Complete Game Notes (PDF)

SATURDAY  l  12:00 p.m.  l  TULLIO FIELD (Erie, Pa.)

Follow: redzonemedia.com  l  Live Stats  l  Twitter

Related: Bright future for emerging Warriors (Morning Call, Jeff Schuler)

Radio: Live on WVPO 840 AM for the 50th season, and redzonemedia.com. Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award recipient, is in his 24th season as the voice of the Warriors, with Bob Brittain in his 12th year providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 11:30 a.m.


THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University finishes the 2012 season with its first-ever meeting with Mercyhurst, which earned a share of the PSAC West regular season title with a 40-7 win over California last Saturday. The Warriors secured at least a .500 season for the 10th time in 13 years with a 62-14 win at Millersville and are wrapping up a three-game road trip covering more than 1,150 miles round-trip.

SOLTES HONORED AGAIN: R-Fr. QB Matt Soltes was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week for the 3rd time in 5 weeks for his performance at Millersville. He gained 382 yards (256 passing, 126 rushing) and 4 TD in three quarters after setting a PSAC record and NCAA freshman with 666 yards (535 passing, 131 rushing) at LIU Post the previous week.

Soltes has accounted for 1,444 yards (1,154 passing, 290 rushing) in the last 3 weeks, the most in school history, surpassing Ray Wagner's 1,437 yards last year. He is the first ESU QB since at least 1970 with consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

STANDOUT FRESHMEN: Soltes leads DII freshmen in pass efficiency (156.9), ranks 2nd in total offense (299.4 ypg) and 5th in passing yardage (247.6 ypg). Mercyhurst is led by nation's top freshman tailback, Brandon Brown-Dukes, who paces DII freshmen in rushing (122.1 ypg) and has 15 TD's. Brown-Dukes ranks 4th in the PSAC and 17th in Division II in rushing average, and has 6 100-yard games (4 of 150+ yards).

DOUBLING UP: ESU, which ranks 5th in DII in total offense (489.1 ypg), is 11th in passing with 317.7 ypg. That average is more than twice the 151.3 passing ypg allowed by Mercyhurst, which ranks 4th nationally. ESU is 13th in DII in pass efficiency (160.6), while Mercyhurst is 40th in pass efficiency defense (114.7).

AIR/GROUND ATTACK: The Warriors set the PSAC record with 828 yards of total offense (552 passing, 276 rushing) at LIU Post, and followed up with 588 yards (307 passing, 281 rushing) at Millersville ... this marks the first time that ESU teams have had 300+ passing yards and 250+ rushing yards in consecutive games ... it is the first time they have run for 250+ yards in consecutive games since 2004 ... the Warriors have moved from 46th in DII in total offense (426.6 ypg) to 5th in the last 2 games (708.0 avg vs. LIU Post, Millersville).

DOUDS HITS 100: ESU head coach Denny Douds, who became the first DII coach to reach 400 career games this year, faces his 100th different opposing coach on Saturday in Mercyhurst's Marty Schaetzle. Lock Haven's John Allen was the 99th in ESU's season opener. Douds has won 2/3 of his games (66 of 99) in the first match-up with a head coach. Mercyhurst is the 38th opponent that Douds has faced in 39 years.

Soltes at LIU Post (666 yards of total offense)
* most yards of total offense by a freshman in college football history
* PSAC record (was 651, Erik Anderwkavich, LIU Post vs. Kutztown, 2010)
* 2nd-most yards total offense in DII history - (681, J.J. Harp, Eastern NM vs. Southeast Oklahoma, 2009)
* 11th-most yards of total offense in college football history
* most yards of total offense in DII in 2012 (5th-most in college football)

* 1st PSAC QB with 500 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game
* 2nd PSAC QB with 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game
* 3rd ESU QB (5th game) with 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing (Jimmy Terwilliger – 2003, 2004, 2005; James Franklin – 1994)
* 6th-most passing yards in PSAC history and 3rd-most in ESU history
* ESU record (was 597, Damian Poalucci at Mansfield, 1996)
* 28 plays of 10+ yards (24 passing, 4 rushing) and 7 of 30+ (5, 2)

SOLTES IN PSAC / NCAA RANKINGS

Passing (247.6 ypg) - 6th in PSAC, 35th in DII (5th among DII freshmen)
Total Offense (299.4 ypg) - 5th in PSAC, 19th in DII (2nd among freshmen)
Pass Efficiency (156.9) - 4th in PSAC, 16th in DII (1st among freshmen)
Completion % (61.5) - 5th in PSAC, 2nd among DII freshmen

PSAC FRESHMEN QB - PASSING YARDS
1. 2,987 -- Jimmy Terwilliger (ESU), 2003 -- PSAC career #1
2. 2,575 -- Liam Nadler (Gannon), 2012
3. 2,574 -- Trevor Harris (Edinboro), 2006 -- PSAC career #2
4. 2,415 -- John Hengehold (Mansfield), 2005
5. 2,398 -- Dan Latorre (Bloomsburg), 2006 -- PSAC career #20
6. 2,228 -- Matt Soltes (ESU), 2012
7. 2,152 -- Drew Folmar (Millersville), 1996 -- PSAC career #4
8. 2,022 -- Mike Mitros (West Chester), 1996 -- PSAC career #5

PSAC FRESHMEN QB - TOTAL OFFENSE
1. 3,342 -- Jimmy Terwilliger (ESU), 2003 -- PSAC career #1
(PSAC single-season list cuts off at 2,970 yards)
--. 2,695 -- Matt Soltes (ESU), 2012
--. 2,481 -- Liam Nadler (Gannon), 2012

GROUND GAME: ESU has produced three players with 50+ rushing yards in consecutive games (Soltes, Sr. TB Kendrick Williams, Sr. TB Eric Deery) after going 11 years without three 50-yard rushers ... the Warriors' trio of Williams (510 yards), Deery (489) and Soltes (467) can become the 2nd trio in ESU history to go over 500+ yards, joining Orlando Williams (628), Jason Killian (559) and QB James Franklin (543) in 1994.

Notes on Soltes' key games ...

1st career start (at Clarion, L 31-27)
• 1st FR QB to make 1st career start on road under Douds
• records for passing yards (256) and total offense (318) by a freshman in his first career start
• 6th-most passing yards for an ESU QB in his first career start - 17-32, 256 yds, 1 TD, 1 Int.; 21 rush, 62 yds

2nd career start (vs. West Chester, W 35-28)
• PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week
• school record for completion percentage (81.1) - 30-37, 366 yds, 3 TD, 1 Int.; 5 rush, 7 yds (373 total)
• game-winning 33-yd TD pass to Fr. WR Tim Wilson with 5 seconds left
• 9-10 for 119 yds, 8 conversions on 3rd down, also converted 3rd-and-14 with 15-yd run

5th career start (at LIU Post, W 45-37)
• NCAA freshman record and PSAC record for total offense (666 yards)
• first PSAC QB to throw for 500 yards and run for 100 yards
• 6th-most passing yards in PSAC history (3rd-most in ESU history)
• 421 yards (302 passing, 119 rushing) in 1st half; 629 yards (502 passing, 127 rushing) through 3 quarters

6th career start (at Millersville, W 62-14)
• repeated as PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week (3rd time in 5 weeks)
• 382 yards total offense (1,444 over 3-game stretch - most in school history)
• consecutive 100-yard rushing games (131 at LIU Post, 126 vs. Millersville)
• TD runs of 54 and 41 yards (longest TD run by ESU QB since at least 1969)
• joins Jimmy Terwilliger (twice), James Franklin and Mike Terwilliger as ESU QB with 2+ rushing TD in a game

IN PSAC HISTORY ...
* ESU QB's have 9 of the 15 games with 500+ yards total offense
    Damian Poalucci 4x, Jimmy Terwilliger 2x, James Franklin, Ray Wagner, Matt Soltes
* ESU QB's have 6 of the 13 games with 500+ passing yards - Poalucci 2x, Wagner 2x, Terwilliger, Soltes

COMING FULL CIRCLE: Soltes' game-winning 33-yard TD pass to Wilson to beat West Chester was reminiscent of his father Andy, a freshman backup, throwing a 73-yard TD to Scott Benoit to put the Warriors ahead in the 4th quarter of a 17-9 win at West Chester in 1982. The TD pass was the only one of Andy Soltes' career, as he suffered an injury in the spring game the following year. Matt's TD pass was the 5th of his career.

