COFFEE's DUQUESNE DUKES FOOTBALL PAGE©

2011 Non-Player of the Year

2012-01-06T14:53:00.012-05:00

With all due consideration to those Forum participants who suggested other names to be recognized as the non-player for 2011, I can’t put off timely recognition of Coach Jerry Schmidt for the job he has done over the past two years in turning Duquesne back into a winning program. From what I have heard in the rumor-mill, the administration from two years ago was not content with losing records. Evidently, neither was the coach. He has produced a championship ring for the team.

Coach Schmidt has overcome the scholarship head start that the rest of the NEC had and has mastered the art of coaching and recruiting a higher level of athlete. He has done so with perhaps one of the smallest football fields on the FCS, Division 2, Division 3 or the high school level. He has done so in at a program that competes for attention with the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Pitt.

Most importantly, he has done so in an open, honest and ethically driven program in a town where Todd Graham had just finished running off to Arizona with his money and selective, lip service morality. Coach Schmidt coaches football. His team's athletic record and statistics for this year’s team speak for themselves. Academically, if you look at the recent article on the number of students who have made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, you will see that the football team is very well represented. See- http://www.goduquesne.com/genrel/010512aag.html

He makes the university proud to show that nice guys with a sense of ethics and an educational mission don’t have to finish last.

Perhaps we'll even get around to recognizing one of the excellent staff Coach Schmidt heads up like Joe Rosatto next year.

Congratulations and thanks to the 2011 Duquesne “Non-Player” of the Year.

2011 Past Player Contest

2012-01-03T15:42:00.009-05:00

I'll tell you the winner- Dan Barr. A Duquesne Beer at the Red Ring goes to the first on the Football Forum to tell me who Dan was, what year he played and why he'd be awarded the 2011 Coffee Mug for Past Player.

Congratulations to "Coach L" (formerly Curious) who knew that Dan Barr was Player-Coach and Captain of Duquesne's (Holy Ghost College) first football team in 1891.

Coach L wins the bottle of Duquesne Beer! Let me know when you are going to a game next year and I'll meet you at the Red Ring to pay up. Maybe we can have a Football Forum Day at the Game. I'm only buying the one bottle since I'm cheap.

I never found their record for that first year but we don't seem to appreciate how much tradition we have playing football here on the Bluff. I'd say helping to form, coach and captain Duquesne's first team deserves some recognition.

Next Up- Non-Player of the Year

2011 Fan of the Year

2012-01-02T17:16:00.002-05:00

I don't know all Duquesne fans but I have had the pleasure of meeting with Judge Jack McVay and Always a Duke at the Red Ring to talk about the Robert Morris Challenge Trophy (Always a Duke is a past winner of Fan of the Year). Judge Jack played for the Iron Dukes and still bleeds red and blue. He's backed up his interest by sponsoring many things such as jerseys for the Iron Dukes and Boosters and is a frequent contributor to the Football Forum.

2011 Fan of the Year- Judge Jack McVay. (Sorry- I didn't have a picture)

Next Up- Past Player.

2011 Most Improved Player

2012-01-02T15:32:00.003-05:00

I have a confession to make here. I owe Jerry Schmidt and Charlie Leventry a big apology. I usually try to avoid direct criticism of student athletes unless they show that they are not giving effort. It was obvious that Charlie Leventry was making an effort so most of my (and others) criticism on the blog and on the Football Forum was directed at Jerry Schmidt for not putting a higher priority on recruiting for punting and place kicking. I had little confidence where Coach Schmidt and Charlie had in his ability to even be an average punter and place kicker. When Eric Duale left without a new option, visions of last second missed field goal losses and terrible field position flashed into my head for this year. Concern expressed on the forum even brought about a player parent response defending Charlie.

I have never been so happy to be wrong. Charlie Leventry not only kept working hard but he became an even better punter and place kicker than I ever could have hoped. Leventry made All NEC by placing 22 of his 48 punts inside the 20 and averaging 36.8 yards a punt. He proved he could punt under pressure and was instrumental in providing good field position in exchanges. His performance at filling in at place kicking was even more impressive. He will be in the Duquesen record books for kicking a 51 yard field goal against Wagner. He was extremely reliable on PATs and field goals al year.

Well deserved Most Improved Player to Charlie Leventry.

Next Up- Fan of the Year.

2011 Defensive MVP

2012-01-02T12:43:00.002-05:00

The defensive MVP was almost as hard to choose as the overall and offensive MVP. The defensive line was probably the biggest improvement over the Duquesne teams that were pushed up and down the field when we jumped into scholarship ball giving the rest of the league a few years head start. Mike Passodelis was a candidate and will be missed as was Chris Oliver who formed part of an extremely talented and deep line backing corps. The secondary led the nation in pass defense but showed no weak links.

