Game Notes:
Shippensburg (.pdf)
East Stroudsburg (.pdf)
PSAC Report (.pdf)

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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University football team opens PSAC Eastern Division play on Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts new rival East Stroudsburg to Seth Grove Stadium. The Red Raiders are seeking their first 3-1 start to a season since 2004 while looking to confirm their rank among the division's elite teams.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

The game is being broadcast live on Shippensburg University's student television station SUTV (21-local, 75-campus) and an audio feed will be simulcast on the radio (WSYC 88.7 FM) and on the internet (www.wsyc.org). Pre-game starts at 12:55 p.m. The contest will once again be streamed over the internet and can be viewed for free at www.ship.edu/goraiders.

ABOUT THE GAME

Shippensburg is 2-1 after consecutive victories over Edinboro and Lock Haven while ESU is one of four unbeaten teams remaining in the PSAC. The Red Raiders were picked to finish fifth in the 2009 PSAC Eastern Division Preseason Coaches Poll. This football season marks the second year at Shippensburg in which the Red Raiders will be based in the Eastern Division.

Shippensburg was picked ahead of Kutztown, Millersville and Cheyney, while Bloomsburg was voted atop the Eastern Division poll. West Chester, East Stroudsburg and C.W. Post round out the top four.

East Stroudsburg University was picked to finish third in the 2009 PSAC Eastern Division
Preseason Coaches Poll. The Warriors received one first place vote and were selected behind preseason favorite Bloomsburg and defending PSAC East champion West Chester.

Matt Freed and Matt Marshall lead a team that returns nine starters and 33 letterwinners from an '08 squad that finished with a 9-2 record overall and a 5-2 record in the PSAC East.

The contest features the top two scoring offenses in the PSAC through three weeks. East Stroudsburg leads the conference after averaging 34.0 points per game, while the Red Raiders rank second in the PSAC with an average of 32.0 points per game.

The head coaches of each team, SU's Rocky Rees and ESU's Denny Douds, combine to total 54 years of leadership at their respective institutions.

SHIPPENSBURG IN CONFERENCE OPENERS

The Red Raiders are 27-32 all-time in divisional openers — with all but last year's meeting being against a PSAC Western Division opponent. Head coach Rocky Rees is 10-9 in these contests but SU has lost its last two.

Shippensburg has not won a home divisional opener since 2004, when the Red Raiders opened PSAC West play with a 17-10 victory over Edinboro on Homecoming. Last year, the two teams opened PSAC Eastern Division play at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

SERIES HISTORY: RED RAIDERS VS. WARRIORS

The Red Raiders lead the overall series 25-17-2. Shippensburg has won seven of the last nine meetings between the two teams but has not won a home game against ESU since 2001.

The two teams first met in 1926 with Shippensburg earning a 7-0 home victory. Under head coach Rocky Rees, the Red Raiders are 7-3 against the Warriors. The last two meetings between the teams at Seth Grove Stadium have each been decided by five points or less.

Perhaps the most historic meeting between the two teams came in 1976, when Shippensburg battles East Stroudsburg in the State Game. The Red Raiders, under head coach Joe Mark, battled Douds and the Warriors to a 14-14 tie at Seth Grove Stadium.

For complete notes, view the PDF files posted above.