FAMILY TRADITION: Soltes and his father, Andy, became the 3rd father-son tandem to throw a TD pass under Douds when R-Jr. FB Thomas Tippett scored on a 49-yard pass vs. Cheyney. Other QB tandems are Mike and Jimmy Terwilliger and Brian and Matt Marshall.

Mike Terwilliger, ESU's offensive coordinator, was QB for Douds' first four years (1974-77) and has been an assistant coach ever since. He led ESU to a 30-4-1 record in 35 starts and threw 33 TD passes. His son, Jimmy, was a four-year Harlon Hill candidate from 2003-06, the 2005 Harlon Hill Award winner, and tied the NCAA all-division record with 148 TD passes. Jimmy was 36-12, starting all 48 games, and took the Warriors to the NCAA DII semifinals in 2005.

Brian Marshall was the Warriors' QB in 1981, under Terwilliger's tutelage, and threw 5 TD passes. His son, Matt, was a two-year starter, led ESU to the 2009 NCAA Playoffs and threw 61 TD passes (4th in school history) from 2007-10.

ADDING IT ALL UP: TD passes by family ... Terwilligers 181 (Mike 33, Jimmy 148) ... Marshalls 66 (Brian 5, Matt 61) ... Soltes 17 (Andy 1, Matt 16) ... TD passes by fathers -- 39 ... TD passes by sons -- 225 and counting.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: ESU is 5th in Division II in total offense - and 3rd in the PSAC East ... the division has 4 of the top 6 offenses in DII in Shippensburg (1 - 566.5), Kutztown (4 - 506.6), ESU (5 - 489.1) and Bloomsburg (6 - 487.0) ... ESU's previous 6 games (before Millersville) featured at least 27 points on both sides of the scoreboard for the first time in school history (the previous high was 3 straight games) ... ESU has scored 21+ points in the first 9 games of the year - the only other time the Warriors have done that was 1968, when they went 8-0-1 and were PSAC co-champs.

THE SCOREBOARD WORKS: Division II programs this season are on pace to break records (all set last year) in scoring offense (28.2 ppg, from 27.5), total offense (380.0 ypg, from 369.4), passing offense (221.8 ypg, from 213.2), pass completions (18.1 per game, from 17.5) and pass attempts (31.9 per game, from 31.0) ... ESU's 33.2 pass attempts per game are down from 39.5 a year ago ... ESU threw the ball on 60.2 percent of its offensive plays last year, the most in school history ... this year's team is passing on 48.8 percent of its plays.

MAKING HISTORY: ESU head coach Denny Douds became the first coach in NCAA Division II history, and 15th in college football history, to coach 400 games in ESU's 59-27 win over Cheyney on Sept. 22. Douds is one of five coaches to spend his entire career at one school, joining Eddie Robinson (Grambling), Joe Paterno (Penn State), Roy Kidd (Eastern Kentucky) and Tubby Raymond (Delaware).

THE HEAD COACHES: Denny Douds (Slippery Rock '63), in his 39th season, has led the Warriors to 9 PSAC titles and 4 NCAA Playoff appearances since taking over as head coach in 1974. His teams won outright state titles in 1975, 1978 and 1982 before the State Game was discontinued following the 1987 season. His teams have claimed PSAC East divisional titles in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1991, 2002 and 2003. NCAA Playoff appearances have come in 1991, 2004, 2005 - when the Warriors won the Northeast Region title and advanced to the national semifinals - and 2009.

Douds ranks 4th on the all-time Division II list with 237 career wins. Among active coaches, Douds ranks 2nd in Division II and 7th in all of college football in career wins.

Marty Schaetzle (Bucknell '83) is in his 11th season as head coach at Mercyhurst and has a career record of 54-66. Schaetzle led the Lakers to a school-record 10 wins and the PSAC championship in 2010 before going 4-7 overall (2-5 PSAC West) last season. He has been named PSAC West Coach of the Year in two of his first four seasons in the conference, as the Lakers moved to the PSAC from the GLIAC in 2008. He was an offensive lineman at Bucknell and was an assistant coach (OL and later offensive coordinator) for five years before coming to Mercyhurst.

PROGRAM WINS: ESU has a 453-302-19 (.598) record in its 85th year of varsity football. West Chester (546), IUP (510) and Slippery Rock (456) are the only other programs with at least 450 wins. IUP is 9-1 and West Chester and Slippeyr Rock are 6-4 this year. On Oct. 6, ESU beat West Chester 35-28 and IUP beat Slippery Rock, 33-16.

Douds has a 237-166-3 record in 406 games as head coach at ESU. Including 68 games and 45 wins as an assistant coach under Charlie Reese from 1966-73, he has coached in 474 of the 774 games (61.2 percent) and 282 of the 453 wins (62.2 percent) in program history. As head coach, he is responsible for 52.5 percent of the program's games and 52.3 percent of its wins.

Along with holding the PSAC record for career wins, he has also coached in 103 more games than the second-most in conference history (Millersville's Gene Carpenter, 303, who he faced 27 times).

DOUDS' FOES: Schaetzle is the 100th head coach that Douds has faced in his 39-year career at ESU. Lock Haven's John Allen became the 99th in the season opener on Sept. 8. He faced Millersville's Gene Carpenter 27 times (1974-2000) and has faced Bloomsburg's Danny Hale 26 times (1984-88, 93-present) in Hale's tenure between West Chester and Bloomsburg.

THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between ESU and Mercyhurst. Mercyhurst is the 58th school the Warriors have faced in their 85th year of varsity football, and the 38th school Douds has faced in his 39 seasons.

Mercyhurst is 33-23 (22-13 PSAC West) in its fifth season in the conference. Gannon joined the PSAC, along with Mercyhurst, in 2008. ESU faced Gannon on Sept. 6, 2008 (W 23-10) in the Golden Knight's first-ever PSAC crossover game.

50 YEARS: This fall marks Douds' 50th season in the coaching profession, 47th at ESU and 39th as head coach. He was an assistant coach at McDowell HS (Erie, Pa.) in 1963-64 and a graduate assistant at West Virginia in 1965 before coming to the Poconos to coach for newly-appointed Charlie Reese in 1966. The 50th anniversary of Douds' final collegiate game at Slippery Rock, a 13-6 win over East Stroudsburg in the PSAC State Game, is on November 17. The 1964-65 PSAC champion football teams, coached by Jack Gregory, were inducted to the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 6. The 1965 State Game, a 26-10 win over Indiana (Douds' hometown team), was the last Warriors game without Douds on the sidelines.

