DUQUESNE DUKES (6-2, 4-0 NEC) at ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (5-4, 4-0 NEC)
Saturday, Nov. 9 / 1 p.m. / Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium

OPENING KICKOFF
► Duquesne is set to travel to Moon Township for a battle of teams unbeaten in NEC play against Robert Morris on Saturday. The Dukes, Colonials and CCSU sit tied atop the NEC standings with 4-0 records.  

► With the victory over Saint Francis, head coach Jerry Schmitt became the all-time winningest coach in program history with 98 wins. 

► Duquesne ranks eighth in the FCS in total defense (298.5 ypg), 13th in total defense (19.5 ppg) and 16th in pass defense (178.8 ypg). 

► All-American running back A.J. Hines leads all active FCS players in career rushing yards and touchdowns. He is just 81 yards away from becoming the program's all-time leading rusher. 

► The Dukes - picked to repeat as NEC champions in the conference preseason poll - are 23-5 in NEC action since the start of 2015. DU has been selected to finish first or second in the poll for nine straight years. 


GAME COVERAGE
Watch: NEC Front Row
Play-by-Play: Tim Benz
Analyst: Brian Cleary

Listen: WJAS 1320 AM / iHeart Radio 
Play-by-Play: Alex Panormios
Analyst: Tad Maurey 

Live Stats: RMUcolonials.com


THE SERIES
- Saturday's meeting marks the 21st meeting between the Dukes and Colonials with Duquesne holding a 13-7 advantage in the all-time series. 

- The Dukes have won six straight over Robert Morris, including three in a row at Joe Walton Stadium. 

- Jerry Schmitt is 11-3 in his career against the Colonials. 

- This season will be the 17th consecutive year in which the two teams have met. 

- In the Dukes' last visit to Joe Walton Stadium, Duquesne quarterback Tommy Stuart threw for five touchdowns and A.J. Hines eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. Hines has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his three career games against the Colonials. 


SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
- After going winless in NEC action the last two seasons, the Colonials have bounced back in a big way in 2019, starting 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2010. 

- Robert Morris has tallied five wins for the first time since the 2013 campaign. In addition to their four NEC victories, the Colonials also went on the road and defeated VMI by a score of 31-21 in Lexington, Va. 

- The Colonials boast one of the top pass defenses in the FCS, limiting opponents to 171.0 yards per game through the air. Robert Morris ranks 21st in the country in total defense at 336.0 yards per contest. 

- Running back Alijah Jackson is 14th in the nation in rushing yards per game  (103.3) while linebacker Aniello Buzzacco is ninth in the FCS in tackles per game (10.6). 

- Head coach Bernard Clark is in his second season at Robert Morris after spending the previous four seasons as defensive coordinator at Albany under former Duquesne head coach Greg Gattuso. 

- The Colonials cap a three-game homestand with the matchup against Duquesne. 


LAST TIME OUT
Duquesne 30, Saint Francis U 21
- Duquesne earned its fourth straight victory as Jerry Schmitt became the program's all-time winningest coach with a 30-21 NEC triumph over Saint Francis U on Saturday afternoon at Arthur J. Rooney Field.

- Schmitt collects his 98th win at Duquesne, passing Greg Gattuso for the most wins in program history.

- The Dukes' defense forced three Red Flash turnovers while Daniel Parr finished with three total touchdowns en route to the win. 

- Duquesne finished with a 37:41 - 22:19 advantage in time of possession in the victory.

- Kellon Taylor recorded eight receptions for a career-high 101 yards and a touchdown for the Dukes, as well.

- A.J. Hines tallied a team-high 85 rushing yards for Duquesne.  

- Brendan Thompson and Daivon Ellison recorded six tackles apiece to pace the Duquesne defense. Ellison had five solo tackles including a tackle for loss while Thompson finished with four solo stops, forcing and recovering a fumble for the Dukes.

- Duquesne outgained the Red Flash 389-301, including a 168-23 advantage on the ground. The Dukes finished with 24 first downs compared to Saint Francis' 15.


LAST MEETING (10.13.18)
Duquesne 48, Robert Morris 24
- A.J. Hines and Daquan Worley combined for 278 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while Duquesne forced three turnovers in a 48-24 NEC victory over visiting local foe Robert Morris.

- All told, the Dukes, who snapped a two-game skid with the win, finished with 321 rushing yards in the contest, their first 300-yard performance since tallying 373 yards in a 47-7 triumph over Kentucky Christian on Sept. 15, 2015.

- Hines matched a career-high with three rushing scores while Worley, a defensive back, logged his first career touches on the offensive side of the ball, finding the end zone twice. He totaled seven carries for 96 yards on the night for Duquesne.

- After the Colonials jumped out to a 7-0 lead following a DU turnover, the Dukes responded with 24 straight points.

- Spencer DeMedal tallied a career-high 11 tackles (10 solo) with a fumble recovery to lead Duquesne followed by Brandon Stanback with eight tackles (seven solo) with a forced fumble.

- Duquesne recorded 513 total yards of offense, its first 500-yard output since registering 542 yards in a win at Valparaiso in 2017. 

- The Dukes moved to 16-4 in night games at Rooney Field with the triumph. 

- Duquesne's victory over Robert Morris ignited a six-game winning streak as the Dukes captured their fifth NEC title and first FCS Playoff win in program history at Towson. 


QUICK HITS
- The Dukes are 23-5 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, including a 13-2 mark at Rooney Field. Duquesne has won three out of the last four NEC titles in that span with a pair of NCAA Playoff appearances. 