How can you disagree with the experts who chose Junior Safety Serge Kona as the NEC’s only All American? You don’t. Serge selflessly moved from linebacker to free safety and adjusted immediately. He has 48 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, two interceptions and forced 3 fumbles.

Next Up- Most Improved Player

2011 Offensive Co-MVPs

2012-01-01T12:47:00.004-05:00

This was a tough one. There were so many that deserve mention. It all begins with a mature and assertive offensive line that made all the difference in the word between being pushed around in the first years in the NEC to winning all but one against the same NEC opponents. Then we have a legitimate Payton Award Candidate who may end his career with more rushing yards than any other back since WW II with Larry McCoy.

Then how do you ignore Conner Dixon? His skill at getting into the end zone was matched only by his athleticism and leadership. If he is not drafted by the NFL, somebody isn't doing their homework. Getting Sean Patterson out of the way as Team MVP helps a little but still, he was well protected by the Offensive Line.

The offensive line play deserves recognition and Sean Patterson, Larry McCoy and Conner Dixon would be the among the first to join me if I were to give the award to the line. However its just a fact of football life that they are not noticed when they are doing their jobs.

Offensive Co-MVPs- Larry McCoy and Conner Dixon.

Next up- Defensive MVP

Team MVP- Sean Patterson

2012-01-01T12:28:00.000-05:00

With consideration given to the Forum discussion and the Blog Polls, I can't help but hold that above all, there was one person last year who made this team a success when he was on and stumble when he was not on. As good a year as Conner Dixon had, there were other receivers who could have picked it up. Larry McCoy is a real Payton Award Candidate going into next year but the team, though balanced, was not a run oriented team. Sean Patterson was the one irreplaceable cog in the offense with his arm and his legs.

I gave more thought to splitting the award up among the offensive line than any other individual. Defensively, there were many stars to choose from, but no single individual seemed irreplaceable as did Patterson.

Next Up- Offensive MVP

2011 Dukes Rated #16 Duquesne All Time Team

2012-01-01T12:21:00.002-05:00

I know that the Blog Poll overwhelmingly (73%) selected the 2011 edition of the Dukes to be ranked in the top 5 of all time Duquesne Teams going back to the first in 1882. However, out of respect for historical teams which included undefeated and nationally ranked Division I teams, I can’t realistically agree. Had they been able to hold on at Bucknell, this year’s team may have moved into the Top 15 with similar 1 loss teams and conference champions perhaps but the Top 10 Duquesne teams were all nationally ranked at their level of play. It’s always difficult to compare teams from different eras and levels of competition, but relative to expectations, I’d place this as Jerry Schmidt’s best place at #16. See Rankings at right.

Congratulations to the Duquesne Fans who usually are a bit overly optimistic for their accuracy on the Blog Poll predicting a 9-2 finish with a Conference Championship.

2011 Season Wrap-Up Next- 2011 MVP

Serge Kona Named AP All-American; 11 Dukes Named All NEC

2011-12-16T21:56:00.005-05:00

PITTSBURGH- Junior safety Serge Kona (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg), the 2011 Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, has been named third team All-America by the Associated Press.

Kona, the only player from the NEC to earn 2011 All-America honors, joins nine-year NFL veteran Leigh Bodden (AP All-America defensive back in 2002 & 2003) as the only DU underclassman to earn the honor. Kona is the sixth player in school history, and first since Bruce Hocker in 2006, to be named AP All-America.

The 5-10, 215-pound Kona, who moved from linebacker to free safety in the spring, led a secondary that led the nation in pass defense at 139.27 yards per game. He finished the year with 48 tackles (28 solo) including 4.0 tackles for loss. He intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles for the Dukes who led the NEC in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense.

A total of 11 Duquesne players were honored by the Northeast Conference's football coaches with the release of annual postseason awards this week.

Junior safety Serge Kona (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year and a league-high six Dukes - including three of the four members of a secondary that leads the FCS in pass defense - were named first team All-Northeast Conference.

Junior running back Larry McCoy (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe), senior offensive lineman Ron Dunn (Abington, Mass./Milford (N.Y.) Academy) and Kona - who were all named preseason All-NEC - earned spots on the postseason first team along with grad student receiver Connor Dixon (South Park, Pa./South Park) and senior cornerbacks Aaron Fitzpatrick (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and Jared Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry Traditional Academy).

