Sept. 6, 2006

FOX SPORTS NET PITTSBURGH TV - TAPE DELAY AT 4:00 P.M.
Paul Dottino (play-by-play) & Steve Jackson (color)

DUKES FOOTBALL WILL BE INTERNET-ONLY THIS SEASON
Alex Panormios (play-by-play) & Bob Healy (color)
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DUKES AT ROBERT MORRIS

Duquesne (0-1), coming off a tough 31-28 overtime loss at Bucknell last Saturday, hits the road again for the short trip to Moon Township to face intra-city rival Robert Morris (0-1) at RMU's Joe Walton Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m. (internet-only at www.redzonemedia.com). The game will be televised as part of the Northeast Conference television package by Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh on a tape-delay basis (game will air at 4:00 p.m.).

In the opener, Bucknell QB Terrance Wilson scrambled for a 15 yard score to tie the game on the final play of regulation. Bucknell went on to win the game on an overtime field goal.

Last year, DU finished 7-3 in securing its seventh consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League championship with a 4-0 mark. The Dukes, who entered the 2006 season with a 37-game league win streak, have claimed nine MAAC 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. RMU opened with a 21-14 loss at Dayton last weekend.

TWO OF THE BEST

Duquesne (2003, Sports Network) and Robert Morris (1999 & 2000, Don Hansen) have combined to win three I-AA Mid-Major National Championships over the past eight seasons. The Dukes are the owners of nine MAAC titles, while the Colonials have won five Northeast Conference crowns. Duquesne, which has finished 4th, 2nd, 1st, 5th and 3rd in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10 in each of the past five seasons, takes a No. 5 ranking into Saturday's game. RMU, which has finished 5th, NR, 9th, 8th and NR in the five years of the poll, enters the game unranked.

THE SERIES

Robert Morris leads the overall series 4-3, with Duquesne owning wins in three of the past four matchups ... three of the past five meetings have been decided by a total of nine points ... this is the first meeting at RMU's new Joe Walton Stadium ... last year, redshirt freshman Scott Knapp made his first career start a memorable one as he threw for 365 yards and one touchdown to lead Duquesne to a 23-12 victory at Rooney Field ... Knapp, who won the starting job late in preseason camp, completed 23-of-42 pass attempts in amassing the seventh-highest single-game passing yardage total in school history ... two years ago at Robert Morris it was different story as the Colonials jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and were never threatened the rest of the way in handing Duquesne a 34-14 defeat at Moon Stadium ... RMU, which outgained the Dukes 442-to-307, enjoyed a 208-to-14 edge in total yardage in dominating the first 15 minutes of play.

NOTES FROM BUCKNELL

• Duquesne had a six-yard first quarter touchdown pass called back because of an illegal shift with the ensuing 29-yard field goal attempt blocked ... the Dukes also drove to the Bucknell seven late in the third quarter with the score tied 21-21 and came up empty on three plays before Mark Troyan's 26-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright
• DU opened the game with an offensive line consisting of two true freshmen (LG Steve Kuhns and RT Matt Kikta), two converted defensive linemen (LT J.T. Stefanik and RG Joe DeGiorgi) and one veteran (C Matt Stansfield) with a combined total of zero college starts ... the line helped the Dukes to 527 total yards
• Duquesne, which did not commit a turnover, was penalized eight times for 74 yards ... Bucknell was flagged four times for 35 yards
• Sophomore quarterback Scott Knapp completed 24-of-36 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns in earning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors ... it marked the second-straight year the Pittsburgh native opened the season with a 300-yard passing game (Knapp threw for a DU freshman record 365 in last year's season-opening win over Robert Morris) ... Knapp's TD passes - both to junior Bruce Hocker - covered 32 and 34 yards ... Hocker finished with four catches for 95 yards
• Senior running back Jeremy McCullough ran for a career-high 126 yards on 17 carries (7.4 ypc.) ... it was McCullough's third career 100-yard game and first since a 107-yard effort in a 36-33 overtime win over Morehead State on Nov. 13, 2004
• Alex Roberson caught three passes for a career-high 105 yards before leaving the game with a third-quarter knee injury ... Roberson, who hauled in passes of 52, 24 and 29 yards all in the first half, will be out indefinitely
• Sophomore Brent Whiteleather, a converted running back making his first career start at middle linebacker, led the Dukes with 11 tackles (six solo)
• Duquesne (527) and Bucknell (434) combined for 961 yards of total offense