- DU has recorded 65 wins since 2011, at least 11 more victories than any other NEC team. In addition, the Dukes' 39 conference wins in that time span are the most in the league. Sacred Heart has the second-most wins with 54 while Bryant is second in NEC wins with 30.

- Duquesne was just seven points away from making four straight FCS Playoff appearances after a 14-10 loss at eventual NEC champion Saint Francis U in 2016 and dropping a 28-27 decision to CCSU at Rooney Field in 2017. 

- Duquesne ranks eighth in the FCS in total defense (298.5 ypg), 13th in total defense (19.5 ppg) and 16th in pass defense (178.8 ypg). The Dukes' defense has forced 11 turnovers in their four NEC contests in 2019. 

- Duquesne is the top third-down conversion team in the NEC, converting on 47.0 pct of attempts (54-of-115), also good for ninth in the FCS. 

- With a one-yard touchdown rush as time expired in the first half of the Dukes' 28-24 win over Wagner, A.J. Hines set a new Duquesne career record for rushing touchdowns with his 42nd rushing score. 

- Hines finished with 113 rushing yards in the victory, tying Larry McCoy's school record of 24 career 100-yard rushing performances. Hines trails McCoy by just 80 yards as the program's all-time leading rusher. 

- Hines eclipsed the 5,000 career all-purpose yardage mark in Saturday's game against Saint Francis U (4,469 rush, 562 receiving, 19 kick return). He ranks 11th in the FCS and second in the NEC in rushing yards per game (103.3 ypg). 

- Mark Allen is second in the NEC and ranks 24th in the FCS in all-purpose yardage at 126.1 yards per game. He is 14th in the nation in punt return average (11.7 ypr). 

- Hines and Allen have been double trouble in the backfield for the Dukes this season, as the duo has combined to rush for 1,158 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Hines is averaging 103.3 yards per game and Allen 67.3 yards. The two backs have tallied five 100-yard indivudal rushing performances on the season. 

- When Daniel Parr went down against Saint Francis in the third quarter with an injury, fifth-year senior Brett Brumbaugh came in for the Dukes and completed passes to Kareem Coles Jr. and Dontay Mayfield. Brumbaugh is slated to make his first career start on Saturday at Robert Morris.  

- Brendan Thompson leads the Duquesne defense with 54 tackles, including 6.0 TFL and three forced fumbles. Spencer DeMedal is second on the team with 40 tackles with 28 solo stops while Harvey Clayton Jr. has 32 tackles, an interception and a team-high four pass breakups.

- Chris Favoroso has recorded team highs of seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks in addition to seven quarterback hurries on the season. He is part of a Duquesne defensive line along with First Team All-NEC selection Kam Carter and Mike O'Malley which has played a big role in applying pressure and allowing the Dukes to force turnovers all season.  

- The Dukes have had six different players lead them in tackles through the first five games of the year: 
Walsh: Brendan Thompson (8 tkl, 8 solo, 2 TFL)
YSU: Chris Favoroso (10 tkl, 6 solo, sack)
Dayton: Spencer DeMedal (10 tkl, 4 solo, TFL)
UNH: Brendan Thompson (8 tkl, 3 solo, TFL)
LIU: Spencer DeMedal (7 tkl, 6 solo, .5 TFL)
Todd Hill (7 tkl, 4 solo, 1.5 sacks)
Brendan Thompson (7 tkl, 4 solo 1.5 TFL)
Mason Williams (7 tkl, 3 solo, .5 TFL)
SHU: Brendan Thompson (11 tkl, 7 solo, 1.5 TFL)
Wagner: Brendan Thompson (6 tkl, 5 solo)
SFU: Brendan Thompson (6 tkl, 4 solo, FF, FR)
Daivon Ellison (6 tkl, 5 solo)

- Both Kellon Taylor and Kareem Coles Jr. hauled in touchdown receptions in the win at Dayton, representing each of their first touchdown grabs of the season.  

- In fact, it was Coles Jr.'s first touchdown catch since Sept. 30, 2017 when he tallied a pair of touchdown receptions from quarterback Tommy Stuart. Coles Jr. was tied for the team lead for receiving touchdowns with Nehari Crawford following that game, but missed the rest of the season due to injury. Crawford went on to lead the FCS in touchdown receptions. 

- Taylor notched his first career 100-yard receiving game in the win over Saint Francis, hauling in eight receptions to match a career high as well. He paces the Dukes with 38 receptions for 348 receiving yards on the year.  

- Coles Jr. has 28 catches for 293 yards on the season and is tied with Taylor with a team-high three touchdown receptions. 

- Davie Henderson has a pair of touchdown receptions for Duquesne and averages a team-best 19.1 yards per reception while Dominic Thieman has hauled in 13 catches for 204 yards and a score. 

- Head coach Jerry Schmitt returns for his 15th season at the helm of the DU program and 20th overall as a head coach. He has tallied 98 wins at Duquesne, passing Greg Gattuso as the school's all-time winningest coach. 

- Schmitt served as offensive coordinator under Gattuso for seven seasons, helping the Dukes post a record of 53-21 before accepting the head coaching position at his alma mater Westminster in March of 2000. 

- Duquesne seeks its first 5-0 start in NEC play in program history. The Dukes are 4-0 in conference action for the second time in three seasons after beginning the 2017 campaign 4-0. 

- Duquesne has won nine straight NEC games dating back to last season. This represents the longest such streak since the Dukes joined the NEC prior to the 2008 season. Before that, Duquesne won 38 straight conference contests between 1999 and 2006.