G1 | DUQUESNE vs. SACRED HEART 
Sun., March 7, 2021 • 12:00 pm ET • Pittsburgh, Pa. • Arthur J. Rooney Field 

TELEVISION: NEC Front Row with Tim Benz & Ellis Cannon
RADIO: WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Alex Panormios & Tad Maurey

OPENING KICKOFF
- The Dukes are set to begin an unprecedented spring season on Sunday hosting Sacred Heart. 
- This comes after the Northeast Conference (NEC) postponed all fall competition and championships in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
- In September, the NCAA D-1 Board of Directors approved a plan to move all fall championships - including the FCS Championship - to the spring. 
- The Dukes officially opened camp on Saturday, Feb. 6 at Arthur J. Rooney Field. While camp may have looked a felt different than the normal July report date the five-time NEC champions began to prepare for their 2021 spring opener against the Pioneers. 
- It's been 470 days since the Dukes last took the field on Nov. 23, 2019 against Central Connecticut at Arthur J. Rooney Field. 
- Duquesne is coming off a 2019 season in which the Dukes posted a 6-5 overall record with a 4-3mark in NEC play. 
- DUQ returns six starters (three offense, three defense) from the 2019 squad in addition to eight other players who started at least a game last 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, '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.

DUQUESNE NOTABLES
- The Dukes are 23-8 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, including a 13-3 mark at Rooney Field.

- DU has recorded 65 wins since 2011, at least eight more victories than any other NEC team. In addition, the Dukes' 39 conference wins in that time span are the most in the league.

- Head coach Jerry Schmitt enters his 16th 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.

- Duquesne will need to replace 16 starters from the 2019 campaign including eight on each side of the ball.

- The Dukes lost their two top quarterbacks on the depth chart to graduation following the 2019 season. Daniel Parr started for two years under center, leading Duquesne to its fifth NEC title and first FCS Playoff win in 2018. When Parr went down with an injury in 2019, fifth-year senior Brett Brumbaugh stepped in for the final three contests of the season. 

- Ohio transfer Joe Mischler is slated to start on Sunday for Duquesne. The Erie, Pa. native played in three games for the Bobcats in 2019, completing one pass for 23 yards in a 52-3 win at Akron. Mischler was an all-state selection at Cathedral Prep High School, tallying 7,719 passing yards and 98 touchdowns in his career. 

- Bryce Veasley and Alex Smith have both seen action as the Dukes' signal callers. In addition, Duquesne has added a two other transfers at the quarterback position in Evan Nelson (Victor Valley) and Darius Perrantes (Rhode Island).

- The Dukes featured a pair of All-NEC selections at running back in 2019 - Duquesne's all-time leading rusher A.J. Hines as well as graduate transfer Mark Allen. The pair of backs combined for 1,469 yards and 10 touchdowns that season. 

- The Dukes will look to replicate this production with new faces in 2021. Mercyhurst graduate transfer Garrett Owens headlines the depth chart in the backfield for Duquesne. Owens was a two-time All-PSAC West selection for the Lakers, he rushed for 2,743 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons. 

- Ky'ren Cunningham returns after starting the final game of the 2019 campaign vs. No. 18 CCSU, tallying a career-best 96 rushing yards. Billy Lucas looks to make his Duquesne debut in the backfield after redshirting in 2019. 

- A big reason for Duquesne's success in the running game has been the Dukes' consistent offensive line play in recent years. Tight end/fullback Billy O'Malley has started the last three years for Duquesne and garnered preseason All-NEC honors prior to this season. Jake Dixon, who started at tight end for the Dukes, has moved to the offensive line for the upcoming season. Ryan Johnson also started all 11 games at right guard in 2019.

- At wide receiver, the Dukes graduated their two top receiving targets in Kellon Taylor and Kareem Coles Jr. Senior Dominic Thieman returns after ranking third on the team in receiving in 2019 with 22 receptions for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Davie Henderson sat fourth on the team with 15 catches for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as well. Duquesne also added Saint Francis U transfer Cyrus Holder, who finished with 62 catches for 1,150 yards and nine touchdown receptions in three seasons for the Red Flash. 

