EASTON, Mass. - The Duquesne University football team opens Northeast Conference (NEC) play with a road trip to Massachusetts to take on Stonehill. Duquesne went 1-3 in non-conference play, including a pair of losses to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foes Florida State and Hawai'i.

Stonehill, who is in its first year transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I FCS, will be playing its first official NEC game against the Dukes. Kickoff from WB Mason Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m. (ET) and the game will broadcast on ESPN3.

G5 | DUQUESNE (1-3) at Stonehill (2-0)

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 1
TIME: 12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Easton, Mass. - W.B. Mason Stadium
TELEVISION: ESPN3 with Paul Dottino (pxp) and Kevin Gilbride (analyst)
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- Duquesne is coming off of a well-deserved bye week following its 24-14 loss at Hawai'i on Sept. 17. The contest kicked off locally in Honolulu at 6:00 p.m., but due to the six-hour time difference, did not start until 12:00 a.m. on Sunday morning on the east coast.

- The Dukes, led by 18th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, 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, 2013, 2016 and 2018 while capturing the outright title in 2015. Duquesne earned the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in both 2015 and 2018. 

- The Dukes are 32-10 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 season, including a 15-4 ledger at Rooney Field.

- DU has recorded 77 wins since 2011, at least eight more victories than any other NEC team. In addition, the Dukes' 48 conference wins in that time span are the most in the league.

NOTABLES
- Of the 114 FCS teams, the Dukes are one of 16 to not lose a fumble this season. Duquesne led the FCS with just two fumbles lost last season.

- Duquesne leads the NEC and ranks 16th in the FCS with eight takeaways. DU has forced turnovers in all four games this season, including a Ryan Webb interception at Florida State.

- The Dukes are holding opponents to 152.2 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the NEC and eighth in the FCS. Duquesne has allowed only one touchdown pass through four games this season.

- The Dukes are averaging 3.25 quarterback sacks per game to lead the NEC. Linebacker Todd Hill paces the team and slots seventh nationally with 4.5 sacks.

- The Dukes are the least penalized team in the NEC with just 3.75 flags drawn per game. That total ranks sixth in the FCS, while their 28.25 penalty yards per game slots fourth nationally. 

- Wide receiver 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.

THE SERIES
 - This is Duquesne's first meeting with Stonehill. The Skyhawks, who are in their first year transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I FCS, will be playing their first official NEC game against the Dukes.

- Duquesne is 7-3 all-time when playing opponents from the state of Massachusetts, including a victory over Merrimack last season.

- Stonehill is the Dukes' seventh different opponent all-time from The Bay State. Duquesne has previously faced Assumption (1-0), Boston U (1-0), Holy Cross (3-1), MIT (1-0), Merrimack (1-0), UMass (0-1) and UMass Lowell (0-1).   

THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (18th season / 110-74 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.

Stonehill: Eli Gardner (7th season / 29-24 at Stonehill)  
- Eli Gardner is in his seventh season as head coach of the Skyhawks. He is coming off of his best season at Stonehill, in which the team went 8-2 overall.

- Gardner has been at Stonehill since 2009. He started as the team's special teams coordinator (2009-10), before being promoted to defensive coordinator (2011-13) and then associate head coach (2014-15).

SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS 
- Stonehill will be playing for the first time since a 76-0 thrashing of Division II Post University on Sept. 10 in which it scored on its first eight possessions of the game.

- The Skyhawks opened the season with a 33-30 come-from-behind overtime win at Division II Bloomsburg back on Sept. 3.

- Running back Jarel Washington scored a pair of touchdowns to lead the Stonehill comeback in his collegiate debut. He was later named the NEC Rookie of the Week for his efforts in the win.

DUKES IN THE NEC
- Duquesne is one of two schools that have won five NEC titles since 2011 (Sacred Heart), earning the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs twice: in 2015 and again in 2018. 

- The Dukes have tallied more overall wins (77) and conference victories (48) than any other team during that span. 

NEXT WEEK
- The Dukes will return home for their annual Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 8 when they host Merrimack at Arthur J. Rooney Field for an NEC contest.

- Kickoff of the game is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the contest set to be broadcast on ESPN3 as part of the NEC Game of the Week package.

- Duquesne won the first-ever meeting between the two schools last season, 37-14, in North Andover, Mass.