Duquesne (9-2), which finished tied with Albany for the league title with a 7-1 record, had five players named second team all-conference.

Second team picks include junior quarterback Sean Patterson (Toledo, Ohio/St. John Jesuit), senior defensive linemen Alex Inda (San Fernando, Calif./St. Genevieve) and Mike Passodelis (Allison Park, Pa./North Allegheny), senior linebacker Chris Oliver (Washington, D.C./Calvin Coolidge) and punter Charlie Leventry (Johnstown, Pa./Richland).

The Dukes led the NEC in rushing offense behind the blocking of Dunn and the running of McCoy who were both second team all-league picks last year. Dunn, who started a team-high 42 consecutive games, helped clear the way for an offense that averaged 212.8 yards per game. Dunn also helped McCoy post a school record nine 100-yard games in 2011. McCoy, who ranks ninth nationally in rushing finished with 1,381 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Dixon, who gained a rare sixth year of eligibility the day before the season opener, tied the DU single-season record with 16 touchdown receptions. The Michigan State transfer finished with 40 catches for 792 yards. His 72 yards per game average was the second-best in the NEC. The 2010 second team All-NEC pick caught a pass in every game (26 in a row) after moving from quarterback to receiver eight games into the 2009 season.

Fitzpatrick and Williams held down the corners for a secondary that gave up just 139.3 yards per game. Williams, a Temple transfer, led the NEC with five interceptions. His 1.09 passes defended per game were second-best in the league.

Fitzpatrick's 45 tackles (26 solo) were second to Kona's 48 in the DU secondary.

Kona, who moved from linebacker to safety in the spring, was a catalyst for the defense from his free safety spot. Kona finished the year with 48 tackles (28 solo) including 4.0 tackles for loss. He intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles for the Dukes who led the NEC in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense.

Patterson, who completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,011 yards and 23 touchdowns, emerged as a dual-threat under center with 552 yards rushing including four TDs. The Toledo, Ohio native ranked second in the NEC in total offense with 233 yards per game. Patterson, who is 13-3 as a starter in his past 16 games, is just the third quarterback in school history to throw for over 2,000 yards in multiple seasons. He is the first QB to rush for 100 yards in game - a feat he accomplished twice in 2011 - since the Dukes moved to the FCS level in 1993.

Passodelis, who had 54 tackles from the nose tackle spot despite being routinely double teamed, finished with 5.5 tackles for loss including 3.0 sacks.

Inda, a defensive end who like McCoy, Dunn and Kona was a preseason All-NEC pick, added 45 tackles including 2.5 sacks and three pass break ups.

Oliver, who entered the season with 34 career tackles, amassed a team-high 91 stops (31 more than any other Duke). The Washington, D.C. native, who did not post a tackle for loss in his first three seasons at DU, led the team with 9.0 (for -32 yards). Oliver, who totaled eight or more stops in eight games, led the team in tackles six times.

Leventry, who also handled placekicking duties, placed 22 of his 48 punts inside the 20 while averaging 36.8 yards per punt.

Duquesne, which just finished its seventh season under head coach Jerry Schmitt, finished tied for first in the NEC in just its fourth season as an associate member. The Dukes had a total of two all-conference players in their first two seasons in the league (finishing 6th and tied for 7th). Last year, DU had six all-league players in finishing third with a 5-3 record.

The Dukes will return a total of nine starters - five on offense and four on defense - in 2012.

(From the Athletic Department Site)

DUKES DRUB ROBERT MORRIS 45-10: EARN NEC CONFERENCE CO-CHAMPIONSHIP

2011-11-19T20:36:00.008-05:00

The Duquesne Dukes ended the 2011 season with a convincing 45-10 blow out over their cross-town rival Robert Morris Colonials. As the game wound down and it became clear that the Colonials had no answers for Patterson, Dixon, Williams and Oliver, there seemed to be more interest in the score of the game being played a few hundred miles to the Northeast.

Aside from the last quarter of the Bucknell game and the first quarter of the Albany game, the Dukes have completed a masterful 9-2 season. The game was typical of the rest of the season as Sean Patterson found Conner Dixon for three touchdowns, Larry McCoy ran for another hundred yard game and a touchdown the defense closed out the opposition allowing only 10 points.

The Dukes tie for the NEC Conference Championship but miss a trip to the NCAA Playoffs as Albany beat Sacred Hear 31-21. Honestly, this is a Duquesne team that would stand a very good chance to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament.

