G7 | DUQUESNE vs SAINT FRANCIS U*
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30
TIME: 3:00 pm ET
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pa. • Rooney Field
TELEVISION: ESPN3 with Pauk Dottino (pxp), Kevin Gilbride (analyst) and Greg Mescall (sideline)
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- Duquesne returns home to take on Saint Francis U in a Northeast Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Rooney Field. The Dukes are coming off a 31-13 setback on the road at Sacred Heart last week. The Red Flash enter Saturday's matchup following a bye week after an 18-17 road loss at Bryant.  

- The Dukes own a 38-8 advantage over Saint Francis in the Keystone State rivalry which dates back to the 1913 campaign, as Duquesne has battled the Red Flash more than any other opponent in program history. The Dukes are 9-0 all-time against Saint Francis at Rooney Field. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2019, after the Red Flash opted out of the 2020-21 season. 

- Running back Garrett Owens eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the 16th time in his career with 113 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown against the Pioneers last week. His 113 yards represented a Duquesne career-high for the graduate transfer. He now has five 100-yard rishing performances in 10 career games with the Dukes. 

- DU is 115-31 all-time at Rooney Field including a 2-0 mark at home this season. The Dukes, who are 31-14 all-time at Rooney Field in NEC contests, are 16-3 in NEC games at home since the beginning of the 2015 season. 

- Duquesne, led by 17th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, returns all 22 starters from the spring season including 17 All- NEC selections. 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, '13, '16 and '18 while capturing the outright title in 2015. Duquesne earned the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in both 2015 and '18. Over the past 10 seasons, the Dukes have won 45 conference games and 73 overall games, both figures representing league highs.

DUQUESNE NOTABLES
- The Dukes are tied for the national lead in red zone offense, scoring on all 26 trips inside the red zone this season. DU is also 20th in the country in red zone defense, allowing 20 scores in 28 red zone attempts from opponents. 

- Duquesne leads the NEC in scoring, averaging 29.3 points per game. The Dukes have scored at least 28 points in four of six contests on the year. 

- Duquesne sit 19th in the country in sacks allowed (1.17 sacks per game). The Dukes have limited opponents to one sack-or-fewer in five of six games this season.  

- Duquesne is second in the NEC in both total defense (338.8 ypg) and rushing defense (134.0 ypg). 

- DU running backs Garrett Owens and Billy Lucas have combined for 734 yards on the ground with six rushing touchdowns on the year. Owens paces Duquesne with 86 carries for 436 yards and five total touchdowns while Lucas has tallied 61 rushes for 307 yards and three scores. 

- Quarterback Darius Perrantes has completed 80-of-129 pass attempts for 835 yards with eight touchdowns compared to three interceptions for the Dukes. 

- Twelve different receivers have caught a pass for Duquesne in the first six games of the year. Cyrus Holder has registered 18 receptions for a team-high 256 yards and two touchdowns while Owens has hauled in 15 receptions for 172 yards and two receiving scores. 

- Holder eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the sixth time in his career and third occasion in his Duquesne career with a seven-catch, 103-yard performance vs. Bryant. He is set to face his former team on Saturday in Saint Francis. Holder finished his three-year career with the Red Flash with 62 receptions for 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns. The Long Island native had seven receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns against the Dukes in 2018. 

- Wykeen Gill hauled in a career-high seven receptions in the victory over the Bulldogs and finished with 179 all-purpose yards. 

- Defensive back Leandro DeBrito has been Duquesne's leading tackler with 32 stops (24 solo) on the year to go with two interceptions. 

- Fellow defensive back Jeremiah Josephs has also posted two picks on the season for Duquesne with 29 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

- Defensive lineman Kevin Kurzinger has recorded a team-high three sacks while Maxi Hradecny hs registered 4.5 tackles for loss. 

- Brian Bruzdewicz is a perfect 9-of-9 on field goals on the season while connecting on 10-of-12 PATs. Michael Berarducci is averaging 42.3 yards per punt, currently the top mark in the NEC. 

