Complete Game Notes (PDF)

SATURDAY  l  6:00 p.m.  l  MEMORIAL STADIUM, Clarion, Pa.

Follow: redzonemedia.com  l  Live Stats  l  Twitter

Watch: Coach Douds talks about coaching 400 games at ESU
Read: Morning Call: ESU's Douds hits another milestone

TV: Tape delay on the PA SPORTSfever Television Network. Broadcast outlets are: Blue Ridge TV-13/digital 113 - Sunday, 4:30 pm; ROOT Sports - Wednesday, 5 pm; Comcast Network - Thursday, 8 pm  (More replay information)

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 ESU sports information director Greg Knowlden providing the color commentary. Pre-game begins at 5:30 p.m.


THE MATCH-UP: East Stroudsburg University hits the road for the first time in 2012 with a trip to PSAC West foe Clarion. The Warriors have faced the Golden Eagles 11 times, all under head coach Denny Douds. The first two meetings were played for the PSAC championship, with ESU winning 49-4 in 1978 and Clarion winning 27-14 in 1983. The Warriors are 5-1 all-time at Clarion's Memorial Stadium.

MAKING HISTORY: Last week, 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. 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).  Also last week, Douds moved into 5th in Division II history with 234 career wins, and ESU became the 4th PSAC program with 450 wins, joining West Chester, IUP and Slippery Rock (Douds' alma mater, class of '63). (Video: Douds talks about coaching 400 games)

MAKING (MORE) HISTORY: Of note in Douds' 400th game -- senior tailbacks Eric Deery (167 yards) and Kendrick Williams (151) became the first tandem in school history to both go over 150 yards ... R-Fr. QB Matt Soltes threw his 1st career TD pass ... Soltes and his father, Andy, join Mike and Jimmy Terwilliger and Brian and Matt Marshall as father-son duos to throw TD passes for the Warriors under Douds ... ESU scored defensive and special teams TD's in the same game for the first time since a 28-0 win at Cheyney in 1991.  (Game Recap)

PROGRAM WINS: ESU has a 450-299-19 (.598) record in its 85th year of varsity football and became the 4th PSAC program to reach 450 wins last week vs. Cheyney. The top 3 are West Chester (543), IUP (504) and Slippery Rock (452). West Chester and IUP are 3-1 and Slippery Rock is 2-2 this year.

Douds has a 234-163-3 record in 400 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 468 of the 768 games (60.9 percent) and 279 of the 450 wins (62.0 percent) in program history. As head coach, he is responsible for 52.1 percent of the program's games and 52.0 percent of its wins.

Along with holding the PSAC record for career wins, he has also coached in 97 more games than the second-most in conference history (Millersville's Gene Carpenter, 303).

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. Among active coaches, Douds ranks 2nd in Division II and 7th in all of college football with 234 career wins.

Jay Foster (Plymouth State '85) is in his seventh season as head coach at Clarion and has a record of 21-49. In 2009, Foster led Clarion to an 8-3 record (6-1 PSAC West) and was named PSAC West Coach of the Year. The Golden Eagles have been 4-7 and 3-8 the last two seasons. Prior to taking over in 2006, Foster was an assistant coach at Slippery Rock for 18 years, including 17 as defensive coordinator or co-coordinator.

DOUDS' FOES: Douds has faced 99 head coaches, including Foster, since taking over the Warriors' program in 1974. Lock Haven's John Allen became the 99th on Sept. 8. He will face #100, Marty Schaetzle of Mercyhurst, for the first time in the season finale unless either team advances to the State Game.

Douds will meet Bloomsburg's Danny Hale, formerly of West Chester, for the 26th time on Oct. 13. The only more frequent opponent was Millersville's Gene Carpenter, who he faced 27 times from 1974-2000.

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. Also of note, the 1964-65 PSAC champion football teams, coached by Jack Gregory, will be inducted to the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame on October 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.

THE SERIES: ESU has won seven straight against Clarion and 8 of 11 overall. The last seven wins have all come since 2000, most recently 49-28 at Clarion in 2008 and 45-31 at Eiler-Martin Stadium in 2009. The Warriors have scored at least 31 points in all seven victories, while Clarion has topped the 20-point mark six times. ESU won the first meeting, 49-4, in the 1978 State Game that is still a record for victory margin. Clarion won 27-14 in the 1983 State Game in Hershey and also won games in 1986 and 1987.

