Printable Game Notes

Game #8
Dukes and Battlers Meet for the First Time
DUQUESNE (4-3) vs ALDERSON BROADDUS (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 25 at 12:00 p.m.
Rooney Field (2,200/Sportexe) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
RADIO: 3WS HD2 / iHeartRadio with Alex Panormios (play-by-play) and Tad Maurey (color)
STREAMING AUDIO: RedZoneMedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/DUQ-2089/
LIVE STATS: duqstats.com or http://www.goduquesne.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=1336880&school=duqu&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&

DUKES AND BATTLERS: This is the first meeting between Duquesne and Alderson Broaddus ... Alderson Broaddus is an NCAA Division II school with no football conference affiliation, located in Philippi, West Virginia ... Duquesne is coming off a 23-20 loss to visiting Sacred Heart, ending Duquesne's four-game win streak and eight-game home winning streak ... Chris King caught four passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the loss ... King currently leads the NCAA Division I FCS in receiving yards with 915 and touchdown receptions with 11 ... Ryan Egolf checked in at QB in the first quarter, filling in for injured starter Dillon Buechel ... he completed 17 of 29 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns ... Alderson Broaddus is coming off a 45-21 win over Warner University on Homecoming weekend ... in the game, redshirt sophomore running back Brandon Jones rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 1,067 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season.

MORE ON DUQUESNE: Last year, DU finished 7-4 and tied for first in the Northeast Conference with a 4-2 record. Duquesne returns 16 position starters from last year's team, including nine on defense. This is Duquesne's seventh season as a scholarship-granting football program. With the move to the NEC, Duquesne offered 18 scholarships in February of 2008. That number has increased to 37 this season. Duquesne granted only need-based financial aid for football playing student-athletes as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League from 1994 through 2007. The NEC competed as a non-scholarship member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision until 2006 when the conference adopted an athletics-based aid model. This is the fifth season the NEC regular season champion will be an automatic qualifier for the Division I Football Championship.

ON ALDERSON BROADDUS: Third year head coach Dennis Creehan has his Battlers off to a 5-2 start ... they have won three of their past four and have scored 104 points in the past two games ... their lone loss in October was a 26-0 decision at Northeast Conference foe Wagner on Oct. 4.

SHARING THE CARRIES: Duquesne has had five different rushers lead the team in rushing this season through seven games - game one at Buffalo was Klartel Claridy (12-39-0), game two at Youngstown State was Marcus Hughes (8-74-1), game three versus Dayton was Rafiq Douglas (11-69-0) and game four versus Monmouth was Ryan Ho (13-43-1). Claridy (12-64-0) again took team honors in the week five win over West Liberty and Ho led the team for a second time in week six at CCSU (7-68-0). Wide receiver Devin Rahming got into the mix in week seven, taking six carries for 43 yards, sparked by a 28-yard scamper on the first play of Duquesne's second-quarter scoring drive which ended the first half scoring. The quartet of RB's minus Rahming has combined for 726 yards on 178 carries.

BIG PLAY ABILITY: Duquesne has used the big play to score in six of its seven games this season. In fact, nine of its 26 touchdowns have come from over 50 yards. There was an 88-yard reception by Chris King at Buffalo, a 64-yard King reception and a 57-yard Devin Rahming reception at Youngstown State, a 75-yard Malik Shegog interception return, an 84-yard Rahming punt return and a 58-yard Noel Oduho reception vs. Dayton, a 55-yard King reception versus Monmouth, a 73-yard King reception versus West Liberty and a 58-yard TD pass from Ryan Egolf versus Sacred Heart.