More post game coverage to come tomorrow. I know that the 2011 Edition of the Duquesne Dukes deserve an Honorable Mention as one of the best Duquesne Football teams ever (See below right). I have a tough decision to make if they bump into the Top 20 Teams ever replacing the 1942 team that was ranked # 13 in the nation by th AP during their seson. Let me know what you think at the Forum.

From the NEC Web Site:

The race for the 2011 Northeast Conference football crown came down to the final day of the regular season on Saturday, and in the end, Albany and Duquesne each staked its claim to the title. The Great Danes and Dukes both finished 7-1 in league play on the year, but it was Albany which earned the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs by virtue of its head-to-head victory over Duquesne in early October. UA will learns its NCAA opponent when the 20-team playoff bracket is announced Sunday at 10:00 am live on ESPNU.

Steel City Bragging Rights: Duquesne Robert Morris Preview/Prediction

2011-11-18T19:59:00.007-05:00

Going in, this game seems to be an easy one to call. The Dukes come into this one at 8-2 while the Colonials are 2-8. The Dukes have won their last 4 while the Colonials have lost their last 5. In just his second start, Robert Morris Freshman Quarterback Matt Layman is facing a Dukes defense that has allowed just one short yardage touchdown in the past two games and leads the nation in passing defense.

The visitors come in with 8 different starting lineups against a home team that pretty much has been steady with even a few upgrades with the addition of another year for Conner Dixon and the addition of a projected starter for Ohio state, Dorian Bell to an already deep defense.

Finally, the Dukes are playing to preserve a chance to make the NCAA Playoffs with some cooperation from the Albany Sacred Heart game while the Colonials are just trying to salvage a bit of pride in a season after they themselves won the playoff spot.

After all this, can the Colonials come in and take this game? Certainly. After all, the Dukes outplayed and still lost to Bucknell and this is a "rivalry" game.

Will they?

No- Dukes 31 RMU 17.

CAUTION: The Dukes have to remember that a win for the Colonials will salvage their season. They can not let up as they did against a Bucknell Bison team that they outplayed but lost to at the beginning end of this season.

Dukes Pound, Now Pull for Pioneers

2011-11-14T23:25:00.001-05:00

After beating Sacred Heart 29-15, the Dukes will be pulling for them to win this week as the Pioneers visit Albany. Although the Dukes are tied with Albany with 6-1 Conference records, the Great Danes win the tie breaker with a head to head win against Duquesne even though the Dukes own a better overall record at 8-2 vs Albany’s 7-3. The conference winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Tournament.

The Dukes have to take care of business against cross town rival and last year’s NEC Champion, Robert Morris. While the Dukes have more than lived up to pre-season billing as one of the top teams in the conference, the Colonials enter this rivalry game with the Dukes at a disappointing 2-5, 2-8 record.

Even if the Pioneers are unable to upset the heavily favored Great Danes at Albany, the Dukes have quietly built an impressive season after a game they should have been able to hold on to win at Bucknell to open the season.

This team has certainly closed the scholarship gap with the rest of the NEC and legitimately has readjusted its goals from merely being competitive to wanting the top spot in the conference. No matter how the conference race ends up at the end of the day on Saturday, local college football fans and media need to wake up and realize that they have another winner in this town. I’d like their chances better this year against teams such as Delaware. The same Delaware that will be playing Pitt twice in the next few seasons.

Away for the weekend

2011-11-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks- I was away at Cape May New Jersey with the Coast Guard. I'll try to put together an article on the Sacred Heart Game after I listen to the Red Zone replay. Glad we won!

WAY TO GO BULLDOGS!!

2011-11-05T16:08:00.002-04:00

Send a sack of bones to the Bryant... The Bulldogs won the dog fight with the Great Danes at Albany 31-17. Dukes have to win out and hope Albany loses one to either at Monmouth or to Sacred Heart.

Duquesne Storms Monmouth's Homecoming 16-0

2011-10-30T09:51:00.006-04:00

The Duquesne Dukes and the Halloween Week Snow Storm combined to shut out the Monmouth Hawks 16-0 in a game where Duquesne made the most of what the Hawks and the storm would give them.

Both team's star running backs were able plow their way over over 100 yards with Larry McCoy gainind 110 yards on 35 carries while Hawks freshman running back Julian Hayes rushed for a just a bit more for 114 yards on 34 carries.

Duquesne's Sean Patterson was able to better manage the weather from the beginning by leading an opening 9 play, 72 yard drive finished by Patterson's 19 yard touchdown run. Charlie Leventry's extra point was blocked, but the Dukes didn't need to score another point with the defense effectively shutting down the Monmouth offense which committed a season high 4 turnovers in the cold and sloppy conditions.

