OPENING KICKOFF
► The Dukes hit the highway for the first of three straight road games and two consecutive contests in the Buckeye State with a matchup at perennial FCS power Youngstown State Saturday.

► Both Duquesne and the Penguins are receiving votes in national FCS polls.

► The Dukes were picked to repeat as NEC champions in the conference preseason poll. Duquesne has been selected to finish first or second in the poll for nine straight years.

► All-American running back A.J. Hines returns for his senior season pacing all active FCS players in career rushing yards and touchdowns. Named a preseason All-American by a number of organizations, Hines is just 48 yards from becoming the third player in program history to rush for 4,000 yards.

► Duquesne secured its 12th-straight victory in its home opener with a 44-3 win last week over Walsh.

► The Dukes have won eight of nine games dating back to last season.


GAME COVERAGE
Watch: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Drae Smith
Analyst: Chris Sammarone

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

Live Stats: YSUsports.com


THE SERIES
- Saturday is the fourth meeting between the Dukes and Penguins and the first since the 2016 campaign.

- Youngstown State has won all three matchups between the two programs:
        09/21/13: Youngstown State 59, Duquesne 17
        09/06/14: Youngstown State 34, Duquesne 23
        09/01/16: Youngstown State 45, Duquesne 10

- The last time the Dukes faced off with the Penguins in 2016, YSU advanced to the national title game against James Madison


SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
- YSU enters with a 2-0 record with wins over Samford and Howard.

- The Penguins pace the FCS in rushing offense through the first two games of the year, averaging 365.5 yards per game after recording 454 yards on the ground with six rushing touchdowns in their 54-28 victory over Howard.

- Five different YSU players have eclipsed 100 rushing yards on the season through two contests, led by Braxton Chapman's 182 yards with three touchdowns.

- The Penguins are led by fifth-year head coach Bo Pelini. The former Nebraska head coach led YSU to the FCS title game in just his second year at the helm in 2016.

- The Penguins have won four FCS national championships with seven total national championship game appearances.


LAST TIME OUT
- Duquesne began the 2019 season right where it left off after a historic 2018 campaign, posting a 44-3 victory over visiting Walsh in the season opener on Saturday in front of a packed house at Rooney Field.

- The Dukes recorded a win in their home opener for the 12th consecutive year with the triumph.

- Five different players found the end zone for Duquesne, which tallied 464 total yards in the victory and held the Cavaliers to just 73 total yards, including 55 through the air and 18 on the ground. DU held the Cavaliers to 19 yards in the second half.

- In addition, the Dukes are now 28-3 in non-conference home contests under 15th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt.

- A.J. Hines finished with 103 yards on 12 carries with the two touchdowns, his 21st career 100-yard rushing performance. Hines led seven different ball carriers for Duquesne as Mark Allen added 51 yards on just three rushes.

- Brendan Thompson paced the Duquesne defense with eight solo tackles including two tackles for loss and a sack to go with two forced fumbles and one recovery.

- The Dukes posted three takeways (two interceptions, fumble recovery) to go with seven sacks.


QUICK HITS
- Duquesne looks to carry the momentum from the historic 2018 season into the 2019 campaign.

- After dropping the NEC opener against Bryant, the Dukes rattled off five straight conference wins en route to their fifth league crown and second bid to the FCS Playoffs. DU then went on to capture its first FCS Playoff victory in program history with a 31-10 win at No. 16 Towson.

- The Dukes return five starters on each side of the ball in addition to nine other players who made starts for the 2018 team as well as kicker/punter Mitch MacZura.

- Duquesne finished the 2018 season ranked in both the STATS FCS Top 25 (21st) and the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll (24). In fact, it was the Dukes' first appearance in either poll. DU is receiving votes in both preseason polls to begin the 2019 season.

- The Dukes have enjoyed a great deal of success in NEC play, claiming five conference titles since 2011. Duquesne won a share of the league crown in 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018 while capturing the outright title in 2015, earning the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs along with last year.

- The Dukes are 19-5 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, including a 10-2 mark at Rooney Field.

- DU has recorded 60 wins since 2011, at least eight more victories than any other NEC team. In addition, the Dukes' 35 conference wins in that time span are the most in the league.

- All-American running back A.J. Hines returns for his senior season with 3,849 career rushing yards and 38 career rushing touchdowns, pacing all active FCS players in both categories. Hines, the reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year, posted a school-record six-straight 100-yard rushing performances last season.

- 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 92 wins at Duquesne, just five victories away from tying Greg Gattuso, the school's all-time winningest coach.

- Quarterback Daniel Parr is back under center for the Dukes after completing 188-of-311 pass attempts for 2,447 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior in 2018. The FAU transfer also rushed for seven scores, a program record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

- The Dukes will look to replace four starters on the offensive line, including a pair of all-conference selections in Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Conley, who each started 35 consecutive games for Duquesne. Nick Jordan also graduated after starting all 13 games at right tackle last season while Colin Wittig started seven contests in 2018. Gabe Spurlock, who has 19 straight starts returns along with Lyle Petrosky who started six games last year. Tight ends Bill O'Malley and Jake Dixon return for DU, as well.

- Replicating the production of DU all-time leading receiver Nehari Crawford will be no small task, as the Florida native capped his second-straight 1,000-yard season as a senior in 2018. The Dukes return veterans Kellon Taylor and Kareem Coles Jr. who finished second and third, respectively, in receiving yards last season. Taylor and sophomore wideout Aidan Cain each tallied a pair of receiving touchdowns, as well.

- On the defensive side, the Dukes return a veteran core up front led by all-conference performer Kam Carter. The 6-4, 295-pound senior finished with 22 tackles (seven solo) including 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season. Defensive ends Mike O'Malley (32 tackles, 8.5 TFL) and Chris Favoroso (31 tackles, 4.0 TFL) are also back for the Dukes.

- The anchor of the DU defense is linebacker Brett Zanotto, who earned All-NEC honors as a junior after tallying a team-high 89 tackles (54 solo) with six tackles for loss. After transferring from Maryland following his freshman season where he led all first-year players with 23 tackles, he has started all 24 games in his two-year Duquesne career with 148 total tackles.

- Fellow linebacker Tom Jurkovec also returns after making four starts in 2018, recording 32 tackles (19 solo) for the Dukes.

- In the defensive backfield, second-leading tackler Spencer DeMedal returns after registering 61 tackles (44 solo) with six pass breakups and an interception along with cornerback Reid Harrison-Ducros, who started nine games, including the last four. He finished with 31 tackles (25 solo) in addition to five pass breakups on the year. Harvey Clayton Jr. earned NEC Player of the Week honors for his standout performance in a win at Saint Francis U, closing out the season with 30 tackles (20 solo) with a pair of pass breakups and a pick.

- All-NEC punter and kicker Mitch MacZura is back in 2019 after tallying a school single-season record with 2,439 punting yards in 2018. He also tied a single-season record with 44 PATs while connecting on 9-of-10 field goal attempts. Jacob Gill handled kickoff duties in 2018, averaging 51.1 yards per kick with nine touchbacks.

- Defensive back Jassir Jordan led the Dukes with 324 kickoff return yards including a 76-yard return to set up a touchdown against Sacred Heart and a 69-yard return to set up a score at FBS Hawaii. Jordan added a pair of starts at corner, as well.