LAST TIME OUT: Seniors Eric Deery (167 yards) and Kendrick Williams (151) led a rushing game that gained 334 yards, ESU's most since 2007 at Cheyney, and R-Fr. QB Matt Soltes and R-Jr. QB Nate Daniels both threw TD passes as the Warriors gained 582 yards on 54 plays in last Saturday's 59-27 win over Cheyney. Deery and Williams' combined 318 rushing yards are the 3rd-most by two teammates in school history.

The Warriors also got two scoring plays each from their defense and special teams. R-Fr. WR Brandon Mercer had a 94-yard kick return TD in the 1st quarter and Jr. OLB Darius Jackson had a 54-yard interception return TD and a defensive 2-point return, both in the 2nd quarter. The defense also forced a safety in the 2nd quarter.

GETTING THEIR FEET WET: ESU's young squad, which includes 67 freshmen or sophomores among its 85 players, continues to gain valuable experience. Last week, 7 more players saw their first career action, all true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Of the 53 players who have contributed in the first 3 weeks, 24 have seen their first career action. 12 players have made their first career starts, and 12 are in their first season as full-time starters.

Five true freshmen have made starts this year, already the most in at least 10 seasons. Three true freshmen started the season opener vs. Lock Haven - RT Cody Laubach, OLB Mike Kinney and ILB Brandon Pearce. Only two true freshmen had started in a season opener, total, in the last 10 years - OL Jeff Kocsis in 2004 at Lenoir-Rhyne and FS Kevin Antol last season vs. Pace.

Laubach has started all 3 games, Kinney and Pearce have both made 2 starts and OLB Greg Jones and DB Teron Dobbs started last week vs. Cheyney. ESU has had just 6 players (true freshmen or redshirt freshmen) start every game of the season since 2003, all on offense. They are 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 54 after the third 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.

WHO'S ON FIRST: R-Jr. Nate Daniels and R-Fr. Matt Soltes have both seen action at quarterback in all 3 games this season.

Daniels is 30-for-54 for 563 yards, 6 TD and 3 Int., including going 17-for-26 for 355 and 4 TD in the season opener vs. Lock Haven (the 4th-most yards in an opener in school history). He was 9-for-20 for 131 yards, 1 TD and 3 Int. in a 63-21 loss to Shippensburg, and 4-for-8 for 77 yards and a TD last week vs. Cheyney.

Soltes is 15-for-32 for 285 yards and a TD after making his debut vs. Lock Haven, going 0-for-2. He was 8-for-20 for 114 yards in the 2nd half vs. Shippensburg, and 7-for-10 for 171 yards and a TD last week vs. Cheyney after entering in the 2nd quarter.

Daniels has started all 3 games and has made 4 career starts. He became the 30th ESU quarterback to start under Douds last year at Shippensburg.

This year vs. 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.

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 ranks 4th in the PSAC and 26th in DII with 282.7 yards per game.

FAMILY TRADITION: Soltes and his father, Andy, are the 3rd father-son tandem to throw a TD pass under Douds. Andy Soltes lettered as a freshman in 1982 and led the Warriors to a 17-9 comeback win at West Chester late in the PSAC championship season. He threw his only career TD in that game, a 73-yard pass to Scott Benoit, to put ESU ahead 14-9 midway through the 4th quarter.

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 Division II 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 2 (Andy 1, Matt 1) ... TD passes by fathers -- 39 ... TD passes by sons -- 210 and counting.

WILLIAMS CONTINUES ADVANCE: Sr. TB Kendrick Williams moved into the top 10 on ESU's career rushing list (8th, 1,849) and became the 7th player in school history with 3,000 career all-purpose yards (6th, 3,120) last week vs. Cheyney.

Williams ran for 151 yards on 11 carries for an average of 13.7 yards per carry, 2nd-best in school history. With another 151-yard game, he will have exactly 2,000 career rushing yards, becoming the 7th Warrior to hit that mark.

He also moved into ESU's top 10 in career rushing TD (t-6th, 18) and is one away from the top 10 in total TD (20).

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 -- 3,120 (6th)
Rushing yards -- 1,849 (8th)
Yards from scrimmage -- 2,312 (13th)
Rushing attempts -- 393 (10th)
Rushing TD -- 18 (t-6th)
Total TD -- 20 (1 from a tie for 10th)
100-yard rush games -- 5

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

Deery enters this week with 1,105 yards on 216 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per carry, and 7 TD. He is 11th in the PSAC with 78.3 yards per game this year, and was ESU's 2nd-leading rusher last year with 413 yards.