THE COACH
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (17th season / 106-70)  
- Head coach Jerry Schmitt is in his 17th season at the helm of the Duquesne program. He became the Dukes' all-time winningest coach in 2019 with a 30-21 victory over Saint Francis U for his 98th win as Duquesne's head coach. Schmitt passed Greg Gattuso (1993-2004) for the most wins in program history.

- Schmitt posted his 100th win at Duquesne with the Dukes' victory at Wagner last season. He became one of nine active coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current schools.

- Schmitt currently sits 15th among active FCS head coaches with 134 career wins, recently passing Gattuso who has posted 131 career victories between Duquesne and Albany. 

LAST TIME OUT 
Sacred Heart 31, Duquesne 13 - 10/23/21
- The Dukes held a 13-7 halftime lead before the Pioneers scored 24 unanswered points in the second half en route to the Northeast Conference contest. 

- Duquesne jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Garrett Owens took a handoff 75 yards down the sideline to pay dirt on the Dukes' second play from scrimmage.  

- Sacred Heart responded on its next drive with Rob McCoy's 12-yard rushing touchdown to even the score at 7-7.

- Andrew Smith connected on a 26-yard field goal late in the opening quarter to push the Dukes' edge to 10-7. 

- Early in the second stanza, Nick Leopold blocked a Pioneer punt which was recovered by Duquesne's CJ Barnes at the Sacred Heart six-yard line. Smith extended the Dukes' lead to 13-7 when his 25-yard field goal went through the uprights.

- Duquesne held that six-point advantage heading into the locker room after the Pioneers missed a pair of field goals in the second period. 

- Sacred Heart limited Duquesne to 24 total yards in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points to secure their third consecutive win. 

- Owens tallied 11 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Dukes.

- Temitope Agoro recorded a game-high 12 tackles (six solo) with a pair of tackles for loss for Duquesne while Kevin Kurzinger finished with eight tackles with two tackles for loss and half of a sack. 

- Malik Grant registered 34 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns to lead Sacred Heart.

LAST MEETING
Duquesne 30, Saint Francis 21 - 11/02/19
- 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 at Rooney Field. 

- 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.

- Parr completed 16-of-31 for 203 yards and two touchdowns to go with four rushes for 34 yards and a score. 

- 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 the Dukes.  

- Dominic Thieman registered three catches for 70 yards while Kareem Coles Jr. tallied five receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.

- 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.

- Mitch MacZura connected on a pair of field goals (28, 27) while Jacob Gill added a 41-yard field goal for Duquesne. 

THE SERIES
- Duquesne and the Red Flash have faced each other 46 times in the series which dates back to the 1913 season. 

- The Dukes own a 38-8 advantage over Saint Francis in the Keystone State rivalry, as Duquesne has battled the Red Flash more than any other opponent. 

- The next most frequent FCS team the Dukes have played is Robert Morris, a series in which Duquesne sports a 13-8 all-time series edge. 

- The Dukes have won 22 of 24 matchups against the Red Flash in Pittsburgh, including a 10-0 mark at Rooney Field. 

- Duquesne has won 10-straight home games against Saint Francis, including a 30-21 victory over the Red Flash at Rooney Field in 2019. 

- The Dukes have not dropped a home contest to SFU since Nov. 7, 1992. 

- In the NEC era, Duquesne is 9-3 against the Red Flash. 

- Duquesne has won three consecutive overall games against Saint Francis, as well. 

DUKES IN THE NEC 
- Duquesne has won a league-high five NEC titles since 2011, earning the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs twice: in 2015 and again in 2018. 

- The Dukes have tallied more overall wins (73) and conference victories (45) than any other team during that span.

SCOUTING THE DUKES
- Duquesne welcomes back all 22 starters from the spring 2021 season including 17 All-NEC selections. 

