April 22, 2006

Stats

Duquesne quarterbacks Scott Knapp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry Traditional Academy) and Kevin Rombach (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) combined for 361 yards passing and four touchdowns as the offense scored five times in a 56-37 win over the defense in the annual Red/Blue game at Rooney Field on Saturday. The game, the first half of which was played in a steady drizzle, brought spring practice to a close for the Dukes.

Scoring was based on a point system that awarded various plays on both offense and defense.

"I was really pleased with the way this team competed all spring," said second-year head coach Jerry Schmitt. "The energy and effort they brought to each and every workout we had over the last month has made us a better football team."

Knapp, who missed the final three games of last season with an injured shoulder, showed no aftereffects of the injury in competing a 78-yard touchdown pass to Alex Roberson (Waynesboro, Ga./Curtis Baptist Upper School) on the first play from scrimmage. Knapp, the 2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year, finished the game 8-of-13 for 167 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to the 78-yard pass-and-run to Roberson, Knapp also led the Dukes on a 57 second, 78-yard scoring drive to end the first half. Knapp ran the two-minute drill flawlessly as he covered all 78 yards in the air by completing 4-of-6 passes. Junior Bruce Hocker Bruce Hocker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), who missed the majority of last season with a broken collarbone, caught the final two passes of the drive, a 54-yarder and a 9-yard fade in the corner of the end zone with :03 on the clock. The 6-4, 190-pound Hocker led all receivers with 107 yards on four catches.

Rombach, who started the final two games as a replacement for Knapp last season, was also sharp, completing 15-of-20 passes for 194 yards and two scores. The 6-2, 180-pound sophomore, led the offense to three consecutive touchdowns with the first coming on a 22-yard pass to freshman Josh Kurz (Delmont, Pa./Franklin Regional) to cap a 69-yard drive. Rombach then completed 3-of-4 passes for 34 yards in leading the offense on a 40 yard scoring drive in the closing two minutes of the first half. The Harrisburg, Pa. native completed his first eight pass attempts of the second half including a 4-yard score to junior tight end Calvin Gitter (Jamison, Pa./Central Bucks East) to cap an eight play, 55 yard drive early in the second half.

Six-five sophomore Philip Hayes (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock) tied Hocker with a game-high four catches for 46 yards. In all, 15 different players caught passes from Knapp, Rombach and freshman Kent Scheerer (Olmstead Falls, Ohio/Olmstead Falls).

The defense, which lost five key starters from the unit that led the nation in total defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense, more than held its own in the running game,limiting the offense to minus 5 net yards rushing on 30 attempts. Freshman defensive end Mykol Gardiner (Cleveland, Ohio/Benedictine) registered three of the defense's five sacks (-20 yards). He also knocked down a pass and was credited with a quarterback pressure. Junior defensive tackle Lou Levine (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) added a pair of sacks (-11 yards) and senior Ryan Esdale (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) also posted a sack (-10 yards). Sophomore linebacker Mamadou Balde (Moon Township, Pa./Moon), a first-year transfer from Akron, registered the only interception of the game late in the second half.

Sophomore Cleodis Williams (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) led all rushers with 18 yards on seven carries. Freshman Brian Smoot (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) added 15 yards on seven rushes - including a one-yard scoring run late in the first half - as the defense did not allow a rush of greater than nine yards.

2006 RED/BLUE STATISTICS
April 22, 2005 • Rooney Field
** UNOFFICIAL STATISTICS **

RUSHING                No.  Gain  Loss  Net  TD  Lg  Avg.
25  Cleodis Williams    7     23    5    18   0   9   2.6 6  Brian Smoot         7     18    3    15   1   9   2.1 2  Jeremy McCullough   6     10    4     6   0   4   1.0 3  James Jacobs        1      0    0     0   0   0   0.016  Kent Scheerer       1      0    3    -3   0  -3  -3.010  Scott Knapp         4      8   20   -12   0   8  -1.517  Kevin Rombach       4      0   29   -29   0  -3  -7.3TOTAL                  30     59   64   -51   9      -0.2
PASSING               Att.-Comp.-Int .Pct.  Yds. TD  Long
17  Kevin Rombach *   20-15-0        .750   194   2   3110  Scott Knapp       13- 8-0        .615   167   2   78t16  Kent Scheerer      2- 1-1        .500     4   0    4TOTAL                 35-24-1        .686   365   4   78t

RECEIVING           No.  Yds. Avg.  TD  Lg
 4  Bruce Hocker      4  107  26.8   1  5488  Philip Hayes      4   46  11.5   0  2182  Matt Queen        2   34  17.0   0  19 9  Dan Spriggs       2   20  10.0   0  2138  Andrew Rossi      2   15   7.5   0   885  Alex Roberson     1   78  78.0   1  78t19  Josh Kurz         1   22  22.0   1  19t 3  James Jacobs      1   10  10.0   0  10 6  Brian Smoot       1    8   8.0   0   8 2  Jeremy McCullough 1    6   6.0   0   625  Cleodis Williams  1    6   6.0   0   6 1  Jay Bluford       1    4   4.0   0   487  Calvin Gitter     1    4   4.0   1   4t30  Unidentified      1    4   4.0   0   434  Joe D'orsie       1    1   1.0   0   1TOTAL                24  365  15.2   4  78t
SACKS BY:
61  Mykol Gardiner    3(-20)94  Lou Levine        2(-11)44  Ryan Esdale       1(-10)TOTAL                 5(-41)
INTERCEPTIONS BY:
41  Mamadou Balde  1TOTAL              1