LORETTO, Pa. - Duquesne hits the road for the final time this season when it makes the short trek out to Cambria County to take on Saint Francis. The Dukes are coming off of a 35-28 overtime win over Sacred Heart. Meanwhile, the Red Flash return to Northeast Conference play after a 38-24 non-conference win at Georgetown last week.

The Dukes own a 38-9 advantage over Saint Francis in the Keystone State rivalry which dates back to the 1913 campaign. Duquesne has battled the Red Flash more than any other opponent in program history. 

G10 | DUQUESNE (3-6, 2-3 NEC) at SAINT FRANCIS U (7-2, 5-0 NEC)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 12
TIME: 12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Loretto, Pa. - DeGol Field
LIVE VIDEO: NEC Front Row with Pat Farabaugh (pxp) and Jay Roberts (analyst)
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- Last season's 17-10 loss was the first time the Dukes had ever lost to Saint Francis at Rooney Field. In 47 total meetings, the Red Flash have only won consecutive games against Duquesne once (1991 & 1992).

- Duquesne is 59-39 all-time in NEC contests including a 33-17 mark at home. The Dukes are 18-6 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 207 wins and 16 conference titles during that span.

NOTABLES
- Running back Billy Lucas posted a career-high 170 yards rushing on 30 carries (5.7 per carry) with two touchdowns to lead the Dukes to the win versus Sacred Heart. It was the third-highest total by an NEC tailback this season.

- The Erie native toted the ball four times and caught a pass during the overtime drive, before scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown from eight yards out.

- Lucas was the first Duquesne running back since A.J. Hines in 2018 versus Towson to rush for over 150 yards.

- Duquesne had been limited to under 100 yards rushing in each of the prior three games and five times total this season. The Dukes were held under 100 yards rushing twice all of last season.

- The overtime victory was the first for the Dukes since defeating Sacred Heart 30-23 in overtime on Sept. 22, 2007. Duquesne had lost its last three overtime games entering play last week.

- The Dukes lost two fumbles in the game after entering the game with two fumbles lost all season.  Their four fumbles lost still leads the NEC and is tied for the 28th-fewest in the FCS. None of the four fumbles lost by Duquesne have come from a running back. Duquesne led the FCS with just two fumbles lost last season.
 
- Duquesne posted a season-best 12.0 tackles for loss (TFL) in the win over Sacred Heart. The Dukes are second in the NEC with 6.0 TFL per game. 

- The Dukes are averaging 2.44 quarterback sacks per game to lead the NEC and rank 32nd in the FCS. Saint Francis is yielding the fewest sacks in the NEC and is tied for eighth nationally with 1.00 allowed per game.

- Linebacker Todd Hill paces the team in both categories. He ranks second in the FCS with 1.00 sacks per game and third nationally with 1.7 TFL per game.

- The matchup will be a meeting of the top-two passing offenses in the NEC. Duquesne leads the league with 240.0 passing yards per game, while the Red Flash are second with 230.9 yards through the air per game.

- Duquesne wide receiver Dwayne Menders, Jr. (84.4 ypg.) and Saint Francis wide out Makai Jackson (80.3 ypg.) are the top-two receivers in the NEC in terms of yardage. Menders slots 26th overall in the FCS in receiving yards per game.

- Duquesne wide receiver Abdul Janneh and Saint Francis wide out Elijah Sarratt each have scored nine receiving touchdowns this season. They are tied for the league lead and tied for ninth in the FCS in the category.

- In addition to running back Billy Lucas, quarterback Joe Mischler was named a NEC Prime Performers on Monday. Mischler was 18-of-28 with 209 passing yards, zero interceptions and a pair of touchdowns to lead Duquesne to an overtime win against Sacred Heart. The junior quarterback also rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

- The Dukes have yielded the second-fewest yards on kickoffs to opponents in the NEC this year. Duquesne is allowing 14.43 yards per return, which slots sixth overall in the FCS. Saint Francis leads the NEC and ranks fourth nationally with 13.21 yards allowed per return.