REMEMBERING DEREK: The ESU football family sustained two losses during the summer. Derek Brown, a starting linebacker as a sophomore on last year's team, died on July 5 from injuries sustained in a car accident on June 30. Brown's older brother, Matt, was a four-year letterwinner at tight end and graduated in 2011. Matt Deery, the younger brother of Sr. TB Eric Deery, died in a car accident on August 1. Both were remembered with a moment of silence before the opener on Sept. 8 and the Warriors will wear a #24 decal (Brown's number) on their helmets throughout the season.

CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS: Three championship teams, from 1964, 1965 and 1982, were on hand for the Warriors' 35-28 win over West Chester on Oct. 6. The 1964-65 teams were inducted to the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame earlier in the day, and the 1982 team celebrated the 30th anniversity of its PSAC championship.

ON THE ROAD: ESU, in its 85th season of varsity football, is finishing the regular season with three straight road games for just the 5th time. Previous occasions came in 1926 (ESU's first season), 1929, 1945 and 2008. The Warriors were home for 5 of their first 7 games this year and were 3-2 in front of their home fans at Eiler-Martin Stadium. They are 2-2 on the road, evening up their road record with wins the last two weeks.

GETTING THEIR FEET WET: ESU's young squad, which includes 67 freshmen or sophomores among its 85 players, continues to gain valuable experience. Of the 57 players who have contributed in the first 9 weeks, 28 have seen their first career action. 14 players have made their first career starts, and 12 are in their first season as full-time starters.

Five true freshmen have combined for 27 starts this year, both the most in at least 10 seasons - LT Cody Laubach (9), OLB Greg Jones (7), DB Teron Dobbs (7), OLB Mike Kinney (2) and ILB Brandon Pearce (2).

Laubach can become the first true freshman to start every game since OL Jeff Kocsis in 2004. He was one of 3 true freshmen to start the season opener, along with Kinney and Pearce. Only 2 true freshmen had started an opener, total, in the previous 10 years - Kocsis in 2004 and FS Kevin Antol last season.

ESU has had just 6 players (true freshmen or redshirt freshmen) start every game of the season since 2003, all on offense - R-Sr. OL Wrenton Wright II in 2009, OL Dan Caffrey in 2008, OL Morgan Thomas in 2006, OL Jeff Kocsis in 2004 and QB Jimmy Terwilliger and WR Evan Prall in 2003.

NEW LOOK: Of the 85 players on the roster, only 30 had seen game action entering the season opener. That number is now 58 after the 9th game of the year. The roster is evenly split between returners (43, including redshirts) and newcomers (42). Of the 36 players who are listed as sophomores and above, 33 have seen game action.

BUILDING DEPTH: ESU graduated 10 senior starters off last season's team. The bulk of the Warriors' returners are in the sophomore class, where 9 players are listed as starters on this week's depth chart. Out of the 18 sophomores on the roster, 17 have seen game action, including 6 as true freshmen last year. Another returner, So. LB Don Kinney, Jr., lettered as a true freshman in 2010 and returned to the team this season.

STARTS BY CLASS
Seniors 54 - 35 on offense, 19 on defense
Juniors 46 - 37 on offense, 9 on defense
Sophomores 65 - 12 on offense, 53 on defense
Redshirt FR 6 - all by QB Matt Soltes
True FR 27 - 9 on offense, 18 on defense

WRIGHT, RIVERS HIT 40 CAREER STARTS
R-Sr. RT Wrenton Wright II will make his 43rd career start this week, and R-Sr. RG Seve Rivers will make his 41st start. They are the 6th and 7th Warriors - and 4th and 5th offensive linemen - to make 40 career starts since 2003:

QB Jimmy Terwilliger - 48 (2003-06), every game
WR Evan Prall - 48 (2003-06), every game
OL Mike Habel - 46 (2004-07), every game
OL Dan Caffrey - 45 (2008-11), every game
OL Morgan Thomas - 42 (2006-09)
OL Wrenton Wright II - 42 (2009-   )
OL Seve Rivers - 40 (2009-    )

GROFF AMONG NATION'S BEST KICKERS
Jr. K Taylor Groff has made 9 straight field goals over the last 4 weeks. He was 2-3 at Bloomsburg, making his last 2 (52, 28), 4-4 vs. Kutztown (20, 28, 32, 46), 1-1 at LIU Post (24) and 2-2 at Millersville (44, 52).

Groff has made 3 field goals of 50+ yards in the last 6 weeks - 51 at Clarion (Sept. 29), 52 at Bloomsburg (Oct. 13) and 52 at Millersville (Nov. 3). He is the ONLY KICKER in PSAC history with more than 1 51+ yard field goal in his career, with 4 total from that distance.

Groff has set or is approaching several school records. He is:

• 1 of 2 kickers in DII with 3+ 50-yard FG this year
• ESU record with 16 FG of 40+ yards
• ESU record for FG percentage (73.2, 41-56)
• 3rd at ESU in points by kicker (221 in 28 games)
• has made 52 consecutive PAT's (last 10 of 2011 - 42-for-42 in 2012)

Among active DII kickers, Groff ranks 1st with 1.5 FG made and 2.0 FG attempts/game

Groff is as a member of the Watch List for the Fred Mitchell Award for the nation's top small college kicker.

Career - 41-56 - 25-30 inside 40 - 16-26 over 40
• 15-for-18 (7-for-9 40+) to tie or give ESU lead
• 7-for-7 (2-for-2 over 40) in final 1:00 of 1st half
• 6 FG of 48+ yards (4-for-7 from 50+ yards)
• has made 4 of the 5 longest FG in school history

2012 - 14-21 - 8-11 inside 40 - 5-10 over 40
• Leads DII kickers with 9.33 points/game
• t-4th in DII with 1.56 FG/game
• 4-for-4 vs. Kutztown (20, 28, 32 and 46)

2011 - 11-14 - 5-7 inside 40 - 6-7 over 40
• 6 FG of 40+ yards - tied for ESU record
• the rest of PSAC kickers were 9-for-31 from 40+
• made 2 longest FG in the PSAC (52 and 48 yards)
• 52-yard FG at Kutztown
• missed first 3 games due to injury

2010 - 16-21 - 12-12 inside 40 - 4-9 over 40
• ESU record with 16 field goals
• perfect inside 40 yards
• 1 of 2 kickers in DII to make a FG in every game
• 87 points were 2nd-most in school history

ESU Career Field Goal Percentage
1. 73.2 -- Taylor Groff (41-56)
2. 67.2 -- Mark Brubaker (39-58)

ESU Career Field Goals
1. 50 -- Ed Detwiler (1989-92)
2. 41 -- Taylor Groff (2010-pres.)
3. 39 -- Mark Brubaker (2002-05)

ESU Career Field Goals of 40+ Yards
1. 16 -- Taylor Groff
2. 12 -- Ed Detwiler

DANIELS GETS STARTING NOD: R-Jr. Nate Daniels started the first 3 games and is 35-for-60 for 631 yards, 7 TD and 3 Int. He is also the holder on extra points and field goals.

Lock Haven (W 35-0) - 2nd career start
• 17-for-26, 355 yards, 4 TD
• 4th-most yards in season opener in ESU history

Shippensburg (L 63-21) - 3rd career start
• 9-for-20, 131 yards, TD, 3 Int.

