STORYLINES
PACING THE SETTERS
ESU and Pace have played each other early in the schedule each season since 2021. The Warriors have gone 4-1 during that stretch, improving their record against the Setters to 6-1. Pace’s lone win in the series came in 2022, when it defeated ESU 31-16 in Pleasantville, N.Y. However, all four of the Warriors’ wins this decade have been by at least 19 points, holding Pace’s offense to single digits twice. When the two teams met last year at Eiler-Martin Stadium, ESU won 31-12, besting Pace and the elements in a rainstorm that started after the opening kickoff.
WEEK ZERO PASSING OFFENSE
The Warriors started the season 1-0 with a 27-20 win at Seton Hill in Week Zero. While ESU made it to the end zone three times, it was largely due to its rushing attack. The Warriors finished the game with 80 passing yards, their fewest amount in a winning effort since 2000, when ESU defeated Glenville State 10-0 with 46 passing yards.
SUCCESS ON THE GROUND
On the other side of that breakdown of ESU’s total offense, the running game was working all night against the Griffins. Senior QB Harrison Susi led the way with 111 yards on 22 attempts, and senior RB Ajani Walker and fifth-year RB Deante Crawford combined for another 124 yards on 24 carries. Susi enters Week One as the leading rusher in the PSAC, with six teams playing last week, and is followed by Walker and Crawford, who rank third and fifth, respectively.
EARLY SEASON AWARDS
It was an easy decision for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to name senior K Ty Quitnois the PSAC Special Teams Athlete of the Week. The 2025 All-American went 2-2 on field goals and 3-3 on PATs, including a personal-best 55-yard field goal early in the second half. It went down as the second-longest make in program history, making Quintois the sixth kicker to convert an attempt of 50-plus yards. There have been 10 other field goals made by a Warrior over 50 yards, as Quintois moved up to fifth place in career points with 184. He only trails Taylor Groff (303), Mark Brubaker (287), Ed Detwiler (262), and Jordan Walters (192).
SPECIAL TEAMS EXCELLENCE
The Warriors believe they have an edge with their special teams in every game they go into, and that was especially the case last week. In addition to Quintois’ night, sophomore DL Sincer Fairey stood out on kick return defense, forcing two fumbles on consecutive kicks, setting up back-to-back touchdowns for ESU. He was the only player in the PSAC to record two forced fumbles in the opening week. Senior ATH Elijah Carroll only had one return chance, the opening kickoff, but got off to a great start with a 45-yard return. And senior P Adam Noll finished with 41.5 YPA on four punts, pinning the Griffins inside their own 20-yard line twice and booting one punt for 55 yards.
LIMITING SPLASH PLAYS
The Griffins were able to claw their way back into the game after ESU jumped out to an early 17-0 lead, generating touchdown drives with plays of 20-plus yards. Highlighted by a 59-yard touchdown that came off a pass over the middle through a tight window and off a broken tackle, the Griffins’ first time finding the end zone was sparked by a 28-yard completion down the sideline that started a two-minute drill. When the Warriors kept Seton Hill in front of them, they were forced to punt or limited to field goals.
SETTING THE TONE
The ESU defensive line is being counted on to dictate terms when that unit is on the field, with a couple of players having standout performances against Seton Hill. Senior DL Ashton Blose tied his career high with 11 tackles, assisting sophomore DL Matthew Smith on a sack. Smith led the way with 1.5 sacks, with him and junior DL Ryan Epps creating havoc up the middle. They’ll look to clog up the rushing attack of Pace, which only averaged 48.7 YPG last season, and 45 sacks for 293 yards lost in 2025 as well.
CHANCES IN THE SECONDARY
The Setters’ offense only threw 13 touchdowns last season while having 17 passes intercepted. Junior DB Armonie Torres forced the first defensive turnover of the season for the Warriors last week with a late interception to help ice the game, but if history is any indicator, ESU could have the chance to control the turnover battle and force mistakes downfield. Though the Warriors didn’t come up with any interceptions last season against Pace, ESU held the Setters to 100 yards through the air and did cause a turnover in 2024 via a Tristan McLeer interception.
PACE’S DROUGHT
693 days. On Friday, Sept. 4, that’s how long it will have been since Pace won its last game on Oct. 12, 2024. The Setters have dropped their last 15 games, going 0-11 in 2025. Three of their losses last year were in one-possession games, as Chad Walker is still in search of his first win as a head coach.
NEW-LOOK PACE PASSING GAME
The Setters have a new starting QB slated to open 2026, as Lafayette transfer Tray Mauney is listed as the QB1 on Pace’s depth chart. A junior from Forest City, N.C., Mauney did not play in 2025 and went 2-5 for 47 yards with one touchdown and one interception in 2024. He’ll be throwing to Gary Wilkins, Elijah Temple, and Hayetoze Tobe on the perimeter. Wilkins was the Setters’ second-leading receiver last year, hauling in 51 receptions for 480 yards and a score, while Temple and Tobe combined for 19 receptions, 248 yards, with Tobe finding the end zone.
ON THE GROUND
Anthony Robinson returns as the Setters top-rusher from last year, coming off a season where he totaled 518 yards on 102 carries for 5.1 YPC while scoring three times. One of six players last year to register double-digit attempts, Robinson was the only player on Pace to average above 3.5 YPC.
STARTING ON THE ROAD
This is the third time that the Warriors have started their season on the road for the first two games under HC Jimmy Terwilliger. He’s gone 2-0 both times, defeating Wagner and Seton Hill in 2019, and Edinboro and Pace in 2024.
RANKINGS TALK
The Warriors are in the same spot they were in in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Preseason poll, receiving six votes after Week Zero. While not ranked in the D2Football.com Top 25 poll, the Warriors entered Flo Football’s Top 25 poll with the win, coming in at 24th.
