carries, 12 yards) all attempted multiple passes.
Defensively, junior defensive end
Ashton Blose had nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 of the Warriors' seven sacks. Redshirt sophomore linebacker
Mason Smith added nine stops, redshirt junior defensive end
Trenton Dunnick had six tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble, and redshirt junior defensive lineman
Jake Williamson had six tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
ESU forced three Pace turnovers, all fumbles, and limited the Setters to 67 yards rushing, 12-for-20 for 100 yards passing, and 11 first downs.
Pace (0-2) led 9-3 after the first quarter, getting a safety after a muffed snap on ESU's first offensive play and a 46-yard touchdown run by Anthony Robinson midway through the quarter, before the Warriors dominated the rest of the way.
ESU scored two TD's in the second quarter, both on two-yard runs by Crawford after drives of 65 and 25 yards, the second following a fourth-down stop by Blose deep in Pace territory, to lead 17-9 at intermission.
Following a lightning delay, Pace got the only points of a fast-moving third quarter on a field goal that made it 17-12 just over five minutes into the period.
The final delay, the longest of the night, came at the end of the third quarter, two plays after ESU forced the second of its three turnovers.
The Warriors went 52 yards on eight plays in nearly five minutes spanning the quarter break, and Frame scored from nine yards to extend the margin to 24-12 with 11:31 remaining.
ESU's final scoring drive covered 70 yards, all on the ground, all by McTaggart, including a 33-yarder on the second play and a 26-yarder on the fifth play to find the end zone for a 31-12 lead with 4:33 left.
Ethan Coady (6-for-11, 46 yards) started and Ah-Shaun Davis (6-for-8, 54 yards) also played for Pace. Robinson led the Setters with 10 carries for 70 yards – the remainder of the team, including sacks, had 24 carries for a net loss of three yards.
Junior kicker
Ty Quintois was 1-for-2 on field goals, hitting from 35 yards in the first quarter and missing a 42-yarder in the fourth, and made all four extra points for ESU.
The Warriors, who dropped their opener to Edinboro 29-14 last Thursday, will be away from Eiler-Martin Stadium until Homecoming Saturday, October 11 vs. Bloomsburg.
The next four weeks bring a trip to Gannon next Saturday, followed by a bye week, and road dates at Lock Haven on September 27 and West Chester on October 4.
