Sept. 25, 2007

FROSTBURG STATE (1-2) at #10 DUQUESNE (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.
Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field (4,500) -- Pittsburgh, Pa.

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DUQUESNE HOSTS FROSTBURG STATE

Duquesne, which snapped a two-game season opening losing streak with a 30-23 overtime win at Sacred Heart last Saturday, returns home to face Frostburg State at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, Sept. 29. This is the fourth all-time meeting between the Dukes and Bobcats in a series that dates back to 1981. It is the first meeting between the two since 1990 when Duquesne was competing at the Division III level. FSU was a late addition to the DU schedule, replacing Saint Peter's which dropped its football program this summer.

Last year, DU finished 7-3 in securing its eighth consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League championship with a 3-1 mark. The Dukes, who entered 2007 with a streak of 13 consecutive winning seasons, have claimed 10 MAAC championships in the past 12 years (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006).

THE SERIES

This is the fourth meeting between the Dukes and the NCAA Division III Bobcats with the three previous games played between 1981 and 1990 ... FSU holds a 3-0 advantage with a 21-20 win at Duquesne in 1981, a 35-14 win at Frostburg in 1982 and a 41-7 win at Frostburg in 1990 ... Duquesne moved to the I-AA non-scholarship level in 1992 ... in its last match-up with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League member, Frostburg State traveled to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to defeat Marist 25-23 on Sept. 8, 2001 ... FSU finished the 2001 season 5-4 ... the Bobcats also defeated Central Connecticut State - another FCS school - 22-16 in the 1999 season opener.

CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?

DU put an end to its 0-2 start (the worst since the 1991 Division III team opened 0-2 on the way to an 0-9 season) with a 30-23 overtime win at Sacred Heart. The last time Duquesne opened 1-2 (in 2003), the Dukes went on to win the mid-major National Championship with an 8-3 record.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Duquesne, which entered the Sacred Heart game averaging 86.5 yards rushing per game, hit its stride at SHU in running for 141 yards on 31 carries
• Duquesne swept MAAC awards last week with Kevin Rombach named Offensive Player of the Week, Aaron Strader named Defensive Player of the Week and Nathan Totino earning Rookie of the Week mention ... they are the first MAAC honors of the season for the Dukes
• Sophomore quarterback Kevin Rombach, making is first start since the 2005 season finale at Saint Francis, Pa., connected on 29-of-41 passes for 316 yards and a score at Sacred Heart to up his career record to 3-0 as a starter ... Rombach sat out last season as a redshirt ... he became just the sixth DU quarterback to top 300 yards passing in a game and his 29 completions tied the second-highest single-game total in school history ... Rombach completed passes to nine different players (including a batted ball back to himself) at SHU
• DU ranks sixth nationally in passing offense at 300.7 yards per game ... middle linebacker Derron Thomas ranks fifth nationally in tackles per game (11.67) ... placekicker Mark Troyan, who connected on kicks of 26, 25 and 35 yards at Sacred Heart is tied for fourth nationally in field goals per game at 2.0.

ROMBACH RETURNS

Sophomore QB Kevin Rombach, who redshirted last season, entered the Sept. 15 Brown game during Duquesne's second drive of the second quarter and rushed for 21 yards then completed back-to-back passes of 20 (to Greg Hough) and 14 yards (to Bruce Hocker) to lead the Dukes to a touchdown that cut Brown's early lead to 14-10. The 6-2, 205-pounder remained in the game and finished 18-of-27 for 229 yards. He followed that by starting and completing 29-of-41 passes for 316 yards in the overtime win at Sacred Heart. His 29 completions tied for the second-most in a game by a DU quarterback, and he also became the sixth QB in school history to throw for over 300 yards in a game. Rombach's last previous game action came in 2005. That season, with starter Scott Knapp out (shoulder) and back-up Ben Palumbo sidelined with an injury suffered on the last play of the first quarter, Rombach was forced into action at Iona. He calmly completed 11-of-16 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown to lead the Dukes from a 10-0 deficit to a 31-17 win and extend Duquesne's conference win streak to 36 games. Rombach made his first start a week later and completed 12-of-15 passes for 207 yards and two TDs (6 and 31 yards) in a 56-14 win over La Salle. The Harrisburg Central Dauphin product finished the season with a 12-of-24, 206-yard, two touchdown performance in a 44-17 win at Saint Francis, Pa. In three games, Rombach completed 63.6 percent of his passes (35-of-55) for 584 yards and five touchdowns. He was intercepted twice for a pass efficiency rating of 175.56.

THE RACE TO REPLACE AT RUNNING BACK

Tailbacks Jeremy McCullough (5-9, 190) and James Jacobs (5-8, 180), who accounted for 85 percent of Duquesne's rushing yardage over the past three seasons, have both graduated leaving a sizable hole in the ground game. The Dukes have filled that void by moving 2006 First Team All-MAAC linebacker Greg Hough to the running back spot. Hough, who set a school record with a 98-yard interception return last year at La Salle, is no stranger to the backfield. As a freshman, the 6-1, 220-pounder carried 40 times for 164 yards (4.1 ypc.) and three touchdowns. Hough began his career as a walk-on fullback/H-back at the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Duquesne. Hough led the Dukes with 16 carries for 83 yards vs. Bucknell and added 73 yards on 10 carries - including a 45-yard jaunt - at Brown before setting new career highs for rushes (20) and yards (107) in the win at Sacred Heart. Hough, who added another 45-yard run at SHU, scored on runs of four and eight yards. The eight-yard run, which came on Duquesne's first overtime possession, proved to be the game-winner. Hough enters this weekend ranked 43rd nationally in rushing yards per game at 87.7.

A KNACK FOR SACKS

Duquesne, which finished last season ranked 10th nationally in sacks per game (2.9), was led by returning defensive end Travis Decker's 8.0. Decker, who didn't join the starting lineup until the fourth game of the season, also paced the team with 12 tackles for loss. Decker, who posted his first sack of the 2007 season at Brown, had sacks in five of 10 games with a high of 2.5 at Robert Morris last year. Sophomore Mykol Gardiner, DU's second-leading sacker last season with 6.5 is also back. In all, 22.5 of Duquesne's 29 sacks from last year return. DU, led by two from Gardiner, posted a season high four sacks last weekend at Sacred Heart.

QUICK NOTES FROM LAST WEEK

Quick notes from last week's 30-23 overtime win at Sacred Heart ...

• Duquesne is now 8-1 against NEC teams since 2003 (12-6 all-time) ... Duquesne's last 1-2 start was in 2003 ... that year the Dukes rebounded to finish 8-3 and win the Mid-Major National Championship
• DU, which entered the game averaging 86.5 yards rushing per game, ran for 141 yards ... junior running back Greg Hough (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) led the way with a career-high 107 yards on 20 carries ... Dennis Void (Bronx, N.Y. / Mt. St. Michael Academy / Chabot CC) added 29 yards on eight rushes
• Redshirt sophomore Kevin Rombach (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) completed 29-of-41 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown (five yards to Michael Rasky) in his first start since the 2005 season finale at Saint Francis, Pa. ... Rombach, who sat out last year, is now 3-0 in three career starts ... his 29 completions tied the second-highest single-game total in school history
• Senior All-American receiver Bruce Hocker (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Eleanor Roosevelt) led all receivers with eight catches for 96 yards
• Freshman Nathan Totino (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton-La Salle) had a game-high 14 tackles (eight solo).