Sept. 17, 2002

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#4 MARIST (2-0, 1-0) at #2 DUQUESNE (2-0, 1-0)
Saturday, September 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Arthur J. Rooney Field (4,500) - Pittsburgh, Pa.

Radio: Fox Sports Pittsburgh, WBGG-AM 970
Internet: RedZoneMedia.com

#2 DUKES HOST #4 MARIST

Duquesne, coming off a 17-7 win at Siena returns home for a key Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League showdown with Marist (2- 0, 1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Rooney Field (kickoff at 1:30 p.m. - WBGG-AM 970, on the web at www.RedZoneMedia.com). DU, ranked No. 2 in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Poll, 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.

Marist (2-0, 1-0), ranked No. 4 by The Sports Network, owns a pair of impressive wins on the young season: 38-27 over Sacred Heart and 28-0 over Canisius. The Red Foxes are averaging a league-best 340.0 rushing yards per game (to 98.5 ypg. for Duquesne). Marist and Duquesne are 1-2 in scoring offense (33.0 ppg. for Marist and 26.0 ppg. for Duquesne) and 1-2 in scoring defense (10.5 ppg. for Duquesne and 13.5 ppg. for Marist). This is Marist's first road game of the season. The Red Foxes were picked to finish fourth in the MAAC by league coaches.

THE SERIES

Duquesne, winner of the last seven match-ups, leads the overall series 7-2 ... Marist's last win over the Dukes came at home on Oct. 15, 1994 by a 16-7 count ... DU has won the last four meetings at Pittsburgh ... last year, the Dukes outscored the Red Foxes 14-3 in the second half to pull away for a 21-10 win at Poughkeepsie.

HOME SWEET HOME

Duquesne is 39-12 at home under head coach Greg Gattuso. Over the last three-plus years, the Dukes are 16- 2 at Rooney Field. DU saw a 14-game home win streak snapped in a 42-16 loss to Dayton last season. Duquesne owns non-conference wins over: Robert Morris (24-22 in 1998), St. John's (10-3 in 1999), Georgetown (44-20 in 2000), Lafayette (23-14 in 2000), VMI (41-18 in 2001) and Bucknell (35-14 this season) since 1998.

OVER THE LAST THREE SEASONS (entering 2002)

DU has won three straight MAAC Football League titles ... posted a 26-7-0 record (19-1 in the MAAC, 15-2 at home and 11-5 on the road) ... scored 30 or more points in a game 21 times (in 33 total g.)... averaged 36.0 points per game, and gained 400 or more yards in a game 21 times.

SIENA STUFF

• Duquesne extended its MAAC Football League win streak to 17 games with its 17-7 win at Siena
  
  
• Starting quarterback Niel Loebig (McDonald, Pa./ South Fayette) was forced to leave the game after the first series with a shoulder injury
  
  
• Loebig was replaced by true freshman Ben Palumbo (Canton, Ohio/McKinley), who completed 12-of-24 passes for 171 yards on his way to earning MAAC Rookie of the Week honors ... Palumbo, who completed passes to six different receivers on the afternoon, hit Jeremy Conley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Allderdice) with a 27-yard strike to set up Matt Hrutkay 's (South Plainfield, N.J. / Immaculata) two-yard run with 1:45 left to seal the win
  
  
• Senior defensive tackle John Rodgers (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) followed his season-opening 12 tackles vs. Bucknell with 11 more at Siena ... Rodgers now has six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on the young season ... he leads the team with 23 stops
  
  
• Senior linebacker Trent Wissner (Beaver Falls, Pa./ Blackhawk) led the Dukes with 12 tackles including three for a loss of seven yards
  
  
• Duquesne finished the game with 15 tackles for loss (-56 yards) and two sacks on the afternoon
  
  
• Both teams were penalized a total of 19 times for 193 yards (9-88 for Duquesne and 10-105 for Siena)
  
  
• Duquesne turned the ball over an uncharacteristic five times (DU lost four fumbles and was intercepted once)
  
  
• The Dukes surrendered their first two sacks of the season at Siena.

CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL

Duquesne University, which began competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level in 1993, has posted eight consecutive winning seasons. Only four other schools have fared better over that span.