Deery has 422 yards and 4 TD in his last 5 games, dating to the last 2 games of 2011. He ran for 81 yards on 7 carries at Shippensburg, and 106 yards on 11 carries vs. Edinboro. He has 4 career 100-yard games, including 2 as a true freshman in 2009.

RECEIVING THREAT: R-Jr. FB Thomas Tippett had his first career receiving TD vs. Cheyney, taking a short pass from R-Fr. QB Matt Soltes 49 yards for a TD. He is ESU's 4th-leading receiver with 6 catches for 99 yards. He also has 2 career rushing TD, including 1 vs. Shippensburg.

BIG PLAY OFFENSE: ESU ranks 5th in Division II with 7.35 yards per play this season. The Warriors are averaging 9.86 yards per pass attempt (848 on 86) and 5.10 yards per rushing attempt (490 on 96). ESU ranks 5th in the PSAC and 30th in DII with 446.0 yards per game.

SPREADING IT AROUND: Current ESU pass catchers have combined for 350+ catches and 5,500+ yards during their careers at ESU.

R-Sr. WR Jordan Hallman and Jr. WR Dusty Reed, who both have more than 1,500 career yards, lead a veteran receiving corps. R-Jr. WR Robert Bleiler went over 50 career catches last week and can go over 1,000 career yards this week.

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: 10.7 catches, 223.3 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

REED HITS MILESTONES: In his first 25 career games, Jr. WR Dusty Reed has 108 catches for 1,555 yards and 14 TD. He has a catch in 15 straight games and 2+ catches in 22 of 25 games. (Reed came to ESU as an All-State tailback).

Reed set career-highs with 11 catches for 198 yards two weeks ago vs. Shippensburg for his 5th career 100-yard receiving game.

Reed 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.

Reed led the PSAC East in yards per game (84.5), was 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 has 9 catches for 270 yards and 4 TD this year, including scoring plays of 79 and 61 yards vs. Lock Haven and 63 yards vs. Cheyney. He has 6 career TD's of 50+ yards, including 4 from R-Jr. QB Nate Daniels.

Hallman is averaging 19.9 yards per catch in his career, 3rd in school history. He averaged 24.4 yards per catch in 2011, with 35 catches for 854 yards and 13 plays of 30+ yards.

Hallman opened 2012 with 7 caches for 179 yards and 3 TD vs. Lock Haven. He was held without a catch vs. Shippensburg, and had 2 catches for 91 yards - including a 63-yard TD - 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.

WARRIORS STRETCH THE FIELD IN 2011 ...
Among Division II schools with at least 15 completions per game, ESU led the nation with 15.6 yards per catch during the 2011 season. The Warriors generated 35 plays of 30+ yards in 11 games, with 12 going for touchdowns.

... AND 2012: The Warriors are averaging 18.8 yards per catch and have 8 plays of 30+ yards, including 5 TD.

BIG PLAY BLEILER: R-Jr. WR Robert Bleiler is averaging 18.1 yards per catch in his career, going over 50 catches last week with a chance to go over 1,000 yards this week.

Bleiler has two 100-yard games in his career, both for more than 150 yards. He comes into this weekend with 53 catches for 957 yards and 5 TD.

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 is the only tight end on the Warriors' roster. He had 1 catch for 34 yards vs. Lock Haven after recording 13 catches for 154 yards and 3 TD last season. He already has 3 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.

FAST FRESHMAN: R-Fr. WR Brandon Mercer had a 94-yard kick return for a TD vs. Cheyney, ESU's first since 2002, and is 6th in Division II averaging 34.1 yards on 9 returns. 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 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.

IN THE FRONT ROW: The Warriors lost 78 career starts from center Dan Caffrey (45) and LT Zach Sarginger (33), but count 99 career starts among this year's starters:

LT -- R-Sr. Wrenton Wright II (6-3, 295)
• 36 career starts - 28 at right tackle, 8 at left tackle
• 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

LG -- So. Pete Wolmart (6-3, 310)
• 5 career starts, 3 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)
• 21 career starts - 3 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
• 34 career starts - 18 at LG, 16 at RG
• 25 consecutive starts (most on team)
• started all 11 games at right guard in 2011

RT -- Fr. Cody Laubach (6-5, 305)
• first true freshman OL to start opener since 2004
• 1st team All-Lehigh Valley Conference at Emmaus HS
• Morning Call All-Area 2nd team
• McDonald's Lehigh Valley All-Star Game

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 three weeks.

