STORYLINES
FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
The Warriors are coming off their most complete game against a quality opponent, shutting out Bloomsburg 34-0. There was something to be happy about in every facet of the game: the dominance of the run game, junior WR David Washington Jr. emerging in the receivers room, winning the turnover battle 2-0, and holding the Huskies to 147 total yards. ESU’s had a three-game stretch where it has controlled every facet of the game, outscoring Lackawanna, West Chester, and Bloomsburg 112-13. The +99-point differential is the largest across three games since HC Jimmy Terwilliger’s first season, when the Warriors defeated Edinboro, Lock Haven, and Millersville by a combined 112 points.
NO ROAD BLUES
ESU has gone 3-0 this year as the road team, marking the third straight year the Warriors have started the season with three road wins. They’ve also won their last two games when playing at Shippensburg, with 2024’s 45-0 standing as the largest margin of victory in the all-time series. ESU’s 23-16 win at Shippensburg in 2022 marked the beginning of a flip in the matchup, as the Raiders won 11 of 12 games from 2009 to 2021. Since 2022, ESU has won the last four, doing so convincingly. The Warriors have not allowed the Shippensburg offense to score a touchdown in consecutive games, shutting down the Raiders across 23 straight drives.
FULL STEAM AHEAD
After starting the year strong on the ground, the Warriors have leaned even further into their offensive identity as one of the best rushing attacks in the country. ESU is averaging 271.2 yards per game, the ninth-most in Division II, and picking up 6.0 yards per carry. The Warriors have yet to finish below 240 rushing yards in a game, eclipsing 300 once against West Chester. ESU is looking for its first game of 350-plus rushing yards in program history, a feat that this year’s team has the potential to pull off on any given week.
RIDING THE HOT HAND
While the work of the rushing offense is still being done by a committee, senior RB Ajani Walker has taken the lead role in the backfield over the past two weeks. Against West Chester and Bloomsburg, Walker carried the ball 29 times for 256 yards, averaging nearly nine yards per rush. He earned PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week honors two weeks ago when he hit a career high with 154 rushing yards versus the Golden Rams, mirroring his two-game stretch last season when he had consecutive 100-yard games against the same two opponents. On the season, his 7.8 yards per carry is second in the conference and ninth in Division II, and his 79.0 yards per game has moved him up to fourth in the PSAC.
A DEVELOPING OUTSIDE GAME
As the Warriors have become known for their running game, their receiving corps is starting to find form at the right time. Fifth-year WR Elijah Ford has made himself the weekly top target since his second game with ESU, and Washington Jr. appears to be poised to fill the role on the opposite side of the field. Combining for nine receptions and 100 yards, those are the most receptions between any two ESU receivers this season. With Ford and Washington Jr. leading the pass-catchers, ESU could boast a deep group with senior WR Cam Burti and sophomore WR Jalen Cook to round out the offense.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
For as strong as ESU’s offense has been by averaging over 37 points per game since the bye week, the defense has been just as good. With a 13-point game being sandwiched between two shutouts, the Warriors have allowed 4.3 points per game across their last three contests. Two of the main reasons why they’ve had success recently have been creating negative plays and getting off the field. There’s been a noticeable difference in plays being made behind the line of scrimmage, as ESU only had 14 tackles for loss through its first three games, but has totaled 29 since. Allowing under five yards per play, the Warriors have held their last three opponents to a 15.6% third-down conversion rate. And although ESU hasn’t gotten a stop in its own red zone this year, they haven’t let anyone snap the ball inside their red zone at all in the last three weeks.
STEPPING UP
ESU’s had standouts at all three levels of its defense lately, making plays week-in, week-out. Up front, fifth-year DL Jake Williamson has recorded at least 1.0 tackle for loss in three straight weeks, accumulating 5.5. In the middle, junior LB Camerin Gross is enjoying a breakout campaign that has him leading the Warriors with 44 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. Averaging 1.4 tackles for loss per game, he ranks fourth in the PSAC in that category and is tied for first with three forced fumbles as well. Back in the secondary, fifth-year DB Everette Dingle and junior DB Harold Hill IV are peaking at the right time. Dingle has come up with interceptions in consecutive games now, also ranking third on the team with 26 tackles. Hill IV leads the conference with 1.7 passes defended per game, coming up with three and an interception against West Chester and not being tested at all versus Bloomsburg.
PSAC WEEKLY AWARDS
Though the Warriors won’t have senior LB Mason Smith, last week’s PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week, the Raiders have both the division’s Offensive and Special Teams Athletes of the Week. QB Roman Jensen is coming off a career game against Millersville, and K/P Wilson Ingerski had a perfect day on punts and PATs. Jensen, a transfer from the University of Maryland, went 16-for-26 on his pass attempts, racking up 242 yards and five touchdowns at Millersville. Of those touchdowns, three of them were scored from outside the red zone. His 228.3 yards per game is fourth among qualified passers in the PSAC. When Jensen and the Raiders weren’t scoring, Ingerski was pinning the Marauders deep in their own territory. Four of his five punts ended up inside the 20-yard line, and the only one that wasn’t downed in that range was because he avoided a block attempt that broke through the line.
PERIMETER TEST
The Warriors’ secondary will have one of their bigger challenges of the season in limiting Shippensburg WR Chris Adegunle. The junior wideout has racked up 523 yards on 38 receptions, averaging the second-most yards per game in the conference with 87.2. His first two games were his best of the season yardage-wise, putting up 97 yards on five catches against Lock Haven and 165 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions versus West Virginia Wesleyan. He’s had three games of seven or more receptions in their last four, but hasn’t recorded more than 73 yards during that span. His partner next to him on the depth chart, WR Derek Guzman, started the year strong against the Bald Eagles and had a bounceback game last week against the Marauders. After opening 2026 with four catches for 114 yards, he had a quiet four-week stretch up until last week. Guzman was Jensen’s favorite target at Millersville, hauling in seven catches for 60 yards and a pair of scores.
RAIDERS’ DEFENSE
In the box, Shippensburg’s led by three of the top tacklers in the PSAC. Linebackers Nate Myers and Alex Sauve rank first and third on the team in tackles for loss with 10.0 and 6.5, with Myers leading the conference, while also tied with each other for the team lead with 55 tackles. DL Luke Hines is second on Shippensburg with 8.0 tackles for loss, with 5.0 of them coming on sacks. The senior also has three forced fumbles, tied with Gross for the conference lead, recovering two as well. In the secondary, defensive backs Javani Mosley and Kaden Shope each have a pair of interceptions on the year. Mosley has also broken up eight passes, the most on the Raiders, and his 39 tackles are third.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Now halfway through the year, two Warriors are in position to record record-breaking efficiency seasons. Junior RB Cade Sawyer is currently averaging 8.9 YPC, two-tenths of a yard better than Derek Lucas’ mark of 8.7 in 2003. Senior K Ty Quintos has gone 11-of-14 on his field goal attempts this year, putting him at third currently with 78.6%. Only Jordan Walters (16-of-19, 2019) and Ed Detwiler (13-of-16, 1989) have better percentages in a single season.
RANKINGS TALK
After receiving votes in the first two weeks of the American Football Coaches Association poll (AFCA), the Warriors are back as a mention in the list. ESU received the 14th-most votes of a non-ranked team, rounding out the five PSAC teams listed in the release. Kutztown has held firm at No. 3 all season, while No. 7 Slippery Rock continues to climb. No. 19 Indiana (Pa.) fell from being ranked tenth after losing to Lock Haven, but they host The Rock this weekend. ESU’s next opponent, Shepherd, has the most votes of a team outside the top 25.