Cheyney (W 59-27) - 4th career start
• 4-for-8, 77 yards, TD

LIU Post (W 45-37) - 1 snap in 3rd quarter
• completed 17-yard pass to Dusty Reed

Millersville (W 62-14) - 4th quarter
• 4-for-5, 51 yards, TD

300-YARD CLUB: Daniels (355 vs. Lock Haven) and Soltes (3 300-yard games) are the 2nd set of QB's in school history to record 300-yard passing games in the same season. In 2008, Tim Roken had 3 300-yard games and Matt Marshall had 2.

100-YARD CLUB: Against Shippensburg, Daniels (131 yards) and Soltes (114 yards) became the 5th pair of QB's to throw for 100 yards in the same game. Daniels (182) and Ray Wagner (172), a Harlon Hill candidate, did it last year vs. Millersville after Wagner left due to injury.

It also marked just the 2nd time in school history that two QB's attempted 20 passes in the same game.

ADDING UP THE PASSING OFFENSE: Soltes (156.9 QB rating, 2,228 yards, 16 TD) and Daniels (175.2 QB rating, 631 yards, 7 TD) have combined for a 160.6 QB rating and 2,859 passing yards (317.7 per game) through 9 games.

ESU ranks 2nd in the PSAC and 13th nationally in QB rating, and 3rd in the PSAC and 11th nationally in passing yards per game.

AIRING IT OUT: ESU has led the PSAC in passing in 7 of the last 10 years, and the Warriors' quarterback has been in the top 3 in the PSAC in total offense all 10 seasons ... the Warriors were 5th in DII in passing (323.2 ypg) and Wagner was 6th in DII individually (293.3) last year, both figures that led the PSAC ... IN 2012: ESU is 3rd in the PSAC and 11th in DII with 317.7 yards per game.

BIG PLAY OFFENSE: ESU is averaging 7.2 yards per play, 1st in the PSAC and 6th in Division II ... the Warriors are averaging 9.6 yards per pass attempt (2,859 on 299) and 4.9 yards per rushing attempt (1,543 on 313) ... ESU ranks 3rd in the PSAC and 5th in DII with 489.1 yards per game ... ESU's average increased by 50.2 yards per game after setting the PSAC record with 828 yards at LIU Post (averaged 10.5 yards per play).

WARRIORS STRETCH THE FIELD
Among Division II schools with at least 15 completions per game, ESU led the nation with 15.6 yards per catch in 2011 and is currently leading with 15.7 yards per catch in 2012.

In 2011, the Warriors generated 35 plays of 30+ yards in 11 games, with 12 going for touchdowns ... In 2012, the Warriors have 22 plays of 30+ yards, including 6 TD.

SPREADING IT AROUND: Current ESU pass catchers have combined for 500+ catches (505) and 7,000+ yards (7,546) during their careers at ESU.

Jr. Dusty Reed (2,043 yards), R-Sr. Jordan Hallman (1,889) and R-Jr. Robert Bleiler (1,277) all have more than 1,000 yards.

WARRIORS WR RANK 1-2-3 AMONG PSAC RETURNERS
At wide receiver, ESU had the top 3 returners in the PSAC in yards per game in Jr. Dusty Reed (84.5 ypg, 4th overall in PSAC), R-Sr. Jordan Hallman (77.6, 5th) and R-Jr. Robert Bleiler (65.9, 8th).

The trio combined for 130 catches, 2,442 yards and 17 TD last year, averaging 18.8 yards per catch. They averaged 11.8 catches and 222.0 yards per game.
This year: 11.3 catches, 191.0 yards per game
• vs. LHU -- 13 catches, 288 yards, 4 TD
• vs. Ship -- 12 catches, 212 yards, 1 TD
• vs. Cheyney -- 7 catches, 170 yards, 1 TD
• at Clarion -- 7 catches, 126 yards, 1 TD
• vs. WCU -- 22 catches, 257 yards, 2 TD
• at Bloomsburg -- 5 catches, 52 yards, 1 TD
• vs. Kutztown -- 18 catches, 206 yards, 2 TD
• at LIU Post -- 10 catches, 256 yards, 1 TD
• at Millersville -- 8 catches, 152 yards, 1 TD

REED ENTERS WARRIORS TOP 10: Jr. WR Dusty Reed is one of the most productive players in ESU history, ranking in the top 10 in career receptions (7th - 140), receiving yards (10th - 2,043) and all-purpose yards (10th - 2,946) in his first three years at ESU.

He became the 10th Warrior with 2,000 career receiving yards and can become the 8th with 3,000 all-purpose yards this week (joining Sr. TB Kendrick Williams - 3,500).

Against Kutztown on Oct. 20, his 320 all-purpose yards were the second-most in school history (behind Evan Prall's 385 vs. Lock Haven in 2006), and he set the school record for kick return yardage with 247 (on 9 returns).

Reed ranks 6th in the PSAC with 81.9 receiving yards per game after ranking 4th overall (and leading the PSAC East) with 84.5 ypg in 2011. He leads the Warriors with 47 catches for 737 yards and has 5 TD (18 career).

Reed has 3 100-yard games this season - 198 yards (11 catches) vs. Shippensburg, 113 yards (6 catches) at Clarion and 139 yards (career-high 13 catches) vs. West Chester - and 6 100-yard games in his career. He had 3 catches for 90 yards at LIU Post.

He has a catch in 21 consecutive games, and 2+ catches in 26 of 30 games in his career after coming to ESU as an All-State tailback.

He was voted ESU's MVP by his teammates in 2011, setting ESU sophomore records with 62 catches and 929 yards. He compiled 1,355 all-purpose yards, 9th in school history, adding 101 yards on 13 carries and 325 yards on kick returns. On the final play of the season vs. Edinboro, he caught a game-tying 21-yard TD pass from Wagner, with the extra point giving ESU a 27-26 victory.

Following the 2011 season, Reed was named 1st team All-PSAC East and 3rd team Football Gazette All-Region. He was named to the BSN Preseason All-America 3rd team this summer.

MR. CONSISTENT: Reed displayed remarkable consistency during the 2011 season. Among his accomplishments:

• 86+ yards in 8 of 11 games
• 100+ yards in 4 games
• 4+ catches in 8 games
• first ESU WR with 7 catches in 5 straight games
• first ESU WR with 8 catches in 3 straight games
• 75+ all-purpose yards in all 11 games
• 100+ all-purpose yards in 8 games
• set ESU records for receptions (93) and yards (1,306) through a sophomore season

REED'S FAMILY TIES: Reed is the nephew of former ESU All-America center Pat Flaherty, the offensive line coach of the New York Giants. Flaherty has won two Super Bowl rings in the last five years, in 2007 and 2011. He was inducted to the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and was the starting center for quarterback Mike Terwilliger, ESU's offensive coordinator who is in his 35th season as an assistant coach under Denny Douds.

GOING DEEP: R-Sr. WR Jordan Hallman is averaging 19.3 yards per catch in his career, 4th in school history.  He averaged 24.4 yards per catch in 2011 (35 for 854, 13 plays of 30+ yards) and is averaging 21.3 yards per catch this season (24 for 511, team-high 6 TD).

Hallman enters this week with 98 career catches and 1,889 yards. He can become the 21st player in school history with 100 career receptions.