Monmouth's Ian Simon forced a fumble by sacking Patterson on the next series but after a seven-play drive the Hawks' offense stalled inside the red zone and Hawks turned the ball over on downs. From there, Monmouth's home field turned into a real disadvantage as they remain winless at home this year (but winning all their away games). Hayes fumbled in Monmouth territory in the second quarter led to a 33-yard Charlie Leventry field goal with 2:04 remaining in the first half.

The Dukes and the weather struck again on the next Hawks possession when the Hawk's Tyler George caught a pass on 3rd-and-8, but fumbled to give the ball back to the Dukes with 57 seconds left in the first half. Two plays later, Patterson found Isaac Spragg for an 18-yard touchdown, putting Duquesne up, 16-0, at the half.

Neither team could muster any points in the second half with Leventry missing on two field goal attempts in between turning the ball over on downs inside the red zone once. Monmouth punted on both of its possessions in the third
quarter, and also turned the ball over again on a fumble, on downs and on an interception.

Patterson finished 6-of-15 for 68 yards and a touchdown for Duquesne and ran for 50 yards and a touchdown.

The Hawks fell to 4-4 (3-2 NEC), while the Dukes improve to 7-2 (5-1 NEC). The win is the first for Duquesne against the Hawks since joining the Northeast Conference in 2008 although the Dukes had won an ECAC Bowl Game before joining the NEC.

The Dukes have next week off to prepare for a trip to Sacred Heart before finishing at home to Robert Morris.

Photo courtesy of Monmouth Athletics.

The Dukes Get Another Crack at Monmouth Preview/Prediction

2011-10-28T18:04:00.004-04:00

Most Duquesne fans would agree that last year was a turnaround season for the team. They gave mighty Delaware, a team that would be the eventual runner up in the entire FCS, a better game statistically than most of their more highly rated opponents. They were the only team to beat Dayton. They proved they could beat Albany and Bryant for the first time. In many ways, last year's success would set up this year's team that is again in competition at the top of a conference.

There was only one game last year where the Dukes where the Dukes didn't follow the script. That was the Homecoming Game against Wagner. That game was the bummer game that the Dukes couldn't do anything right. The team could have, should have, would have played a much better game. This is a team sport, but if Duquesne can claim redemption, it may come down to the play of Sean Patterson if they want redemption against Monmouth.

Sean Patterson may be the team's battery that makes all the rest of the gears go. Conner Dixon and company can't throw the ball and catch it too. Larry McCoy can't gain yards if the ball is in the other team's hands after a turnover. Although McCoy is one of the best in the FCS, other teams have been making the Dukes win through the air by stacking the box. This is usually Patterson's cue to burn them badly. When he does, the results are an offensive clinic in a balanced and at times unbelievably productive attack. When Patterson is off, even with Larry McCoy,the rest of the team hasn't found a way to compensate. Even with the added depth, the defense hasn't able to hold the game long enough to make up in their few recent losses in the past two years.

This may be Duquesne's best team since restarting football in 1969. That is hard to really measure since during that time they went from a Club Team to D-3 to "Mid-Major" to adding scholarships. But they are now playing at their highest level of competition and doing well... doing well when Sean Patterson makes it work.

PREDICTION: Monmouth's home field isn't really an advantage this year. They won all their games on the road and lost all their games at home. Sean Patterson makes it work- Duquesne 31, Monmouth 21.

Dukes Get Back in Character to Ground Seahawks 37-21

2011-10-22T20:11:00.014-04:00

Every team has an assortment of mental images associated with it. The most obvious are the most famous. If you think of the New York Yankees, Montreal Canadians, Notre Dame or the Pittsburgh Steelers you are flooded with thousands of images, traditions and figures. “Buying Sam a drink and getting his dog one too” makes sense only to a Penguin’s fan. Think of the Boston Red Sox you think of old Fenway Park. Conjure up the 1960’s Pirates and ivy covered walls deep in the outfield and Maz turning a miraculous double play on a rough infield comes to my mind (even though they were memories handed to me by my father and television.

The Duquesne Dukes have their mental images too such as passing game that can strike from anywhere and a train whistle echoing up to a windy Rooney Field. Like “The Gunner” or Lanny for the Pirates and Ray Goss for the Duke’s other major sport, we expect to hear Alex in the booth. Fill in the blank with either Conner Dixon, Dave Williams, Yardon Brantley, Mark Neely, Bruce Hocker or Jeremy Connely running long for a pass from an excellent quarterback (Loya, