Sept. 27, 2006

DUKES FOOTBALL WILL BE INTERNET-ONLY THIS SEASON
Alex Panormios (play-by-play) & Bob Healy (color)
On the internet at: www.redzonemedia.com

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DUKES HOST WEST LIBERTY STATE

Duquesne (3-1), winner of three in a row, closes out a three-game homestand against West Liberty State College on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Rooney Field (internet-only at www.redzonemedia.com).

Duquesne, currently ranked No. 6 in The Sports Network Mid-Major Top 10, defeated three consecutive Northeast Conference foes (Robert Morris, Saint Francis and Sacred Heart - 24-21 last Saturday) after a season-opening 31-28 overtime loss at Bucknell. The Dukes, who entered the 2006 season with a 37-game MAAC Football League win streak, have claimed nine Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League championships in the past 11 seasons (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005). Duquesne returns 14 position starters and two specialists from last year's team.

West Liberty is 2-2 this season with wins at Seton Hill (31-14) and vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (31-24) and losses at Walsh (42-16) and last weekend at Concord (27-23).

THE SERIES

This is the first meeting between the Dukes and Hilltoppers.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Sophomore quarterback Scott Knapp was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks after throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns in last weekend's 24-21 win over Sacred Heart ... the sophomore signal-caller has completed 65.2 percent of his passes (75-of-115) for 1,069 yards and 11 TDs (nine to junior receiver Bruce Hocker) ... Knapp's touchdown total is already better than the 10 he threw for in seven games last season ... Knapp ranks eighth nationally in total offense (263.0 ypg.) and fifth in passing efficiency (169.65) ... Knapp's 348 yards passing in the season-opener at Bucknell stands as the seventh-best passing day by a Division I-AA quarterback so far this season ... Knapp was also named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 & 18

• Exactly half (nine) of junior receiver Bruce Hocker's 18 receptions have gone for touchdowns ... two weeks ago Hocker's first three receptions vs. Saint Francis went for scores (14, 9 and 20 yards) ... he added two more scores last weekend vs. Sacred Heart ... Hocker caught five passes for 133 yards and two TDs (68, 30) in the season-opening win at Robert Morris ... in four games, Hocker has 18 catches for 382 yards and nine TDs ... he is averaging 21.2 yards per catch ... he ranks 11th nationally in receiving yards per game (95.5) and fourth in scoring (13.5 ppg.)

• Duquesne's defense ranks ninth nationally in pass efficiency defense (91.4) ... DU also ranks 10th nationally in sacks per game at 3.0

• Placekicker Mark Troyan has connected on his last five field goal attempts after opening the season with three misses in a 31-28 overtime loss at Bucknell

• Back-up defensive end Travis Decker ranks 10th nationally with a 1.0 sacks per game average ... he made his fourth career start last weekend vs. Sacred Heart and finished with eight tackles (4 solo) including two tackles for loss and a sack

MORE ON WEST LIBERTY STATE

West Liberty State College competes at the NCAA Division II level in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ... the Hilltoppers were picked to finish fourth out of eight teams in the WVIAC preseason coaches poll ... the Toppers are in their second season under head coach Roger Waialae ... in its first season under Waialae, West Liberty State tripled its win total from two to six in finishing 6-5 ... WLSC returns 14 starters from last year's team

West Liberty leads the WVIAC in total offense (381.5 ypg.), scoring offense (25.2 ppg.) and passing offense (271.5 ypg.) ... six-five, 210-pound senior receiver Renard Stevens caught a school record 69 passes in earning first team All-WVIAC honors last year ... Stevens, who has received attention from pro scouts, has 24 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns in 2006 ... senior quarterback Jay Gullion leads the WVIAC with 251.8 yards passing per game ... Gullion, a native of Waverly, Ohio, has thrown for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns in four games ... freshman running back Eddie Hills, who is averaging 94.8 yards per game, has an 84-yard run to his credit this season ... this is West Liberty's fourth road game of the young season.

NOTES FROM SACRED HEART

• The Dukes - as are all DU athletics teams - wore white wristbands with the number "5" in navy blue on them to honor the five Duquesne basketball players shot last Sunday

• The win was Duquesne's third in a row over a Northeast Conference team this season (Robert Morris and Saint Francis are the others) ... DU is now 6-1 against teams from the Northeast Conference since 2003 ... the win evened the series record at 1-1

• Sophomore quarterback Scott Knapp (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Perry Traditional Academy) completed 21-of-29 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns, giving him seven TD tosses in DU's last two games ... Knapp has 11 touchdown passes in four games this year - nine of which have gone to junior receiver Bruce Hocker (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Eleanor Roosevelt)

• Hocker continued his torrid pace with five catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 18 catches for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns on the young season ... half of his 18 catches (nine) have gone for scores ... his nine TD grabs have covered 32, 34, 68, 30, 14, 9, 20, 32 and 33 yards ... he is already six TD's shy of the single-season receiving mark of 16 set by Reggie Harris in 2000

• Duquesne enjoyed a 21-15 advantage in first downs ... DU, which had just six yards rushing on 11 first-half carries, finished with 73 for the game

• All six touchdowns scored in the game covered at least 19 yards ... Sacred Heart's scores came from 56 (run), 19 (pass) and 44 (pass) yards out, while Duquesne's three touchdowns covered 32, 33 and 22 yards (all passing)