Hallman had his 6th career 100-yard receiving game at LIU Post with 4 catches for 104 yards and a 29-yard TD. He opened the season with 7 catches for 179 yards and 3 TD vs. Lock Haven and had 2 catches for 91 yards and a TD vs. Cheyney.
Of his 18 career TD, 6 have covered 50+ yards, including 4 from Daniels and 3 this season. He caught TD passes of 79 and 61 yards vs. Lock Haven and 63 yards vs. Cheyney.

Hallman was the only receiver in Division II with back-to-back 200-yard games last year, with 5 catches for 239 yards and 2 TD vs. C.W. Post, and 8 catches for 221 yards and 2 TD vs. Millersville. The 460 yards receiving in consecutive weeks are also the most in school history.

BIG PLAY BLEILER: R-Jr. WR Robert Bleiler is averaging 16.8 yards per catch in his career, with 1,277 yards on 76 catches. He had a career-high 8 catches for 75 yards vs. Kutztown and has 31 catches for 471 yards and 3 TD this season.

Bleiler has two 100-yard games in his career, both for more than 150 yards. He had 172 yards vs. Pace and 153 yards at Kutztown in 2011.

He averaged 20.0 yards per catch last year, with 33 catches for 659 yards. He was 3rd in the PSAC East (behind Reed and Hallman) and 8th in the PSAC with 65.9 yards per game.

THE TIGHT END: R-So. Steven Jones has 2 TD catches in each of the last 2 games. He had career-highs of 5 catches for 58 yards at LIU Post, and followed up with 4 catches for 61 yards - a new career-high - at Millersville.

Jones has 17 catches for 244 yards and 4 TD this season after posting 13 catches for 154 yards and 3 TD in 2011. He already has 6 catches of 20+ yards in his career. Jones was 2nd team All-State on La Salle College HS's AAAA state championship team in 2009.

MR. WILSON: Fr. WR Tim Wilson made his debut for ESU at Clarion on Sept. 29, with 2 catches for 22 yards. A week later vs. West Chester, he made his only 2 catches of the game on the final drive, and got the Warriors in the end zone with a 33-yard catch-and-run for the game-winning TD with 5 seconds left.

Wilson atoned for a fumbled punt 7 minutes earlier which helped West Chester recover from a 28-14 deficit to tie it with 1:10 to go, but had a 14-yard catch for a 1st down before taking a short pass to the house.

Through 6 games, he has 11 catches for 167 yards and 2 TD, making 2 catches in each of his first 5 games. He had 2 catches for 51 yards, including a 43-yarder, at Bloomsburg, and scored his 2nd career TD (12 yards) at LIU Post.

SCHNAARS STEPS UP: R-Fr. WR Jon Schnaars had his first career 100-yard receiving game at LIU Post, with 5 catches for 124 yards. That followed a 3-catch, 90-yard game vs. Kutztown which included his first career TD, a 46-yard pass from Soltes on the Warriors' opening drive. He entered the Kutztown game with 6 catches for 85 yards, and now has 16 catches for 312 yards and a TD.

Schnaars' 124 yards at LIU Post are the 3rd-most receiving yards by a freshman in school history.

FAST FRESHMAN: R-Fr. WR Brandon Mercer had a 94-yard kick return for a TD vs. Cheyney, ESU's first since 2002. He was 3rd in Division II averaging 34.1 yards on 9 returns, but has fallen out of the national rankings after missing the last 4 games. He had 6 for 163 yards (27.2 avg.) vs. Shippensburg and 3 for 144 yards (48.0 avg.), including the TD, vs. Cheyney.

Mercer returned against Millersville and had two kick returns for 62 yards, including a 39-yarder. He has 11 returns for 369 yards - an average of 33.5 yards per return - which is currently above the school record of 32.6 set by Dennis Mailhot in 1989.

ESU Kick Return Avg. (season - min. 10 returns)
--. 33.5 -- Brandon Mercer (2012)
1. 32.6 -- Dennis Mailhot (1989)
2. 30.9 -- Drew Stem (2007)
3. 28.7 -- Drew Stem (2006)

Mercer was a track standout in 2012, setting ESU freshman records in the 60m (7.02) and 100m (10.74) and running on ESU's PSAC champion 4x100m relay.

RUNNING THE CLOCK: ESU has held a time of possession advantage in 4 games this season (and has held it for 29:52 in 2 other games) after going the entire 2011 season without a TOP advantage. The Warriors rank 6th in the 16-team conference at 30:25 this year, and were 16th (last) by a wide margin at 24:42 last season.

ESU held the ball for 42:37 in its 35-28 win over West Chester, its largest since holding it for 44:40 in a 34-7 win over Kutztown to clinch the PSAC East championship in 2002.

WILLIAMS ESU'S #5 ALL-TIME RUSHER: Sr. TB Kendrick Williams ranks 5th in school history with 2,155 career rushing yards and is the 7th player to reach 2,000 career rushing yards in school history.

1. 2,579 -- Rick Sterner (1988-92)
2. 2,510 -- Andre Castiglioni (1998-01)
3. 2,398 -- Derek Lucas (2002-05)
4. 2,363 -- Toby Barkman (1960-63)
5. 2,096 -- Kendrick Williams (2009-   )
6. 2,047 -- Pete Radocha (1974-76)
7. 2,030 -- Harold Strunk (1974-77)

Williams has run for at least 50 yards in 5 of the last 7 games, starting with a career-high 151 yards on 11 carries vs. Cheyney on Sept. 22. His average of 13.7 yards per carry is 2nd-best in school history.

WILLIAMS IN 2011: Last year, Williams ranked 4th in the PSAC and 35th in Division II with 140.5 all-purpose yards per game. His season total of 1,405 yards was 7th in school history and included 541 yards rushing, 140 yards receiving and 724 yards on kick returns.

He was named 2nd team All-PSAC East as a sophomore in 2010, running for 668 yards and 9 TD. He had 436 yards rushing and 245 yards receiving (681 total) in 7 games as a freshman in 2009, making his debut in the 6th game of the season at West Chester and helping the Warriors reach the NCAA Playoffs.

Notable career statistics
All-Purpose yards 3,500 (5th)
Rushing yards 2,155 (5th)
Yards from scrimmage 2,655 (8th)
Rushing attempts 467 (3rd)
Rushing TD 23 (3rd)
Total TD 26 (t-7th)
100-yard rush games 5

THERE GOES DEERY: Sr. TB Eric Deery went over 1,000 career rushing yards with his career-high 167 yards on 19 carries vs. Cheyney. He ran for 163 yards in the 2nd half, 4th-most in a half in Douds' 39 years.

Deery enters this week with 1,359 career yards on 255 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per carry, and 9 TD. He has run for 148 yards on 13 carries in the last 2 weeks - 7 carries for 77 yards, at LIU Post, including a 47-yard TD; and 6 carries for 71 yards at Millersville.

He was ESU's 2nd-leading rusher last year with 413 yards. He has 4 career 100-yard games, including 2 as a true freshmen in 2009.

BALANCING ACT: Williams (56.7 ypg, 4.9 avg) and Deery (54.3 ypg, 6.7 avg) are 17th and 19th in the PSAC in rushing yardage, respectively.  ESU is 7th in the PSAC with 171.4 rushing yards per game, and tied for 3rd with 4.9 yards per carry.