- Defensive backs Spencer DeMedal and Harvey Clayton Jr. return for the Dukes after starting the last two seasons at safety. DeMedal, a preseason All-NEC 
selection, has tallied 129 career tackles with 10 passes defended and a pair of interceptions. 

- Leandro DeBrito is also back for Duquesne after sitting out the 2019 campaign. Sophomore Ezekiel Daure started the final two games of the 2019 season at cornerback. Duquesne has added depth in the defensive backfield with a trio of transfers in Ryan Webb (Marist), TJ Johnson (Cincinnati) and Temitope Agoro (Notre Dame). 

- The Dukes welcome back linebacker sophomore Connor Barrett who started the final seven games of the 2019 season and recorded 28 tackles (18 solo) in his first season on The Bluff. Fellow sophomore linebacker Todd Hill finished 2019 with 20 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in five games before his season was cut short due to injury. Jahan Worth and Anthony Dellovade have both seen playing time at the linebacker position for the Dukes and return in 2021. 

- Duquesne graduated its leading tackler Brendan Thompson, who posted 75 tackles in 2019 and earned All-NEC honors as a senior.

- Up front, Maxi Hradecny and Lucas D'Orazio both bring experience to Duquesne's defensive line. Hradecny started a pair of games and tallied 14 tackles on the year while D'Orazio added 16 tackles with 2.5 TFL. The Dukes added some depth on the line with transfers Nathan Proctor Jr. (Virginia Tech) and A.J. Garson (UConn). Duquesne will need to replace a pair of All-NEC selections on the defensive line in Kam Carter and Chris Favoroso in addition to two-year starter Mike O'Malley. 

- On special teams, Duquesne will look to replace Mitch MacZura, who earned all-conference honors at both kicker and punter, starting at both positions for three seasons. Zach Sterr returns as well as Brian Bruzdewicz, who joins the Dukes after playing for the Duquesne soccer team in 2019. 

THE SERIES
- Sunday marks the 16th meeting between Duquesne and Sacred Heart, with Duquesne leading the all-time series 11-4. 

- Duquesne has won five in a row over the Pioneers, including a 20-6 victory in Fairfield, Conn. last season. 

- The Dukes are 5-3 against Sacred Heart in Pittsburgh and 8-3 against the Pioneers in the NEC era. 

LAST MEETING
- In a showdown of the 2018 NEC co-champions, Duquesne recorded three interceptions and held possession for over 43 minutes of action en route to a 20-6 victory over host Sacred Heart.

- Reid Harrison-Ducros registered a pair of interceptions on the day while Daivon Ellison picked off a pass in a second straight game.

- A.J. Hines posted his 23rd career 100-yard rushing performance, tallying 142 yards on 29 carries while Daniel Parr threw two touchdowns on the day.

- Julius Chestnut rushed 20 times for 128 yards and a touchdown to pace the Pioneers while Chris Outterbri had a team-high 11 tackles. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
- Sacred Heart features the top returning running back in the conference in Julius Chestnut, who was an Associated Press Third Team All-America selection in 2019. A finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, he rushed for 1,495 yards to go with 11 touchdowns on the year. 

- The Pioneers also returns a pair of Preseason All-NEC offensive linemen in Josh Sokol and J.D. DiRenzo. 

- SHU is led by ninth-year head coach Mark Nofri, who has helped the Pioneers earn at least a share of three NEC titles (2013, '14 and '18). 

- Following a 20-6 loss to the Dukes in 2019, SHU won four of its last five games of the season to finish at 7-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY
- The Duquesne University Athletic Department announced on Monday that attendance at home football games will be limited to immediate family members of Duquesne players and coaching staff due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

- In addition, there are several policies in place for the 2021 spring season at Arthur J. Rooney Field, which can be found HERE. 

NEXT UP
Duquesne heads to Staten Island, N.Y. to take on Wagner on Sunday, Feb. 14 at noon ET.