PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University football team will look to bounce back after a week zero loss at Florida State when they travel up I-76 into Ohio to take on Youngstown State at Stambaugh Stadium Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m.

G2 | DUQUESNE at Youngstown State
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 3
TIME: 2:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Youngstown, Ohio - Stambaugh Stadium
TELEVISION: ESPN+ Drae Smith (pxp) and Chris Sammarone (analyst) 
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- Florida State averaged 7.5 yards per rush against the Duquesne front, while three Seminole tailbacks (Treshaun Ward, Trey Benson, Lawrance Toafili) eclipsed the century mark in the Dukes' setback in Tallahassee. Duquesne yielded 3.1 yards per rush during the 2021 season.

- Despite the rainy conditions, the Dukes took care of the ball when they did have it and were plus-one in turnover margin. Duquesne snapped Florida State's eight-game streak of at least one interception. It was the longest such streak in the FBS entering the 2022 season.

THE SERIES
- This will be the fifth meeting between the Dukes and Youngstown State all-time and the first matchup since the Penguins defeated Duquesne 34-14 in 2019 at Stambaugh Stadium. 

- Youngstown State has won each of the previous four meetings against the Dukes by an average of 26.5 points. 

THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (18th season / 109-72 at DU)  
- 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 nine active coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current school.

Youngstown State: Doug Phillips (3rd season / 4-13 at YSU)  
- Doug Phillips enters his third season as the Head Coach of the Penguins. Phillips previously coached at Youngstown State as a graduate assistant in 1991 and 1992 for current YSU President Jim Tressel. Phillips is just the eighth coach in school history dating back to 1938.  

- Phillips spent three seasons on the University of Cincinnati football staff before being named the head coach at YSU on Feb. 7, 2020. He coached tight ends and served as UC's special teams coordinator in 2017 before shifting to the role of running backs coach in 2018.

LAST WEEK: Florida State 47, Duquesne 7    
- The Seminoles scored 33-unanswered points to open the game and cruised past the Dukes in the season opener for both teams.

- Florida State extended its lead to 33-0 on the opening possession of the second half and was knocking on the red zone on its next possession. Defensive back Ryan Webb halted the drive when he stepped in front of a Tate Rodemaker pass and took it 50 yards back to the Florida State 30-yard line.

- Two plays later quarterback Joe Mischler found Abdul Jenneh over the middle near the goal line for a 22-yard touchdown pass to put the Dukes on the scoreboard.

- Duquesne Preseason All-NEC punter Michael Berarducci averaged 38.1 yards on seven punts with two inside the 20-yard line.

DUKES VERSUS THE MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
- The Dukes are 2-7 all-time versus current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The last time a DU team defeated a current MVFC member was a 34-12 win over South Dakota State in 1932. 

- Duquesne is 0-4 all-time against Youngstown State, including a 34-14 setback in the last meeting in 2019.

QUARTERBACKS    
- Joe Mischler started at quarterback for the Dukes in the opener at Florida State. Mischler, who was playing for the first time since a season-ending knee injury in last season's opener at TCU, was 7-of-17 for 71 yards and a touchdown versus the Noles. 

- Mischler was a Spring 2021 First Team All-NEC selection. The Ohio University transfer paced the NEC and ranked 18th in the country at 239.0 passing yards per game in the shortened 2020-21 season. He closed the spring ranked fifth in the FCS in passing efficiency at 159.3. 

- Mischler won each of his first four starts in a Duquesne uniform, but has since dropped his past three dating back to the Spring 2021 NEC Championship Game versus Sacred Heart.

- Last season, Darius Perrantes ranked second in the conference in passing yards per game (180.0), passing touchdowns (17), completions per game (15.44), pass efficiency (136.1) and points responsible for per game (12.7).

- Perrantes, a Rhode Island transfer, entered the 2021 opener at TCU when Joe Mischler left the contest in the first quarter with an injury. Perrantes earned a pair of NEC Player of the Week honors in his first four starts for Duquesne, including a nod following the Dukes victory over Ohio U. Evan Nelson made his first-career start for Duquesne against Saint Francis when Perrantes was sidelined with an injury.

RUNNING BACKS
- In the backfield, the Dukes feature 2021 Second Team All-NEC selection Billy Lucas. Last season Lucas led the team with 699 yards rushing, 137 carries (5.1 yards/carry), and six touchdown rushes. He posted over 100 yards rushing twice, including a season high with 137 yards at LIU to earn NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

- Against Florida State, Lucas was limited to just 13 yards on seven carries.

-Samford graduate transfer running back DeMarcus Ware joined the Dukes after rushing for 976 yards over parts of the past four seasons. Notably, Ware toted the ball 26 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns at Western Carolina last year. He was a 2018 SoCon All-Freshman Team selection. 