FULLBACK, OR WIDE RECEIVER?: R-Jr. FB Thomas Tippett is tied for 4th on the team in catches (17) and is 5th in yards (260) this season after putting together back-to-back games of 50+ yards. He had 3 catches for 62 yards at LIU Post and 3 catches for 50 yards at Millersville. He has at least 1 catch in all but one game this season.

Tippett has scored 5 TD this season, 4 rushing and 1 receiving. He scored in 4 straight games, from Shippensburg (week 2) through West Chester (week 5), and added a TD run at Millersville. He has 6 career TD, 5 rushing and 1 receiving. He scored on a 49-yard pass from Soltes vs. Cheyney, while all 5 of his rushing TD are from the 1-yard line.

IN THE FRONT ROW: The Warriors lost 78 career starts from center Dan Caffrey (45) and LT Zach Sarginger (33), but count 129 career starts among this year's starters. ESU has started the same 5 offensive linemen in all 9 games, and flipped their tackles on Oct. 27 vs. LIU Post.

LT -- Fr. Cody Laubach (6-5, 305)
• Has started all 9 games (first 7 at RT - moved to LT for LIU Post)
• first true freshman OL to start opener since 2004
• will become 1st true FR to start every game since 2004 (OL Jeff Kocsis)
• 1st team All-Lehigh Valley Conference at Emmaus HS
• Morning Call All-Area 2nd team
• McDonald's Lehigh Valley All-Star Game

LG -- So. Pete Wolmart (6-3, 310)
• 11 career starts, 9 at left guard this season
• 2 starts as a freshman, both at left tackle
• missed rest of season due to injury
• 2nd team All-State Group 4 at Randolph HS (NJ)

C -- R-Jr. Greg Blue (6-2, 290)
• 27 career starts - 9 at center, 9 at LG, 9 at RG
• started 9 games at left guard as a sophomore
• started 9 games at right guard as a freshman
• first ESU center besides Dan Caffrey since 2007

RG -- R-Sr. Seve Rivers (6-3, 300)
• 2nd team All-PSAC East last season
• 40 career starts - 18 at LG, 22 at RG
• one of 7 Warriors (5 OL) with 40 career starts since 2003
• 31 consecutive starts (most on team)
• started all 11 games at right guard in 2011

RT -- R-Sr. Wrenton Wright II (6-3, 295)
• 42 career starts - 30 at right tackle, 12 at left tackle
• one of 7 Warriors (5 OL) with 40 career starts since 2003
• started all 11 games at right tackle as a junior
• started 5 games at LT, 5 at RT in 2010
• started all 12 games at right tackle in 2009

NET PUNTING
So. Jordan Bair is 12th in the PSAC in punting average (37.0) after ranking 5th (37.8) as a freshman. He was 6th in the PSAC in net punting (32.9), but ranks 12th (32.9) so far this year.

ESU has been a regular among the Division II leaders in net punting, ranking in the top 5 in three of the last eight years. The Warriors led the nation in 2004 (40.6) and 2008 (39.7) and ranked 3rd in 2006 (36.0).

RULE CHANGE
The NCAA has instituted two rule changes on kickoffs for the 2012 season. The kickoff spot has been moved up 5 yards (to the 35-yard line), and the touchback spot has been moved up 5 yards (to the 25-yard line).

Jr. Taylor Groff has 19 touchbacks on 64 kickoffs this year. The Warriors' average opponents drive start is at the 25-yard line, almost 10 yards better than last year's average of the 33-yard line.

In 2010, ESU led the PSAC in kickoff coverage, with an average drive start of the 26-yard line. Groff had 11 touchbacks on 65 kickoffs, and his rate of 17% was more than triple the 5% rate of the rest of the PSAC. In 2011, Groff had 3 touchbacks on 37 kickoffs (8%).

In his career, Groff has 33 touchbacks on 164 kickoffs (20%).

INSIDE THE WARRIORS DEFENSE
A very young ESU defense has just 2 returning starters and has seen 12 players make their first career starts over the first nine weeks.

Of the 22 players on the depth chart, there are:
SR -- 2 starters
JR -- 1 starter
SO -- 6 starters, 6 backups
R-FR -- 0 starters, 1 backup
FR -- 2 starter, 4 backups

THE RETURNERS: ESU's 2 returning defensive starters ...
DE -- R-So. Brandon Gattelli (17 starts, 8 games last year)
FS -- R-So. Anthony Singlar (14 starts, 5 games last year)

FIRST-YEAR STARTERS: ESU's first-year starters on defense ...
DE -- Sr. Waverly Harris (10 starts, 7 this year)
DE -- So. Tarik Haddad (2  starts - vs. Cheyney, at Millersville)
DT -- R-So. Bryan Thomson (10 starts, all 9 games this year)
DT -- R-Sr. Sam Hull (all 9 games)
OLB -- Jr. Darius Jackson (all 9 games, 5 starts at FB in last 2 years)
OLB -- Fr. Greg Jones (last 7 games)
OLB -- Fr. Mike Kinney (1st 2 games)
ILB -- So. Cody Simcox (last 8 games)
ILB -- So. Don Kinney, Jr. (7 games)
ILB -- Fr. Brandon Pearce (vs. Lock Haven, Cheyney)
ILB -- So. James Lancellotti (vs. Lock Haven)
CB -- R-So. Andrew Coyle (8 games - not Cheyney)
CB -- Fr. Teron Dobbs (last 7 games - WR in preseason camp)
CB -- Sr. Brandon Phillips (1st 3 games - suffered injury)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jr. OLB Darius Jackson was named the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week with 5 tackles (4 solo), 1.0 TFL and an interception in ESU's 35-28 win over West Chester. Jackson is the first Warrior to receive the award since linebacker Mike Bergey was recognized following the final game of 2011.

RUSHING THE PASSER: The Warriors have 16 sacks over the last 3 games (4 vs. Kutztown, 6 at LIU Post, 6 at Millersville) after recording 6 in the first 6 games. ESU has 22 sacks in 9 games this season after posting 24 (in 11 games) in 2011. The Warriors had 36 (in 11 games) in 2010 and 33 (in 12 games) during their 2009 NCAA Playoff season.

TAKE IT AWAY: The ESU defense forced 5 turnovers against West Chester (3 interceptions, 2 fumbles), including 4 in the first half. It is the 6th time that ESU has forced at least 5 turnovers in the last 6 years, improving to 4-2 in such games.

The performance was part of an overall effort that limited WCU to 313 yards on 45 offensive plays, 2nd-fewest by an ESU opponent in Denny Douds' 402nd game as head coach.

DEPTH AT END: Entering the season, most of the returning experience was on the line, especially at defensive end. Returning starter R-So. Brandon Gattelli was joined by Sr. Waverly Harris, R-So. Sam Trunzo and So. Tarik Haddad to form the rotation for the second straight year. Trunzo played in the first 5 games but is expected to miss the rest of the season due to injury. R-Fr. Antoine Ray has seen time in the rotation.

Gattelli started 8 games last year, leading the defensive ends in tackles (38) and TFL (6.5) and leading the defensive line in sacks (3.5). He has 31 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 FF and 3 FR this year, including 13 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the last two weeks.

Harris started 3 games last year and had 29 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks. He has started 7 of 9 games this year and has 22 tackles, 8.0 TFL (team-high) and 2.5 sacks.

UP THE MIDDLE: Two first-year starters, R-So. Bryan Thomson and R-Sr. Sam Hull, anchor the interior of the front 4.