Of the 22 players on the depth chart, there are:
SR -- 2 starters
JR -- 1 starter
SO -- 6 starters, 6 backups
FR -- 2 starter, 5 backups

THE RETURNERS: ESU's 2 returning defensive starters ...
DE -- R-So. Brandon Gattelli (11 starts, 8 games last year)
FS -- R-So. Anthony Singlar (8 starts, 5 games last year)

FIRST-YEAR STARTERS: ESU's first-year starters on defense ...
DE -- So. Tarik Haddad (vs. Cheyney)
DT -- R-So. Bryan Thomson (4 starts, all 3 games this year)
DT -- R-Sr. Sam Hull (all 3 games)
OLB -- Jr. Darius Jackson (all 3 games, 5 starts at FB in last 2 years)
OLB -- Fr. Mike Kinney (1st 2 games)
OLB -- Fr. Greg Jones (vs. Cheyney)
ILB -- Fr. Brandon Pearce (vs. Lock Haven, Cheyney)
ILB -- So. Cody Simcox (vs. Shippensburg, Cheyney)
ILB -- So. Don Kinney, Jr. (vs. Shippensburg)
ILB -- So. James Lancellotti (vs. Lock Haven)
CB -- Sr. Brandon Phillips (all 3 games)
CB -- R-So. Andrew Coyle (1st 2 games)
CB -- Fr. Teron Dobbs (vs. Cheyney - WR in preseason camp)

TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN: The Warriors' defense is 2nd in the PSAC and 21st in Division II in rushing defense at 87.7 yards per game, after ranking 16th (last) in the PSAC and 137th in DII at 220.2 yards per game last year. Per play, ESU is giving up 2.4 yards per rush (4.7 yards per rush in 2011).

ESU faces a Clarion rushing offense that is 5th in the PSAC and 44th in DII with 188.5 yards per game this year.

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 is joined by Sr. Waverly Harris, R-So. Sam Trunzo and So. Tarik Haddad to form the rotation for the second straight year.

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). Harris started 3 games and had 29 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks. Trunzo and Haddad also played in all 11 games.

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. Hull, a 3-year letterwinner, has played in 23 career games and made his first 3 starts. The backups, R-So. Josh Przywara and R-So. Jon Noble (a transfer from Shippensburg in 2009), both have sacks.

BLOCK THAT KICK: Thomson blocked the extra point that Jr. OLB Darius Jackson returned for a defensive 2-point conversion vs. Cheyney. He also had 2 blocked PAT's in 2011, including one returned for a TD. The school record for blocked kicks in a career is 8, set by defensive tackle Matt Delancey (1993-96), currently a strength coach at the University of Florida.

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 listed as the starters. Simcox has started the last 2 games after coming off the bench in the opener due to injury. Kinney, Jr. also entered off the bench, then started vs. Shippensburg and missed the Cheyney game due to injury.

Kinney, Jr. played in all 11 games as a freshman in 2010 before spending last year away from football. Simcox played tight end last season at Maine. He was a 2nd team All-State linebacker at Wilson West Lawn in 2010.

Fr. Brandon Pearce has made 2 starts, in the season opener vs. Lock Haven and last week vs. Cheyney, making 9 tackles with 4.5 TFL, a sack and 2 forced fumbles. Lancellotti started the opener after playing in 4 games on special teams in 2011.

OUTSIDE: The Warriors are inexperienced but athletic at outside linebacker, one of the keys in ESU's 4-4 defense. Jr. Darius Jackson 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 20 tackles, 3.0 TFL and a forced fumble.

Two freshmen, Mike Kinney (2 starts) and Greg Jones (1 start), are at the other spot. Kinney had 12 tackles in his first career game, and start, vs. Lock Haven in the season opener but left the Shippensburg game due to injury.

Jones made his first career start vs. Cheyney and had 8 tackles vs. Shippensburg. He 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.

SWITCHING IT UP: ESU's starting cornerbacks this week, Fr. Teron Dobbs and So. Ray Dominguez, were both listed at wide receiver entering the season. Dobbs moved over before week 2 and made his first career start in week 3 vs. Cheyney, with an interception and 2 pass breakups. 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.