- Darius Perrantes entered the TCU game when First Team All-NEC quarterback Joe Mischler left the contest in the first quarter with an injury. Perrantes - a Rhode Island transfer in his second season with the Dukes - made his Duquesne debut against the Horned Frogs, completing three passes. He started two games as a freshman at Rhode Island and appeared in three games total, completing 25-of-47 passes for 287 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. 

- In the backfield, the Dukes return their top two rushers from the spring in Second Team All-NEC selection Garrett Owens and NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year Billy Lucas. 

- Owens averaged 102.8 yards from scrimmage last season with six total touchdowns, finishing with three 100-yard rushing performances during the five-game season. Lucas closed the year with consecutive 110-yard rushing showings for Duquesne, finding the end zone in both of those contests. 

- Duquesne welcomes back its top five receivers from the spring led by First Team All-NEC selection Cyrus Holder, who paced the conference with 23 receptions for 491 yards and five touchdowns last season. Second Team All-NEC honoree Davie Henderson registered 22 catches for 282 yards while Joey Isabella recorded 17 receptions for 194 yards and a pair of scores. Freshman Joey Isabella had 17 receptions for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Dukes while veteran Dominic Thieman also returns for the Duquesne wideouts after his spring season was cut short due to injury. 

- On the offensive line, AFCA Second Team All-American Jake Dixon highlights a group of four all-conference returners including Michael Dorundo, Vincent Lumia and Roman Macek. 

- The DU o-line paved the way for five 100-yard individual rushing performances in the five-game season in addition to a pair of 300-yard passing games. They limited opponents to one-or-fewer sacks in three contests on the year while helping Duquesne scored at least 17 points in each game during spring season, including a pair of 30-point performances. Eric Neill also returns for the Dukes while Duquesne added Lehigh transfer Matt Fest to the offensive front, as well. 

- On the defensive side, the Dukes return five All-NEC selections, keyed in the defensive backfield by a pair of veterans in Spencer DeMedal and Leandro DeBrito. The two safeties both garnered First Team All-NEC accolades in the spring, as DeBrito tallied a team-high 37 tackles with an interception and a pair of pass breakups while DeMedal recorded 32 tackles with 3.5 TFL, two interceptions and two pass breakups for the Dukes. Temitope Agoro (21 tackles), Ezekiel Daure (16 tackles) and Ryan Webb (four pass breakups, interception) also return at defensive back for Duquesne, which also added Pittsburgh native Jeremiah Josephs in the offseason. 

- The Dukes also have a pair of All-NEC honorees returning at linebacker in Jahan Worth and Todd Hill. Worth finished third on the team with 27 tackles with two TFL while Hill posted 25 tackles with two TFL including a sack. 

- Up front, First Team All-NEC defensive lineman Maxi Hradecny returns for Duquesne after registering 15 tackles and two TFL during the spring season. The Dukes also welcome back AJ Garson (17 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and Nathan Proctor Jr. (11 tackles) to the defensive line. 

- All-NEC kicker Brian Bruzdewicz (placekicker) is back for Duquesne, as well. Bruzdewicz led all kickers in the conference in scoring with 27 points on the season.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
- Saint Francis enters Saturday's game with a 3-4 overall record with a 2-1 mark in NEC action. 

- The Red Flash are coming off a bye week after falling by a score of 18-17 at Bryant on Oct. 16. The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the final 3:18 of the contest to earn the NEC win. Saint Francis' other losses have come to FBS Eastern Michigan, then-sixth-ranked Delaware and Norfolk State. 

- The Red Flash features the NEC's leading receiver in Kahtero Summers. The 6-3, 210-pound receiver paces the NEC with 31 receptions for 442 yards and six touchdowns. 

- Saint Francis leads the NEC and ranks 21st in the FCS in sacks, averaging 2.71 per game. The Red Flash has 19 sacks on the season for a loss of 113 yards. 

NEXT UP
Duquesne heads to LIU for an NEC matchup on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. in Brookeville, N.Y.