Thomson had 29 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 2011. He leads the DL with 41 tackles and has 7.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks and 5 blocked kicks this season, inclding 6 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks and a blocked FG at LIU Post.

Hull, a 3-year letterwinner, has played in 29 career games and made his first 9 starts. He has 26 tackles, 4.0 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble this year.

The backups are R-So. Josh Przywara and R-So. Jon Noble (a transfer from Shippensburg in 2009). The Warriors' defensive tackles have 9.5 of their 22 sacks this season from Thomson (4.0), Hull (1.0), Przywara (3.0) and Noble (1.5).

BLOCK THAT KICK: Thomson has 5 blocked kicks this season and 7 in his career. He blocked the extra point that Jr. OLB Darius Jackson returned for a defensive 2-point conversion vs. Cheyney, also blocked a PAT vs. Shippensburg, and has blocked 3 field goals - a 21-yarder at Clarion, a 22-yarder at LIU Post and a 32-yarder at Millersville. He also had 2 blocked PAT's in 2011, including one returned for a defensive 2-point conversion.

Thomson is one block away from ESU's single-season and career records for blocked kicks. Linebacker Joe Menton had 6 blocks in 1995, and defensive tackle Matt Delancey (1993-96), currently a strength coach at the University of Florida, had 8 career blocks.

BRAND NEW LB'S: Among ESU's 7 starters at linebacker so far this season, only 2 had played a snap for the Warriors entering the year - So. Don Kinney, Jr. (in 2010) and So. James Lancellotti.

INSIDE: Kinney, Jr. and So. Cody Simcox, a transfer from Maine, are the starters. Simcox has started the last 7 games after coming off the bench in the opener due to injury. He was a tight end on Maine's Division I FCS quarterfinal team last year, and was a 2nd team All-State linebacker at Wilson West Lawn HS in 2010. He has 65 tackles this season, including three games in double figures - 17 at Bloomsburg, 12 at LIU Post and 10 at Millersville.

Kinney, Jr. has made 7 starts, vs. Shippensburg in week 2 and against Clarion, West Chester, Bloomsburg, Kutztown, LIU Post and Millersville the last 6 weeks. He missed the Cheyney game due to injury. He played in all 11 games as a freshman in 2010 before spending last year away from football. He has 49 tackles (6.5 TFL) in 8 games, including 13 at Clarion.

Lancellotti started the opener after playing in 4 games on special teams in 2011. He has 18 tackles this season, including a career-high 11 at Millersville.

Fr. Brandon Pearce made 2 starts, in the season opener vs. Lock Haven and week 3 vs. Cheyney, making 9 tackles with 4.5 TFL, a sack and 2 forced fumbles.

OUTSIDE: Jr. Darius Jackson (9 starts), Fr. Greg Jones (7 starts) and Fr. Mike Kinney (2 starts) have rotated at outside linebacker this season

Jackson, the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week for his effort vs. West Chester (5 tackles, interception), moved to defense in the spring after playing in 21 games, including 5 starts, at fullback over two years. He scored 3 TD, 2 receiving and 1 rushing.

Jackson added his 1st career defensive TD vs. Cheyney, a 54-yard interception return, and also had a defensive 2-point return. He has 44 tackles, 4.0 TFL and a forced fumble and 2 interceptions.

Jones has started the last 7 weeks and has 62 tackles and 2.0 sacks, including 8 tackles and his first career sack at Clarion. He had a career-high 11 tackles and a sack at LIU Post, and 10 tackles and a fumble recovery at Bloomsburg.

Jones had an active preseason camp, moving from tailback to safety before landing at outside linebacker. He also returned the opening kickoff 20 yards vs. LHU and has played on the punt return team. During his high school career at Colonia (N.J.), Jones was named 3rd team All-State, running for 2,080 yards and 33 TD as a senior.

Kinney has 41 tackles (3.5 TFL) in 7 games, missing the Cheyney and Millersville games and leaving the West Chester game after the opening kickoff. He had 13 tackles at Clarion and 12 vs. Lock Haven in his first start.

SWITCHING IT UP: The Warriors have started R-So. Andrew Coyle and Fr. Teron Dobbs at cornerback the last 6 weeks and have started 3 combinations at corner so far this season. Sr. Brandon Phillips started the first 2 games but has missed the last 3 weeks due to injury.

Coyle has made the first 8 starts of his career and had his first career interception on the first possession of ESU's 35-28 upset of West Chester. He has 40 tackles and 4 pass breakups this year.

Dobbs has started the last 7 games and has 3 interceptions, vs. Cheyney, West Chester (on the final play of the first half) and Millersville. He has 30 tackles and 3 additional pass breakups.

Dobbs and So. Ray Dominguez are both converted wide receivers, with Dobbs moving over before week 2 (Shippensburg) and making his first career start in week 3 vs. Cheyney. Dominguez, an All-Lackawanna Conference DB at West Scranton, had 14 catches for 198 yards in 9 games (6 starts) at WR as a freshman. He has played at corner in 5 games and had a forced fumble in the 3rd quarter of the Warriors' win over West Chester.

At safety, R-So. Anthony Singlar is 5th in the PSAC with 9.1 tackles per game (82 in 9 games) and has an interception (vs. Lock Haven), 5 pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He made 5 starts at safety last year, one of three players to hold the role, and was ESU's top returning tackler with 51.

BROTHER ACT
So. LB Don Kinney, Jr. and Fr. OLB Mike Kinney have started 9 games between them and both started against Shippensburg. They both made 13 tackles at Clarion, Don as a starter and Mike entering as a backup.

They are separated by two years, as Don lettered for the Warriors as a true freshman in 2010 before spending last year away from football. Both were high school standouts at Loyalsock, teaming up on the Lancers' 2008 Eastern Conference championship team (when Don was a junior and Mike was a freshman) and 2009 District championship team, when Mike was the Williamsport Sun-Gazette Area Player of the Year as a sophomore. Don was a three-time All-District first team selection and Mike was named to the first team all four years. Mike was also a two-time All-State selection, named to the 2nd team as a sophomore and 1st team as a junior.

FAMILY AFFAIR
Two Warriors have fathers who played for Coach Douds:
• R-Sr. DL Sam Hull - father Chris, four-year letterwinner at DE from 1984-87
• R-Fr. QB Matt Soltes - father Andy lettered at QB in 1982, threw game-winning TD at West Chester

In addition, two Warriors have relatives who played for ESU under Douds:
• Jr. WR Dusty Reed - uncle Pat Flaherty was All-America center in 1976 and is currently the offensive line coach of the NY Giants
• R-So. CB Andrew Coyle - father is cousin of Tim Bishop, an All-East WR in 1984 and All-PSAC pitcher, 2B and OF in baseball

At least six other father-son combinations have earned letters since Douds arrived in 1966:

• Falcone - Michael, LB '73; Bryan, LB '00-02
• Jackson - Steven, C '69-71; Greg, TE '98-99
• McNamee - Doug, DB/WR '64-66, Todd, K/P '85-88
• Stem - Willard, FS '72-75; Drew, WR '05-08
• Terwilliger - Mike, QB '74-77 (Douds' first 4 seasons, entering 35th year as asst. coach); Jimmy, QB '03-06 (Harlon Hill Award in 2005)
• Marshall - Brian, QB '81; Matt, QB '08-10 (3rd in career total offense)

PSAC PRESEASON POLL
• ESU was picked to finish 6th in the 2012 PSAC East Coaches Poll
• The Warriors were selected behind Kutztown, Bloomsburg, LIU Post, West Chester and Shippensburg and ahead of Millersville and Cheyney

PSAC EXPANSION
The PSAC has accepted Seton Hill, which sponsors football, and Pitt-Johnstown, which does not sponsor football, as full members beginning in 2013-14. The PSAC will have 18 full-time members with 16 sponsoring football (Mansfield, which has sprint football, dropped its varsity program following the 2006 season). LIU Post, an associate member for five years, will not be part of the conference with the addition of Seton Hill. Lock Haven will join the PSAC East as part of the new alignment in 2013.