2014 AWARDS: Duquesne has received 10 in-season awards through its first seven games. Austin Crimmins was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week and Chris King was named the CFPA FCS Wide Receiver of the Week after week one, Devin Rahming was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, Malik Shegog was named the NEC Rookie of the week and Rahming was tabbed the CFPA FCS National Punt Returner of the Week after week three, Dillon Buechel was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Week, Austin Whalen was tabbed the NEC Defensive Player of the Week and Crimmins was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week following the Monmouth win and Nathan Stone was named the NEC Rookie of the Week and King was tabbed CFPA Honorable Mention National Wide Receiver of the Week after the week six win at CCSU.

AIRING IT OUT: With his 330 yards passing over West Liberty, Dillon Buechel surpassed the 4,000 career yard mark and now sits with 4,492 following his 333-yard performance at CCSU. After his freshman record 2,569 passing yards last season and 1,923 through seven games this year he needs just 193 yards to surpass Scott Knapp (2005-07) who is sitting fifth with 4,684.

STONE COLD: After losing the top two tacklers from last season to injuries, freshman Nathan Stone has stepped up to lead the team in tackles from his linebacker position this year with 55 (26 solo). He also has three sacks (25 yards), three pass break-ups, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: Duquesne is 25-19 in non-conference games under tenth-year head coach Jerry Schmitt with wins over Dayton (four times), Robert Morris (three times prior to joining the NEC), Monmouth (twice), Bucknell (twice) and Fordham (twice). At home, the Dukes are 17-2 in non-league play under Schmitt, while on the road Schmitt's Dukes have fashioned an 8-17 mark. DU snapped a seven-game skid in non-conference road games with a 22-13 win at Dayton on Sept. 3, 2011. The win snapped Dayton's FCS-best win streak at 10. DU went 3-2 in non-conference games last season and are 3-2 so far this year.

NATIONALLY RANKED: A couple of Dukes can be found at or near the top of the NCAA FCS National Statistics Rankings. Chris King leads the nation in receiving yards per game with 130.7, is first in the country in receiving yards with 915 and is first in receiving touchdowns with 11 while Dillon Buechel is 10th in the country with 274.7 passing yards per game and is eighth in passing yards with 1,923. The Dukes as a team rank seventh nationally in passing offense with 303.1 yards per game.

NATIONAL EXPOSURE: Duquesne is slated to play three games on ESPN3 this season. The Dukes first appeared on the trey in its season opener at Buffalo on Aug. 30 and thanks to the Northeast Conference's television package, played CCSU on Oct. 11 and will host Robert Morris in the regular season finale on Nov. 22 at Rooney Field. None of those games are available on NECFrontRow.com.

DID YOU SEE THAT?: Chris King made it onto SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays for his acrobatic touchdown catch in the back of the end zone at Buffalo.

FBS INFLUENCE: Three players with FBS game experience were on the opening day 2-deep: back-up WR Wayne Capers (Arizona), starting S Chris Johnson (Florida) and projected starting OLB Armstead Williams (Purdue) had all played in a FBS game prior to this season. Back-up CB Ken Egu ran track and was on the football team at Washington, but did not see action. FB Randy Morris was a two-year walk-on at Pitt, but did not play. DB Trenton Coles (Pittsburgh), who played in 11 games last season, has since been added to the roster.

SEVEN AT HOME: The Dukes will play seven times at home and five times on the road. The seven home games are the most since 2001 when DU scheduled six home games and later added the ECAC Classic. It is the first time Duquesne has seven or more scheduled home games since 1934 (eight).

EARLY START: The August 30 game at Buffalo tied the earliest opener in school history (2001 vs. VMI & 2003 at Bucknell are the others).

BALANCED ATTACK: The Dukes entered the season with 17 seniors (including graduate students), 23 juniors, 19 sophomores, which includes 14 redshirt sophomores, 11 redshirt freshmen and 27 true freshmen. The 27 newcomers is Duquesne's largest class of newbies in the school's six-year involvement in the Northeast Conference.