Sr. Brandon Phillips started the first 3 games but is out due to injury. R-So. Andrew Coyle started the first 2 games and should continue to see action.
At safety, R-So. FS Anthony Singlar is 3rd in the PSAC with 9.7 tackles per game (29 in 3 games) and has an interception (vs. Lock Haven) and 2 pass breakups. 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 both started at linebacker against Shippensburg before missing the Cheyney game due to injury. Mike also started the season opener vs. Lock Haven and led the Warriors with 12 tackles. 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.

GROFF AMONG NATION'S BEST KICKERS
Jr. K Taylor Groff is just 3-for-6 on field goals this year but his 3 misses have come from 49+ yards - 49 vs. Lock Haven, 53 vs. Shippensburg and 50 vs. Cheyney. Groff has made from 37, 39 and 41.

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

Career - 30-41 - 19-21 inside 40 - 11-20 over 40
• 12-for-13 (6-for-7 over 40) on FG to tie game or give ESU lead
• 7-for-7 (2-for-2 over 40) on FG in final 1:00 of 1st half

2011 Season - 11-14 - 5-7 inside 40 - 6-7 over 40
• 6 FG of 40+ yards - tied for the most in school history with Joey Pingitore (1983)
• the rest of the PSAC's kickers were 9-for-31 from 40+ yards
• made the 2 longest FG in the PSAC (52 and 48 yards)
• 52-yard FG at Kutztown is 2nd-longest in ESU history
• made two 43-yard FG vs. Millersville, becoming the first ESU kicker with two 40+ FG in a game since Ed Detwiler made 3 vs. California in 1992
• missed first 3 games due to injury

2010 Season - 16-21 - 12-12 inside 40 - 4-9 over 40
• ESU record with 16 field goals
• perfect inside 40 yards
• one of two 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 (30-41)
2. 67.2 -- Mark Brubaker (39-58)

ESU Career Field Goals
1. 50 -- Ed Detwiler (1989-92)
2. 39 -- Mark Brubaker (2002-05)
3. 30 -- Taylor Groff (2010-pres.)
    30 -- Matt Seagreaves (1994-96)

ESU Career Field Goals of 40+ Yards
1. 12 -- Ed Detwiler
2. 11 -- Taylor Groff
3. 8 -- Joey Pingitore

NET PUNTING
So. Jordan Bair is 11th in the PSAC in puting average (36.6) after ranking 5th (37.8) as a freshman. He was 6th in the PSAC in net punting (32.9), but ranks last (27.6) 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 6 touchbacks on 20 kickoffs this year, including 4 on 9 kickoffs last week vs. Cheyney. The Warriors' average opponents drive start is at the 24-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 20 touchbacks on 122 kickoffs (16%).

TIME OF POSSESSION ADVANTAGE
ESU held the time of possession edge vs. Shippensburg, maintaining possession for 31:50. It was ESU's first advantage in 18 games, since a 38-31 loss vs. Kutztown in 2010. ESU has lost its last 3 games when holding a TOP advantage.

Against Cheyney, ESU held the ball for 26:23 in rolling up 10.8 yards per play (582 yards on 54 plays).

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 122-71 home record (.632) under Douds and a 42-28 home record (.600) 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

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

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)

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 450-299-19 (.598)

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 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

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 will play 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) will be broadcast, tape-delay, on Blue Ridge cable, the Comcast Network and ROOT Sports (formerly Fox Sports Pittsburgh)
• Broadcast times are available on esuwarriors.com

At the end of the 2012 season, SPORTSfever will have broadcast 16 games over the last six seasons.

ESU WARRIORS ALL ACCESS
• All five broadcasts on Blue Ridge TV-13 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

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

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 200-109-1 (.647) record in PSAC games for the 3rd-best winning percentage since the first on-the-field title was awarded in 1960

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 is 1-3 this year with a win over Presbyterian and losses to #9 South Carolina, Northwestern and #5 Georgia
• Next up, the 'Dores travel to Missouri in Oct. 6

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
• 5 student-athletes were Academic All-America selections in 2011-12 — Rose Mascoli and Corinne Fitzgerald (women's cross country/track & field), Dan Johnson and Ian Melhorn (men's cross country/track & field) and Nemanja Nikolic (men's soccer)

The football program has had 5 Academic All-Americans:
2010 - Matt Freed, LB, 1st team
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