WARRIORS FROM 2000-09
• The Warriors wrapped up their winningest decade in school history in the 2000's, going 77-34 for a .694 winning percentage
• They had nine winning seasons in 10 years, made three NCAA Playoff appearances, won PSAC East titles in 2002 and 2003, and had a school-record 11 wins in 2005
• ESU has an all-time record of 453-302-19 (.598)

UNDER THE LIGHTS
ESU is 6-4 in night games since lights were installed in 2007:
9-15-07 -- L 23-38 vs. IUP
8-28-08 -- W 14-11 vs. #25 Virginia Union
9-6-08 -- W 23-10 vs. Gannon
9-27-08 -- W 52-12 vs. Cheyney
9-12-09 -- W 45-31 vs. Clarion
9-11-10 -- L 17-23 vs. IUP
9-1-11 -- W 56-14 vs. Pace
9-17-11 -- L 19-22 vs. #21 California
9-8-12 -- W 31-0 vs. Lock Haven
9-15-12 -- L 21-63 vs. Shippensburg

AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME
• ESU is 4-6 all-time in overtime contests and has won its last two games in OT, 27-20 at Kutztown in 2009 and 44-41 vs. Shippensburg in 2008
• The win vs. Shippensburg gave head coach Denny Douds the PSAC record with his 213th career victory

OVERTIME GAMES
1991 - L 34-33 vs. Shippensburg (NCAA Playoffs)
1996 - W 27-20 vs. Kutztown
1999 - L 33-27 at Shepherd (2OT)
2000 - W 35-28 vs. Shepherd
2000 - L 33-26 vs. Millersville
2000 - L 17-14 vs. Shippensburg
2004 - L 38-37 vs. West Chester
2005 - L 31-24 vs. Bloomsburg
2008 - W 44-41 vs. Shippensburg
2009 - W 27-20 at Kutztown

GREGORY-DOUDS FIELD AT EILER-MARTIN STADIUM
• Field renamed to honor coaches Jack Gregory and Denny Douds after ESU's 58-14 win vs. Cheyney on Oct. 30, 2010
• Gregory had 49-11-2 (.806) record from 1959-65 and won 1964 and 1965 PSAC championships
• Douds has been ESU's head coach since 1974
• Eiler-Martin Stadium has been the home of the Warriors since 1938
• John R. Eiler was an outstanding athlete at the school in the early 1930s and later athletic director and a championship soccer coach
• Gene Martin was the Warriors' head football coach from 1942-57 and the school's long-time Dean of Men
• The Warriors have a 123-72 home record (.631) under Douds and a 43-29 home record (.597) since 2000

Renovations include:
• New home bleachers were added in 1960
• The current press box was installed in 1988
• The track was resurfaced and expanded to 8 lanes in 2005
• Lights were added prior to the 2007 season
• FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2008 season

ESU IN THE NCAA PLAYOFFS
• ESU has played in the NCAA Division II Playoffs four times, most recently in 2009 when they fell to Edinboro, 31-16, in the first round
• The Warriors have also played in the postseason in 1991, 2004 and 2005, when they advanced to the national semifinals
• ESU has a 4-4 record in four postseason trips

PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
• ESU has won a share of nine PSAC titles under head coach Denny Douds, and 12 in school history
• The most recent championships came in 1991, 2002 and 2003, when the Warriors won the PSAC East championship
• Overall PSAC titles came in: 1942, 1954, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1982
• ESU has a 203-111-1 (.646) record in PSAC games for the 3rd-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field title was awarded in 1960

WARRIORS ON RADIO
• WVPO 840 AM is in its 50th season broadcasting ESU football and will once again carry all 10 games in 2012
• Chuck Seese, the 2009 PSAC Heaslip Media Award winner,  is in his 24th season as the voice of the Warriors
• He is joined in the booth by Bob Brittain, who is in his 12th year providing the color commentary

WARRIORS ON TV
• Blue Ridge TV-13 will broadcast ESU football for the 26th year this season, with all five home games airing live across the region
• Play-by-play man Chris Doty (23rd year) is joined by color commentator Jim Riley (5th year) and sideline reporter Mike Remish (3rd year)

WARRIORS ON SPORTSFEVER TV
• ESU played 3 games on state-wide and national television this season through a partnership with SPORTSfever TV
• The Warriors' games at Clarion (Sept. 29), vs. West Chester (Oct. 6) and at LIU Post (Oct. 27) were broadcast, tape-delay, on Blue Ridge cable, the Comcast Network and ROOT Sports (formerly Fox Sports Pittsburgh)
• ESU has had 16 games broadcast by SPORTSfever over the last six seasons.

ESU WARRIORS ALL ACCESS
• All 7 broadcasts this year will be available online through ESU Warriors “All Access” at www.esuwarriors.com
• The single-season package ($24.95) gives access for all football content, live and archived, through August 31, 2013
• The single-day package ($6.95) gives access for a 24-hour period

JAMES FRANKLIN UPDATE (Bio  l  Twitter)
• James Franklin '95, a two-year starter at QB and a Harlon Hill candidate in 1994, is in his 2nd season as head coach at Vanderbilt
• Franklin led the Commodores to a 6-6 regular season record in 2011 and their 2nd straight bowl game, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
• Vandy moved to 5-4 with a 40-0 road shutout at Kentucky last Saturday

WARRIORS IN THE PROS/DIVISION I
James Franklin is one of 9 former ESU players or graduate assistant coaches in the NFL or Division I college football:
• Pat Flaherty '78: NY Giants, offensive line coach, 2x Super Bowl champion
• Vic Fangio '80: SF 49ers, defensive coordinator
• Joe Marciano (GA): Houston Texans, special teams coordinator
• Joe Baker (GA): Dallas Cowboys, assistant secondary coach
• John Glenn '05: Seattle Seahawks, assistant special teams coach
• James Franklin '95: Vanderbilt, head coach (Packers, Chiefs in NFL)
• Brent Pry (GA): Vanderbilt, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
• Harry Hiestand '83: Notre Dame, offensive line - also Tennessee, Bears (NFL)
• Marshall Roberts M'03: Liberty, special teams coordinator/cornerbacks

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES
• ESU has produced 55 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selections over the last 5 years, 2nd-most in the PSAC
• ESU led the PSAC with 15 selections in 2010-11 and 10 selections in
2007-08 and 2008-09
• ESU has 19 PSAC "Top 10" award winners over the last 5 years, also 2nd-most in the PSAC

The football program has had 5 Academic All-Americans:
2010, 2009 - Matt Freed, LB, 1st team
2004 - Matt Crispell, DB, 1st team
1992 - Ed Detwiler, P, 2nd team
1984 - Ernie Siegrist, TE, 1st team
1979 - Warren Brown, LB, 2nd team