PITTSBURGH - The Dukes will look to maintain the momentum of a 30-6 win at Central Connecticut when they welcome Long Island University to Rooney Field Saturday afternoon. Kick off is set for noon.

Duquesne has won all three meetings in the all-time series with LIU. The Sharks are in their fourth season competing at the Division I level in football in the NEC.

G8 | DUQUESNE (2-5, 1-2 NEC) vs. LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (0-7, 0-3 NEC)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 29
TIME: 12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pa. - Arthur J. Rooney Field
LIVE VIDEO: NEC Front Row with Tim Benz (pxp) and Ellis Cannon (analyst)
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- After opening the year on the road in five of the first seven games, the Dukes will close out the season with three home games in their final four contests of the regular season.

- Duquesne is 117-33 all-time at Rooney Field including winning streaks of 16, 14 and 10 games (twice). 

- Duquesne is 58-38 all-time in NEC contests including a 32-16 mark at home. The Dukes are 17-5 in NEC action at Rooney Field over the last seven seasons. 

- In 30 seasons at the FCS level, the Dukes have posted a .500 record or better in 27 of those years, including each of the past nine seasons. Duquesne has captured 206 wins and 16 conference titles during that span.

NOTABLES
- Quarterback Darius Perrantes and kicker Brian Bruzdewicz each garnered NEC Player of the Week honors. Perrantes established season highs in yards, completions and touchdowns in the victory at CCSU. It was the third NEC Offensive Player of the Week nod of his career.

- Bruzdewicz was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a career-long 40-yard kick. He also booted through all three of his extra point tries. His 20-yard field goal with less than nine minutes left in the game made the score 16-6 and gave the Dukes a two-possession lead.  It was also Bruzdewicz's third time being named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week.

- It was the second time that both Perrantes and Bruzdewicz each named players of the week. The duo also earned weekly honors for their efforts in the Dukes' upset-win over Ohio U last season.

- The Dukes are one of the least penalized teams in the FCS this season. Duquesne leads the NEC with just 4.29 penalties per game and has yielded the fifth-fewest penalty yards in the nation at 240 total. The 34.29 penalty yards per game is the sixth-lowest total in the FCS this season.

- Joe Mischler's third quarter fumble versus Merrimack was the first and only fumble lost by the Dukes this season. The Dukes are tied for fifth in the FCS with one fumble lost in 2022. Duquesne led the FCS with just two fumbles lost last season.

- The Dukes are holding possession of the ball an average of 31 minutes and 25 seconds, which leads the NEC. This is despite Duquesne's 119.1 rushing yards per game (sixth in NEC), including just 55 yards on the ground last week at CCSU. The Dukes have been held to under 100 yards rushing four times this season (Florida State, Youngstown State, Merrimack, CCSU), including each of the past two game.

- The Dukes are holding opponents to 150.9 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the NEC and fifth in the FCS. 

- The Dukes are averaging 2.43 quarterback sacks per game to lead the NEC and rank 35th in the FCS. Linebacker Todd Hill paces the team and slots fourth nationally with 1.00 sack per game (seven total).

- Duquesne converted all three of their fourth-down attempts at CCSU, including a 24-yard Jalin Cooper touchdown late in the game. Duquesne is converting nearly 64 percent of its fourth downs which leads the NEC and ranks 15th in the FCS.

- Wide receiver Dwayne Menders Jr. was named a NEC Prime Performer for the fourth time this season. The Marist grad transfer led the Dukes with eight receptions for 118 yards in the win over CCSU. The game marked the fifth time in his career that Menders went over 100 yards receiving, including the third time this season.

- Abdul Janneh was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Week following the team's loss at Youngstown State on Sept. 3. He led the Dukes with eight catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in that setback. Up until this past week, he was the only Duquesne player to receive a weekly NEC honor.

- The Dukes have yielded the fewest yards on kickoffs to opponents in the NEC this year. Duquesne is allowing 12.88 yards per return, which slots third overall in the FCS.

LAST MEETING
-  Billy Lucas rushed for a career-high 137 yards with a touchdown and Cyrus Holder recorded a pair of touchdown receptions to help Duquesne secure a 34-26 road victory at LIU in 2021.

- LIU led 14-3 early in the second quarter, before the Dukes scored 21-unanswered to take the lead for good.

- The Sharks posted a 460-376 advantage in total yards, but Duquesne outgained LIU 161-112 on the ground.

THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (18th season / 111-76 at Duquesne)  
- Head coach Jerry Schmitt is in his 18th 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 during the spring 2021 season. He is one of 10 active coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current school.

Long Island University: Ron Cooper (1st season / 0-7 at LIU)  
- Ron Cooper was named the LIU head coach in January of 2021. He previously served as analyst on Nick Saban's Alabama staff in 2021.

- A long time college and professional coach, Cooper also served as a head coach at Eastern Michigan (1993-94), Louisville (1995-97), Alabama A&M (1998-2001) and as the interim coach in 2016 at FIU.

LAST TIME OUT:  DUKES 30, CCSU 6    
- Quarterback Darius Perrantes threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns to lead Duquesne to its first win in NEC play 

- The Dukes, who led from wire-to-wire, out-gained the Blue Devils in total offense by a 352-237 margin. 

- Duquesne now leads the all-time series with CCSU 8-7. It is the first time in the history of the series, which dates back to 1993, that the Dukes have held the all-time edge.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
- LIU is searching for its first win this season after falling at Wagner last Friday night. The Sharks have two losses on their ledger by two points or less, including a 24-23 setback to league-leading Merrimack on Oct. 1.

- Quarterback Derek Green, a transfer from SMU, is fifth in the NEC with 178.3 passing yards per game, but also is tied for the league-lead with seven interceptions.

- He is the son of former NFL quarterback Trent Green, who currently serves as an in-game  color analyst for CBS.

- Tight end Owen Glascoe is a matchup problem for defenses in the NEC. He has had two games with 10 receptions this season, including a 10-catch, 130-yard, one-touchdown performance last week versus Wagner.

- He is fifth in the NEC with 66.9 receiving yards per game and second with 6.9 receptions per game.

NEXT WEEK
 - The Dukes will continue their two-game homestand next Saturday, Nov. 5 when they host preseason NEC-favorite Sacred Heart at Rooney Field for a 12 p.m. kick.

- The Pioneers have won each of the last two meetings, including a 34-27 overtime win in the spring 2021 NEC Championship Game. Duquesne has never lost three-straight in the history of the series.