Oct. 23, 2002
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#1 DUQUESNE (7-0, 4-0) at LA SALLE (1-6, 1-4)
Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 p.m.
McCarthy Stadium (7,500) - Pittsburgh, Pa.
Radio: Fox Sports Pittsburgh - WBGG-AM 970
On the internet at: www.redzonemedia.com
DUKES HEAD TO PHILLY TO FACE LA SALLE
Duquesne, who finds itself alone at the top of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League with a 4-0 record, heads to Philadelphia to face MAAC foe La Salle (1-6, 1-4) on Saturday, Oct. 26 at McCarthy Stadium (kickoff at 1:00 p.m. - WBGG-AM 970, on the web at www.redzonemedia.com).
The Dukes, who are coming off a 63-7 home win over St. John's, are looking for their 21st consecutive league win. La Salle, coming off a 30-23 loss at Iona, is 1-6 on the season with a 1-4 mark in league play.
DU, who assumed the top spot in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Poll on Sept. 30, has gone 6-1, 7-0 and 6-0 in league play over the last three seasons. The Dukes are looking for their unprecedented fourth consecutive MAAC title.
DUKES RANKED NO. 1
Duquesne assumed the top spot in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10 following its 35-28 win at Dayton on Sept. 28. This is the fourth consecutive week the Dukes have hung on to the No. 1 slot.
The Dukes achieved the top ranking in the poll - which was established last season - for the first time last season. DU held the No. 1 spot for three weeks last year (ending 9/24).
THE SERIES
This is just the fourth football meeting between Duquesne and La Salle. La Salle, who joined the MAAC prior to the 1999 season, played its first league game on Rooney Field on Sept. 11, 1999 (a 32-3 Dukes win). The Dukes and Explorers do have a long history however, having meet on the basketball court 50 times.
ON THE ROAD
Duquesne is 36-13 on the road under head coach Greg Gattuso, including 26-4 mark in league play. DU has dropped just two MAAC road games in the last seven seasons (24-0 at Georgetown in 1997 and 62-50 at Iona in 1999 - a 34-21 loss at ineligible Fairfield in '97 didn't count in league standings). DU has won its last nine MAAC road games.
THE REST OF THE WAY
Duquesne has four games remaining this season, with all four against MAAC opponents (two at home). The combined record of the four remaining teams on DU's schedule is 9-19 entering this weekend: at La Salle (1-6), Iona (4-3), at Canisius (2-5) and Fairfield (2-5).
DUKES GETTING NOTICED
Duquesne, one of just three remaining unbeaten teams at the I-AA level (Bethune-Cookman, 8-0 and Montana, 7-0 are the others), is receiving national attention. For the third consecutive week, the Dukes, who are the consensus No. 1 team at the Mid-Major level, received votes in both the ESPN/USA Today Division IAA Top 25 coaches poll and The Sports Network I-AA College Football Poll. DU is currently 34th in the ESPN coaches poll and 33rd in The Sports Network poll:
| WEEK | ESPN/USA | TSN |
| Oct. 7 | t45 |
| Oct. 14 | 34 | 38 |
| Oct. 21 | 34 | 33 |
THE DUKES DEFENSE
Duquesne enters Saturday's game ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense, surrendering an average of 181.7 yards per game. Duquesne opponents are averaging just 3.1 yards per play.
| I-AA TOTAL DEFENSE |
| 1. | Duquesne | 181.7 ypg. |
| I-AA PASS DEFENSE |
| 2. | Duquesne | 92.1 ypg. |
| I-AA SCORING DEFENSE |
| 4. | Duquesne | 11.6 ppg. |
RODGERS RULES
Senior nose guard John Rodgers (Moon Township, Pa. / Moon) with 49 tackles, 22 solo, 9 tackles for losses including 2.5 sacks, has been a dominating force at the center of the DU defense. Rodgers, whose primary duty is to tie up offensive linemen at the point of attack, has been doing that and more as he ranks second on the team in total tackles.
"I don't know of many noseguards who are capabable of leading a team in tackles," says former Penn State nose guard and current DU head coach Greg Gattuso. "John has been consistently outstanding all season." Rodgers, whose high tackle game entering this season was six, is averaging 7.0 tackles per game.
LEIGH BODDEN NAMED NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior cornerback Leigh Bodden (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) has been named NCAA I-AA National Mid-Major Defensive Player of the Week by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette for his dominating performance in Duquesne's 63-7 win over St. John's on Saturday.
Bodden, a preseason All-American, picked off two passes, posted a tackle for loss, and intercepted an option pitch and returned it 29 yards for a score to erase a 7-0 Red Storm lead and trigger an avalanche of 63 consecutive Duquesne points. The touchdown was the fifth of Bodden's career.
With his two interceptions, Bodden upped his career total to 24 and moved into a tie for the fourth spot on NCAA Division I-AA's list of all-time interceptors. He needs four more picks to tie Holy Cross' Dave Murphy (28 interceptions from 1986-89) for the top spot.