HOMECOMING FOR THE COORDINATORS
- Both of Duquesne's coordinators are Saint Francis U alums. Offensive Coordinator Anthony Doria played quarterback for the Red Flash and accounted for a NEC record 8,544 passing yards at from 2003-06.

- Defensive Coordinator Mike Craig played linebacker for the Red Flash from 2002-06. Craig registered 227 tackles and 31.5 TFL during his career, totaling over 45 stops in every season.

DUKES TAKING ON ANOTHER QB WITH PITT CONNECTIONS
- Saint Francis quarterback Justin Sliwoski will be the second former-Pitt signal caller that the Dukes will face this season. 

- Hawai'i quarterback Joey Yellen spent two seasons with the Panthers (2020-21) before transferring to the Rainbow Warriors. Sliwoski walked on at Pitt and redshirted in 2018 before transferring to Saint Francis.

LAST MEETING
- Saint Francis U scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to post a 17-10 victory over Duquesne. It was the first time in 10 meetings that the Dukes lost to the Red Flash on Rooney Field.

- Duquesne carried a 7-0 lead into halftime on a 26-yard Cyrus Holder touchdown catch, but were limited offensively to a fourth-quarter field goal in the second half. 

-Billy Lucas finished with 22 carries for 99 yards, while Garrett Owens had a team-high five receptions for 21 yards to go with 15 rushes for 43 yards on the day.

- Injuries to quarterbacks Joe Mischler and Darius Perrantes forced the Dukes to turn to Evan Nelson under center. Nelson finished the game 8-of-21 for 85 yards and a touchdown (zero interceptions) while making his first-ever start.

- Leandro DeBrito registered a team-high 11 tackles (six solo) with a forced fumble to pace the Dukes defense. Shane Stump had two sacks on the day for Duquesne, tallying four total tackles (three solo).

THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (18th season / 112-77 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.

Saint Francis U: Chris Villarrial (13th season / 59-73 at SHU)  
- Former All-Pro Offensive Lineman Chris Villarrial was named the 25th head coach of the Saint Francis University football program on December 20, 2009. He served one year as the offensive coordinator under predecessor Dave Opfar before he became the head coach. 

- He is the all-time winningest coach in Saint Francis history. He surpassed Art Martynuska with a 35-21 win at Delaware State on Nov. 23, 2019.

LAST TIME OUT - Duquesne 35, Sacred Heart 28 (OT)    
- A fourth down stop in overtime lifted the Dukes to a 35-28 win over Sacred Heart last Saturday.

- Following a Billy Lucas touchdown on the Dukes overtime possession, Sacred Heart faced a 4th-and-1 at the Dukes' 16-yard line on their possession. Pioneer quarterback Rob McCoy kept the ball on a read-option play, but Duquesne defenders Jayden Johnson and Jon Muehlbauer penetrated the backfield and dropped McCoy for a loss to seal the victory.

- The win snapped a two-game losing-streak versus Sacred Heart; the Dukes have never lost three-straight to the Pioneers.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
- Saint Francis U is on a seven-game winning-streak, which is a program-record at the Division I level.

- Saint Francis clinched the NEC's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs with its win over Sacred Heart two weeks ago. League-leading Merrimack is in its second year transitioning from NCAA Division II and not eligible for the postseason this year. 

- Quarterback Justin Sliwoski went 19-of-27 for 257 yards and three touchdowns and added nine rushes for 30 yards in the team's win over Georgetown last week. He was listed as the team's backup quarterback ahead of this week's matchup.

- Quarterback Cole Doyle did not play last week after earning FCS National Player of the Week and NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors two weeks ago in the Sacred Heart win. He is listed as the projected starter against the Dukes.

- Doyle threw for 264 yards on 22-of-28 passing and five touchdowns and added four rushes for 56 yards and one touchdown versus Sacred Heart.

NEXT WEEK
- The Dukes will conclude the 2022 season next Saturday, Nov. 19 when they welcome Wagner for Senior Day at Rooney Field.

- Duquesne has won 12 of the 17 all-time meetings with the Seahawks, including each of the past seven games. The Dukes have shutout Wagner in each of the previous two meetings.