Sept. 8, 2010
Complete Game Notes
Game #2 - Dukes Host Pioneer Football League Favorite Dayton
DAYTON (1-0) at DUQUESNE (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 11 at 12:00 p.m.
Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field (2,200/Sportexe Synthetic Turf) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
RADIO: WMNY-AM 1360 with Alex Panormios (play-by-play) & Tad Maurey (color)
STREAMING AUDIO: RedZoneMedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
LIVE VIDEO & GAMETRACKER: GoDuquesne.com
DUKES WELCOME PIONEER LEAGUE FAVORITE DAYTON: Duquesne, coming off a season-opening 17-13 win over Bucknell, stays at home to host Pioneer Football League preseason favorite Dayton (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Noon (WMNY-AM 1360).
DUKES AND FLYERS: Although Dayton and Duquesne share membership in the Atlantic 10 Conference in other sports, football meetings between the two schools have been scarce. The Dayton/Duquesne football series dates all the way back to a 20-0 Duquesne home win over the Flyers on Nov. 13, 1920. The two also met in a home-and-home series in 1923 and 1924 with Dayton winning 27-0 at Pittsburgh on Oct. 6, 1923 and also taking a 28-0 decision on Oct. 18, 1924 at Dayton. Dayton's 42-16 win at Rooney Field in 2001 - in addition to ending a 14-game DU home winning streak - marked a renewal of the series. In 2002, Duquesne, ranked No. 2 in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10, went to Dayton and defeated the No. 1 Flyers 35-28. Duquesne defeated Dayton 24-16 two years ago in the Flyers' second trip to Pittsburgh since 1923 to even the series at 3-3. Last year, UD returned the favor, defeating the Dukes 24-17 at Dayton.
HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: The quarterback and placekicker for the Dukes in the 1920 win over Dayton was none other than Art Rooney. Rooney, for whom Duquesne's home field is named, went on to become one of the most respected figures in the history of the National Football League as the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooney was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
NOTING DAYTON: UD opened its season with a 28-14 home win over Northeast Conference preseason No. 2 Robert Morris last Saturday ... the Flyers outgained the Colonials 388-213 in the win ... third-year Flyers coach Rick Chamberlin returns 15 starters (10 offense, three defense, two specialists), from a team that went 9-2 and won a share of the 2009 Pioneer Football League title ... UD was picked as the PFL favorite in a preseason poll of league coaches ... Dayton has won the PFL two of the past three years, tying Butler in 2009 ... the Flyers return five 2009 First Team All-PFL performers in OG Tyler Friedrich, LB Joe Ries, QB Steve Valentino, F James Vercammen and DE Brandon Wingeier ... Vercammen, who plays the hybrid safety/linebacker position known as "Flyer", is a preseason All-American and a member of the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List ... Valentino is one of 20 players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List ... it is the first time in program history a UD player has appeared on either watch list ... Valentino accounted for 348 of Dayton's 442 total yards (272 passing and 76 rushing) in Dayton's 24-17 home win over Duquesne last season ... the Flyers outgained Dukes 442-312, including a 236-118 advantage in the second half in that game ... UD was undefeated on the road in 2009 (5-0).
NEXT UP: Duquesne heads to Newark, Del. to face No. 16 (The Sports Network) Delaware on Saturday, Sept. 18. It will be Duquesne's first game against a current member of the Colonial Athletic Association (DU faced Richmond in 1937 and Villanova seven times between 1922 & 1950).
BUCKNELL LEFTOVERS: Duquesne, which defeated the Bison 24-19 in last year's opener, has now won two in a row in the series for the first time since 1933 & 1934 ... the win was DU's 10th over a Patriot League school ... Duquesne, which gave up an average of 376 yards (197 on the ground) last season, surrendered just 178 yards (93 rushing) in its first game under defensive coordinator Dave Opfar ... Bucknell averaged just 2.9 yards per play ... Akeem Moore (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) and Dave Williams (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) who missed nine and six games respectively last season due to injury combined for eight catches for 94 yards (Moore 4-52-0 and Williams 4-42-1) ... Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt is now 3-3 in season opening games ... senior Nathan Totino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle) finished with 13 tackles (10 solo) ... it was the 16th time in 29 games he has posted double-digit stops ... he was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week for his effort ... sophomore Zach Richert (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) was credited with two tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks ... he finished with five tackles.
CAPTAINS: A trio of seniors have been named permanent captains for the 2010 season. They are linebacker Nathan Totino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle), receiver Connor Dixon Connor Dixon (South Park, Pa./South Park) and defensive lineman Thaimu Bangura (Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt). Game captains will also be named on a weekly basis.
PLAYING "UP": Duquesne made a tradition out of playing one of the most challenging non-conference schedules when it competed as a I-AA Mid-Major. The Dukes, who annually take on Patriot League schools are 10-11 all time against that league. No member of the former MAAC Pioneer League or NEC has won more games vs. the Patriot League than Duquesne (10). DU is 30-25 in non-conference games since 1999 (20-5 at home and 10-20 on the road):