NEW KID ON THE BLUFF: Trenton Coles (Clairton, Pa/Clairton/Pittsburgh) transferred to Duquesne after week one and saw action in his first contest at Youngstown State ... the 6-3, 169-pound defensive back played in 11 games on special teams and as a reserve cornerback last season as a redshirt freshman at Pitt ... he is again slated to start for the Dukes this week.

CAPTAINS: Captains for the 2014 season are: junior OL Dan Buchholz (Malvern Pa./Great Valley), sophomore QB Dillon Buechel (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour), senior DB Rich Piekarski (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and junior DL Zach Zidian (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman).

QUICK HITS

• Duquesne, which returns 16 position starters, won three of its last four in 2013 to tie Sacred Heart for the regular-season Northeast Conference title. The lone loss, which came at SHU on Nov. 9 (10-0), prevented the Dukes from earning the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Football Championship.

• Twenty-three position returnees started at least once last season.

• Twelve freshmen saw action in 2103: QB Dillon Buechel (RS), WR Chavas Rawlins, CB Sterling Parks, spec teams Xavier Nelson (RS), spec teams Anthony Alimenti (RS), LB Aaron Reed (RS), OL Larson Graham (RS), PK Austin Crimmins (RS), PR Bobby Gustine, TE Kevin Enright (RS), DL Jake Radziukinas (RS) & RB Zach DeNardo (RS). Buechel, Reed, Graham and Crimmins started every game. All but Parks (transfer) are back.

• In addition, nine first-year players saw action in 2013, with four starting at least once: SS Chris Johnson, DB Nick Floyd, OL Ezek Suivaaia & LB Austin Whalen.

• DU, which is 20-12 in NEC play over the past five seasons (5-3 in 2010, 7-1 in 2011, 3-5 in 2012 & 4-2 in 2013, 1-1 in 2014), won a share of the conference title for the second time in three years in 2013. The Dukes went 4-11 in their first two seasons in the conference (2-5 in 2008 and 2-6 in 2009).

• DU has defeated every NEC team - both home and away - under current head coach Jerry Schmitt. On Oct. 11, the Dukes defeated CCSU at Arute Field for the first time under Schmitt.

• Dillon Buechel completed 58.2 percent of his passes for a freshman record 2,569 yards and 14 touchdowns (120.37 efficiency rating) in earning NEC Rookie of the Week honors three times last season. Buechel was the first freshman to open the season under center since Scott Knapp in 2005. Buechel replaced Sean Patterson, who started 33 consecutive games from 2010-12.

• Junior LB Christian Kuntz, who tied for the team lead in tackles (74) and led the Dukes in TFL (19.5) and sacks (9.0) in 2013, is doubtful for the 2014 season after suffering an off-the-field knee injury in the spring. Kuntz, a Sports Network Third Team All-American, ranked 1st nationally in tackles for loss per game at 1.8. First-year Purdue transfer Armstead Williams has taken over at outside linebacker in place of Kuntz.

• 315-pound junior tackle Zach Zidian was a big reason linebackers ranked first, second and fourth on the team in total tackles. The Youngstown, Ohio native - when he wasn't occupying multiple offensive linemen - had 44 stops of his own (including 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks). In addition, Zidian - a second team All-NEC pick, showed a nose for the football with a team-high four fumble recoveries.

• Returning linebackers sophomore Aaron Reed (74 tackles) and junior Sam Martello (65 tackles) both started all 11 games last season.

• Senior safety Rich Piekarski, who finished third on the team with 70 tackles in 2013, led the team with two interceptions and seven passes broken up.

• Duquesne is 25-19 in non-conference games under head coach Jerry Schmitt with wins over Dayton (four times), Robert Morris (three times prior to joining the NEC), Monmouth (twice), Bucknell (twice), Fordham (twice) and Albany (once as a CAA member). At home, the Dukes are 17-2 in non-league play under Schmitt. DU played its most ambitious non-conference game in recent history when it traveled to Buffalo (Mid-American Conference) for the 2014 season opener. It was DU's first game against a FBS school.