Nov. 3, 2016 DUKES AND SEAHAWKS
This is the 12th game between Duquesne and Wagner in a series that dates to 1992 ... Duquesne leads the series 6-5, including a 5-3 edge in NEC games ... DU has won the past three in Pittsburgh, while Wagner has taken the past two on Staten Island ... last year, Rafiq Douglas ran for 191 yards and three TDs in a 35-17 Dukes win on Rooney Field ... DU led 14-10 at the half before Douglas scored on runs of 65 and 8 yards to break the game open ... both teams rushed for over 200 yards (263 for Duquesne and 205 for Wagner) on the afternoon ... Wagner had an over 11 minute advantage in time of possession in defeat ... Wagner took the last meeting at home, by a 23-13 score on Nov. 15, 2014 ... DU head coach Jerry Schmitt is 5-3 vs. the Seahawks.
ON DUQUESNE
The Dukes won their third Northeast Conference title in five years, and made their first ever FCS Playoff appearance in finishing 8-4 (5-1 NEC) in 2015. Picked to defend as 2016 NEC champions by the league's coaches, the Red & Blue return seven starters on offense and six on defense, including six players who were named to the 2016 NEC preseason team. Duquesne is 1-2 on the road with losses at Youngstown State and Saint Francis U sandwiched around a 54-35 win at Jacksonville.
ON WAGNER
The Seahawks (4-4, 2-1), who are coming off a 34-10 non-conference loss at UMass, are 3-1 at home with a 45-20 NEC win over Sacred Heart. This is Wagner's first home game since Oct. 8. It is also the Seahawks' second NEC home game.
A CLOSER LOOK
Wagner has turned it over just seven times on the season ... QB Alex Thomson has been picked off just three times in 234 attempts (he has 11 TD passes) ... the Dukes (169.4) and Seahawks (153.5) rank second and third in the NEC in rushing offense ... Duquesne is second (123.1) and Wagner sixth (142.2) in rush defense ... DU ranks second in the NEC in red zone offense (81.8%), while Wagner ranks second in red zone defense (76.9%) ... Duquesne in converting on third down at a 44 percent rate (best in the NEC) ... DU's Austin Crimmins and Wagner's James Cooper are tied for the NEC lead in field goals per game at 1.38 ... they both have 11 FGs this season.
LAST GAME
Duquesne rallied from a 24-7 second quarter deficit to defeat Bryant 35-31 at Rooney Field. Blair Roberts caught a school record-tying four TD passes (15, 7, 43, 13) from QB Dillon Buechel (15-23-1-298-4) to lead the offensive charge. Freshman running back A.J. Hines added 147 yards on the ground as the Dukes outgained the Bulldogs 495-257. Bryant took its 24-7 lead after turning a fumble and interception into a pair of one-play scoring drives covering 5 and 22 yards within a one minute span of the second quarter. DU took its first lead on a 43 yard Buechel-to-Roberts TD with two minutes left in the third quarter and took the lead for good on a 13 yard pass from Buechel to Roberts with 9:15 left. DU put together four drives of 75 or more yards in enjoying a more than 12 minute advantage in time of possession.
TRENDING
• Freshman A.J. Hines has been named NEC Rookie of the Week the past seven weeks Duquesne has played. His seven Rookie honors are tied for the most in NEC history. Hines enters the weekend ranked sixth nationally with a 119.9 ypg. average. He needs 41 yards to become the first DU freshman to rush for 1,000 in a season at the FCS level (since 1993).
• All-American LB Christian Kuntz (26.5 sacks) needs one sack to tie Antoine Bullock (27.5 from 2002-05) for the school career sacks record. Kuntz needs 3.5 sacks to become the NEC all-time leader.
• QB Dillon Buechel (9,607) needs 393 yards to reach 10,000 for his career. He is four TD passes shy of passing Tony Zimmerman (73 from 1998-00) to move into second place on DU's career list (Buechel has 70/school record is 103 by Neil Loebig).
• Leading tackler Carter Henderson (62/7.8) has scored via interception return (23 yds vs. Dayton) and fumble return (16 yds vs. Kennesaw State) this season.
• Austin Crimmins ranks 11th nationally at 1.38 field goals/g. His 55 career field goals currently rank tied for second-most in both NEC history and among active FCS kickers.
• Two DU receivers - Wayne Capers (9-235-4) and Blair Roberts (8-153-4) have tied the school record for TD receptions in a game this season.
• Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt notched his 100th career win vs. Robert Morris on Oct. 15. Schmitt is in his 17th season as a head coach and 12th at DU.
• Duquesne leads the NEC in fewest penalty yards per game (51.8). DU has led the conference in fewest penalty yards/g. four times (and been second twice) in its first eight years as an NEC member.
