SOMERSET, N.J. -  Northeast Conference (NEC) Commissioner Noreen Morris today announced revised regular season competition and NEC Championship formats for fall-to-spring, winter and spring sports, including the league's football schedule for the spring 2021 season.

Each team is set to play a four-game conference slate followed by a conference championship game between the top two seeds to decide the league's NCAA automatic qualifier. All games are scheduled to be played on Sundays. 

Duquesne will open the 2021 spring campaign hosting Sacred Heart on March 7 at Arthur J. Rooney Field before traveling to Wagner on March 14. Duquesne then welcomes LIU to The Bluff on March 21 followed by the regular season finale at Bryant on March 28.
The NEC Championship game will be played on a date yet to be determined in April. The FCS Playoff selection show is set to take place on Sunday, April 18 with the FCS playoffs beginning on Saturday, April 24. 

Six teams will compete for the NEC title this spring (Bryant, Duquesne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart and Wagner) as Central Connecticut and Saint Francis U have opted out of competition. 

Since the beginning of the 2011 season, the Dukes have won 65 overall games, 39 NEC contests and five conference championships. This is at least nine more overall wins, seven more conference victories and two league titles than any other team in the NEC during that span.

Duquesne, led by 16th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, is set to begin spring practice this weekend.

Game times and television/streaming information for the 2021 spring season will be released at a later date. 

2021 DUQUESNE SPRING FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
March 7 – SACRED HEART*
March 14 – at Wagner
March 21 – LIU*
March 28 – at Bryant*

Be sure to check GoDuquesne.com or follow Duquesne Football on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on Dukes football. 


About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 40th anniversary season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.