OPENING KICKOFF

• Duquesne opens NEC play hosting Bryant in the annual homecoming game Saturday at Rooney Field. Both the Dukes and the Bulldogs are coming off a bye last week.
• Duquesne was picked to finish second in the NEC preseason poll while Bryant was selected to place third.
• The Bulldogs claimed a 38-29 win over the Dukes last season in Smithfield, R.I. Nehari Crawford finished with six catches for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns while A.J. Hines rushed for 107 yards on 26 carries.
• The Dukes made the 4,600-mile journey west to take on Hawaii to wrap up non-conference action on Sept. 22. Duquesne jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but the high-powered Rainbow Warrior offense shook off some early mistakes and earned a 42-21 triumph over DU.
• Bryant topped Robert Morris 49-46 in its NEC opener on Sept. 22. The Bulldogs' lone defeat was to then-No. 23 Stony Brook on Sept. 8.
• The Dukes won the last meeting between the teams at Rooney Field by a score of 35-31 on Oct. 29, 2016.

QUICK HITS

• Duquesne opens the six-game Northeast Conference slate on Saturday hosting Bryant at 1 p.m. at Arthur J. Rooney Field.
• The Dukes have enjoyed a great deal of success in NEC play, claiming four conference titles since 2011. Duquesne won a share of the league crown in 2011, 2013 and 2016 while capturing the outright title in 2015, earning the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
• The Dukes 14-4 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, including an 8-1 mark at Rooney Field.
• DU has recorded 53 wins since 2011, at least eight more victories than any other NEC team. In addition, the Dukes' 30 conference wins in that time span are the most in the league.
• Duquesne is not slated to leave the state of Pennsylvania again until a Nov. 3 matchup at Wagner in Staten Island, N.Y. The Dukes will take on Bryant and Robert Morris at home over the next two weeks before making the short trip to Loretto, Pa. to battle Saint Francis U on Oct. 20. DU will then have a bye in the last week of October.
• Nehari Crawford is tied for third in the FCS with six receiving touchdowns on the season. He also ranks seventh in the country with 536 receiving yards per game.
• This Saturday marks the annual homecoming game for the Dukes. Last season, Duquesne blanked Wagner by a score of 38-0 in the homecoming game at Rooney Field. Nehari Crawford had two touchdown catches while A.J. Hines rushed for one score in the win.
• Nehari Crawford (offensive) and Brett Zanotto (defensive) were both named NEC Players of the Week for their efforts in the win over Dayton. Crawford hauled in 11 catches for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns will Zanotto had 10 tackles (9 solo), including three crucial stops on Dayton's final drive of the game.
• Duquesne returns 11 starters from last year's team which posted a 7-4 overall mark and a 4-2 ledger in Northeast Conference play.
• The Dukes put together a seven-game winning streak in 2017, their most victories in a row since posting 11 straight wins to open the 2002 season.
• Duquesne has registered at least seven total victories in three straight seasons and five of the last seven years.

THE SERIES

• This is the 11th meeting between Duquesne and Bryant. The Bulldogs own a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series, winning four of the last five meetings.
• The Dukes are 2-2 all-time against Bryant at Rooney Field, including a 35-31 victory over the Bulldogs in 2016. In that game, A.J. Hines rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown. Hines has now rushed for 100 yards in both career games vs. Bryant.
• Duquesne won three straight games over Bryant from 2010-12.

GAME COVERAGE

► WATCH: NEC FRONT ROW

Tim Benz (PxP) / Ellis Cannon (Analyst)

► RADIO: WJAS AM 1320 / iHeartRadio

Alex Panormios (PxP) / Tad Maurey (Analyst)

► LIVE STATS: www.DUQSTATS.com
 

SCOUTING BRYANT

• The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game with a 3-1 overall ledger and a 1-0 mark in NEC play following a 49-46 win over Robert Morris on Sept. 22.
• The Bulldogs led by as many as 18 in that game, but Robert Morris stormed back to take a four-point lead last in the contest. Isaac McCray's 26-yard touchdown run with just three minutes remaining helped Bryant pick up the win.
• Bryant also earned victories over New Haven and Marist while falling to 23rd-ranked Stony Brook in week two.
• Quarterback Price Wilson paces the FCS with 13 passing touchdowns on the season. He matched a season-high with four touchdown passes in the triumph over Robert Morris.
• Linebacker Thomas Costigan leads the NEC averaging 10.8 tackles per game. He is coming off a 16-tackle (eight solo) performance against the Colonials. Costigan was named a Second Team Preseason All-American by STATS FCS.
• Also named a Second Team Preseason All-American by STATS FCS for the Bulldogs was wide receiver/return specialist Jean Constant, who is tied for third in the country with six receiving touchdowns on the season.

LAST TIME OUT

Hawaii 42, Duquesne 21

• Duquesne forced three first-quarter Hawaii miscues to jump out to a 14-0 lead over the FBS Rainbow Warriors, but the high-powered Hawaii offense would score 35 unanswered points en route to the 42-21 victory at Aloha Stadium.
• Playing in front of the homecoming crowd of 26,175 the Dukes immediately gained momentum on the first drive of the game as Jonathant Istache picked off Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald in the end zone with the Rainbow Warriors threatening early. It was McDonald's first career interception in 154 attempts, as the sophomore entered Saturday's contest as the nation's leader in passing touchdowns and yardage.
• Following a Duquesne punt, the Dukes would force another Hawaii turnover when Leandro DeBrito forced a fumble by Rainbow Warrior wide receiver Cedric Byrd which was picked up by fellow defensive back Spencer DeMedal at the UH 36-yard line.
• This set up a six-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Parr to Nehari Crawford, giving the Dukes the early 7-0 edge.
• The ensuing kickoff by Jacob Gill would drop in between Rainbow Warrior players near the Duquesne sideline where it was recovered by Bryan Glover at the Hawaii 23-yard line.
• Three plays later, the Dukes took advantage of the short field as Parr hit Aidan Cain on a 20-yard scoring strike for the freshman's first career touchdown reception, giving the Dukes a 14-0 advantage just over seven minutes into the contest.
• However, the explosive Rainbow Warriors, who came into the game averaging 495 yards of offense and 41.5 points per game, shook off their early mistakes and responded with 35 straight points, four coming off touchdown passes by McDonald.
• Each team added a fourth quarter touchdown, including a 10-yard touchdown connection from Parr to Kellon Taylor.
• Parr threw for three touchdowns for the second straight game, completing 13-of-24 passes for 113 yards and no interceptions on the night.
• Taylor caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown while Crawford hauled in five receptions for 29 yards and a score. He added 51 kick return yards, as well.
• Brett Zanotto notched a career-high 11 tackles in the game, including eight solo stops. Daquan Worley added seven tackles (six solo) on the night for the Dukes.

LOOKING AHEAD

Duquesne vs Robert Morris

• Following this week's matchup with Bryant, the Dukes are slated to host local foe Robert Morris next Saturday, Oct. 13 under the lights at Rooney Field at 7 p.m.
• Duquesne has won five straight over the Colonials, including a 51-14 victory in Moon Township last season. Tommy Stuart threw for a career-high five touchdown passes in that game
• The Dukes are 12-7 all-time against Robert Morris including an 8-2 mark at Rooney Field.
• The Colonials are led by first-year head coach Bernard Clark, who spent the previous four seasons as defensive coordinator at Albany under former Duquesne head coach Greg Gattuso.