TWO-HEADED TAILBACK

Seniors Jeremy McCullough (Bethlehem, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) and James Jacobs (Norristown, Pa./Downingtown) combined for 970 yards and 10 touchdowns from the tailback spot last season. The 5-9, 190-pound McCullough, who started six times, finished with 587 yards and seven TDs with a high game of 95 yards at Columbia. Jacobs - who goes 5-8, 180 - started three times in rushing for 383 yards (4.1 ypc.). Neither McCullough (two) nor Jacobs (three) - who have five combined career 100-yard rushing games - topped the 100-yard mark last season. McCullough put an end to that with a career-high 126 yards on 17 carries (7.4 ypc.) in the opener at Bucknell. Of the two, McCullough has been more dangerous out of the backfield with 15 catches for 115 yards last year. All totaled, the tailback tandem accounted for 83.4 percent of Duquesne's rushing yardage, 69 percent of the team's carries and 10 of 14 rushing touchdowns in 2005.

ON THE JOB TRAINING

Duquesne's offensive line has a completely new look with the only two projected returning starters - 6-6, 320-pound junior Matt Hoffman (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) and 6-5, 270-pound Zach Wolfe (Ford City, Pa./Ford City) - both out with off-season injuries. Hoffman and Wolfe, who were both first team All-MAAC offensive linemen a year ago, are not expected to play this season. The loss of Hoffman and Wolfe along with graduated starters Josh Martin, Matt Bovich and Brad Salvatore left the Dukes extremely green up front. Entering the season, there was not a single player on the current roster that had started a college game on the offensive line. LT sophomore J.T. Stefanik (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands), LG true freshman Steve Kuhns (Lafayette, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy), C junior Matt Stansfield (Meadville, Pa./Meadville), RG junior Joe DeGiorgi (Gaithersburg, Md./Good Counsel) and RT true freshman Matt Kikta (Upper St. Clair, Pa./Upper St. Clair) acquitted themselves well in the season-opener, paving the way for 527 yards of total offense (179 on the ground). The fivesome, which played the entire game, surrendered just one sack while helping produce DU's first 100-yard rusher (senior Jeremy McCullough 17-126-1) in 12 games (since Nov. 13, 2004).

VERSUS THE NEC

Duquesne is 9-7 against the Northeast Conference (record vs. the schools listed below was when each school was in the NEC). DU has faced just two NEC schools in the regular season: Wagner (1993), Saint Francis, Pa. (1996, `97, `98 & `05) and Robert Morris (1994, `95, `98, `03, `04 & `05). Five of the meetings came in the ECAC Bowl/Classic (1995 vs. Wagner, 1996 vs. Robert Morris, 2001 vs. Sacred Heart, 2002 at Albany and 2003 vs. Monmouth) ... the Dukes are 3-1 since the NEC since 2003.

DUQUESNE VS. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE W-L record reflects meetings when school was a member of the NEC

NEC School         W-L Last meeting       H/A  W-L  ScoreAlbany             0-1 2002 ECAC Classic   A    L   0-24Central Conn. St.  0-0 1993 at CCSU*       A    L   22-41Monmouth           1-0 2003 ECAC Classic   H    W   12-10Robert Morris      3-4 2005 at Duquesne    H    W   23-12Sacred Heart       0-1 2001 ECAC Classic   H    L   15-31Saint Francis, Pa. 4-0 2005 at SFC         A    W   44-17Stony Brook        0-0 never metWagner             1-1 1995 ECAC Bowl      H    W   44-20
TOTAL   9-7     Home: 6-4    Away:  3-3

NOTES

• The meeting with Central Connecticut was before CCSU joined the NEC
• Duquesne is 27-5 all-time vs. St. Francis, 4-0 since SFC became a football-playing member of the NEC
• Duquesne played Wagner in 1992 (when the Dukes competed as a D-III school) and 1993 (its first season in I-AA)
• All three NEC road wins have been at Saint Francis ... the only other NEC schools DU has played on the road are Robert Morris (0-2) and Albany (0-1).