PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University football team returns to Arthur J. Rooney Field for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 10 when it welcomes Thomas More (NAIA) to the Steel City.

A pre-game tribute to honor the memory of former Head Coach Dan McCann will be prior to kickoff at noon.

G3 | DUQUESNE (0-2) vs. Thomas More (1-1)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 10
TIME: 12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pa. - Arthur J. Rooney Field
TELEVISION: 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
- The Dukes will look to bounce back after their first 0-2 start to a season since 2014. Duquesne opened that season with losses at Buffalo and at Youngstown State, before earning four-straight wins.

- The Dukes have not had a three-game losing streak since 2019, when they ended the year with losses to Robert Morris, Bryant, and then-No. 18 Central Connecticut.

- Duquesne has been very successful in home-opening contests, winning 26 of 29 games to open the home portion of the schedule since joining the FCS ranks in 1993. 

- Head coach Jerry Schmitt is 16-1 in home openers. The Dukes have captured a win in 13-straight home openers, including a 30-27 victory over Sacred Heart to kick off the 2021 spring season. 

- Duquesne owns home-opening victories over Albany, Bucknell, Butler, Dayton, Georgetown and VMI. 

- DU is 46-12 in nonconference home games (29-3 under Jerry Schmitt) at Rooney Field. 

- The Dukes are 22-1 in non-conference play at Rooney Field since the beginning of the 2008 season.

- The Duquesne defense has not allowed a passing touchdown through its first two games. All 10 touchdowns allowed to Florida State and Youngstown State were on the ground.

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

-  Last season the Dukes ranked second in the NEC in scoring, averaging 29.5 points per game. Duquesne scored at least 28 points in all seven of its wins last season. The Dukes won all seven games in which they scored at least 14 points.

NEC NAMES JANNEH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Wide receiver Abdul Janneh was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Week Monday afternoon. He led the Dukes with eight catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in their loss at Youngstown State.

- Janneh's eight receptions at Youngstown State were the most by a Duquesne receiver since Cyrus Holder made eight catches in the Spring 2021 NEC Championship Game versus Sacred Heart.

THE SERIES
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Thomas More and Duquesne on the grid-iron.

- Thomas More is the second of three first-time opponents for the Dukes this season. Duquesne had its first-ever meeting with Florida State and will take on NEC-newcomer Stonehill in three weeks for the first-time ever.

THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (18th season / 109-73 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 10 active coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current school.

Thomas More: Chris Norwell (1st season / 1-1 at TMU)  
- Chris Norwell is in his first season as the head football coach at Thomas More University and 13th overall on staff.

- The 2022 season is Norwell's first as head coach after serving seven as the defensive coordinator as well as the strength & conditioning coordinator and academic performance coordinator.

- Norwell is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the Fighting Illini's football team. In 2007, he collected 32 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 0.5 sacks. He also led the Illini with 7.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks in 2005. Norwell also holds the school record for career starts by a defensive lineman with 46. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 2007. Norwell was an undrafted Free Agent in 2008 for New England and Minnesota. 

LAST WEEK - Youngstown State 31, Duquesne 14    
- Youngstown State All-American running back Jaleel McLaughlin rushed for over 200 yards to help deal Duquesne a 31-14 loss Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium

- Duquesne struggled to run the ball all afternoon. The Dukes were limited to 51 yards on 25 carries (2.0 per rush), with Billy Lucas leading the backfield with 34 yards on 13 attempts.

- Duquesne struggled to run the ball all afternoon. The Dukes were limited to 51 yards on 25 carries (2.0 per rush), with Billy Lucas leading the backfield with 34 yards on 13 attempts.

- Duquesne was 7-of-16 on third down, compared to the 4-of-13 showing by the Penguins … YSU was 2-of-4 on fourth down, while the Dukes failed to convert on either of its fourth-down tries.

HOME SWEET HOME
- Duquesne is 116-32 all-time at Rooney Field including winning streaks of 16, 14 and 10 games (twice). 

- Duquesne has won 14 straight home openers. DU has picked up a victory in its first home game in 22 of the last 23 seasons.

- The Dukes own non-conference home wins over Dayton (six times), Bucknell (four times), Lafayette (twice), Albany, VMI, Monmouth, Butler, Morehead State and Fordham among others over the past 18 seasons.   

- DU is 46-12 in non-conference home games (29-3 under Jerry Schmitt) at Rooney Field. The Dukes are 22-1 in non-conference play at Rooney Field since the beginning of the 2008 season.

- Duquesne is 57-36 all-time in NEC contests including a 32-15 mark at home. The Dukes are 17-4 in NEC action at Rooney Field over the last seven seasons.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS
- Thomas More is in its final season in the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference. They are in the midst of a transition and are now a provisional member of NCAA Division II and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, with full membership anticipated for 2025. 

- The Saints competed in NCAA Division III until 2019 and spent 12 seasons as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), which includes nearby schools such as Washington & Jefferson, Saint Vincent, and Jerry Schmitt's alma mater, Westminster, among others.

- Thomas More lost its opener to Bluefield (NAIA) 42-35, despite leading 21-0 in the first quarter. Last week, the Saints trailed 28-10 at halftime to Kentucky Christian, but rallied back to earn a 31-28 win. Thomas More scored twice in the final four minutes to earn the come-from-behind win - the first of Head Coach Chris Norwell's career.

- Wide receiver Roques Dowdy scored three touchdowns and had 91 yards receiving on   eight receptions in the win over Kentucky Christian.

- Quarterback Blaine Espinosa was 25-38 for 241 yards with Dowdy on the receiving end of all three of his touchdown throws.
  
ALOHA
- The Dukes will make the trip out to the Aloha State next week to take on Hawai'i. The game, which will kick-off in Hawai'i at 6:00 p.m., will technically kick-off locally in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sept. 18 at midnight due to the six-hour time change. Duquesne lost the first-ever meeting in 2018, 42-21, to the Rainbow Warriors.