- Ware led the Dukes with 30 yards on 11 carries at Florida State in "week zero".

WIDE RECEIVERS
- Duquesne will need to replace its top-five wide receivers in terms of yards from 2021, including two-time First Team All-NEC wideout Cyrus Holder, who was signed and later waived by the Chicago Bears following the 2022 NFL Draft. 

- Abdul Janneh led the Dukes with three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown at Florida State.

- Joey Isabella, who posted eight catches for 45 yards and a touchdown in the upset win at Ohio last season, was held out of the contest at Florida State as a precaution and is expected to return against the Penguins. Ball State transfer Rahmon Hart, Jr. missed last season due to injury and is healthy this year.

- The Dukes also added a pair of graduate transfers in Dwayne Menders (Marist) and Jalin Cooper (Toledo) this offseason. Menders led the Red Foxes with 45 receptions for 525 yards and three touchdowns last year, while Cooper is a former three-star recruit who saw limited action with the Rockets the past three seasons. 

OFFENSIVE LINE
- The Dukes needed to replace both spots on the left side heading into this season. 2020-21 AFCA Second Team All-American Jake Dixon signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, while Second Team All-NEC guard Roman Macek elected to forego his final year of eligibility to sign a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Center Michael Dorundo, guard Matt Fest and two-time All-NEC right tackle Vincent Lumia each started all 10 games last season. Returners Michael Fallah and Shawn Jones, as well as transfers Chris Oliver (Bowling Green), Evan Azzara (Miami, Ohio) and Josh Zacher (Shippensburg) are all expected to compete for starting positions throughout the season.

DEFENSIVE LINE
- The Dukes utlilized their depth at the position at Florida State, employing numerous combinations up-front. Returning this season is two-time All-NEC nose tackle Maxi Hradecny. Also back in the fold are defensive ends A.J. Ackerman and Kevin Kurzinger, who each started all 10 games for the Dukes. Kurzinger led the team with 8.0 TFLs and is one of the leading returning tacklers (38 tackles/22 solo).  Nathan Proctor Jr., Jay Vance, Clemente Ojinnaka, as well as transfers Noah Palmer (Pitt) and Ryan Lopez (Stony Brook) also will see time up front for the Dukes.  

LINEBACKERS
- Todd Hill was a Second Team All-NEC performer last season at linebacker. He started all 10 games and is one of the team's leading returning tacklers (38 tackles/21 solo). He posted the team's only sack last week at Florida State.

- Anthony Dellovade returns for Duquesne after each of his last two seasons have been cut short due to injury. He appeared in all 11 games as a freshman in 2019. 

- Shane Stump led all linebackers at Florida State with six tackles, while Marist transfer Jayden Johnson added five against the Noles. Last season, Johnson led the Pioneer Football League in tackles per game (10.44) and ranked seventh in the FCS overall.

SECONDARY
-Safety Jeremiah Josephs was a Second Team All-NEC performer for the Dukes last season. He had a season-high nine tackles in the team's upset win over Ohio last season. 

- Cornerback Tim Lowery also returns after leading the team with six passes defended last year (five break ups/one INT). On the other side, Ryan Webb broke up a two-point conversion try on the first Florida State touchdown and later setup the Dukes lone score with an interception and 50-yard return.

SPECIAL TEAMS
- Duquesne boasts one of the deepest kicking units in the FCS, as three different place kickers converted field goals for the Dukes during the 2021 season. Brian Bruzdewicz was a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals, including all four attempts in the team's 28-26 upset win at Ohio. Andrew Smith handles kickoff duties and long field goal tries. He was 6-of-8 on field goal attempts, with both of his misses coming from over 40 yards. 

- Punter Michael Berarducci ranked second in the NEC with an average of 39.2 yards on 30 punts with a long of 59 yards. Joey Corado converted both of his field goal attempts when called upon last season and is capable of handling punting duties for the team as well.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
 - Youngstown State went 3-7 in 2021 and played one of the most difficult schedules in the FCS last season. Seven of YSU's opponents advanced to the FCS Playoffs.

- Running back Jaleel McLaughlin received numerous preseason accolades, including being named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List, as well as being a preseason second-team All-American by Stats Perform and Phil Steele.

- McLaughlin was a Third-team All-America selection by The Associated Press last season after he rushed for 1,139 total yards on 175 carries, averaging 113.9 yards per contest.

- Prior to Youngstown State, McLaughlin was one of the top running backs in Division II in 2018 and 2019 at Notre Dame College (Ohio). He was a two-time finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy, which honors the top player in Division II.

NEXT UP
- The Dukes will play their home opener at Rooney Field on Saturday, Sept. 10 when they welcome Thomas More (NAIA). Kick-off is set for 12 p.m. and the game will broadcast on NEC Front Row.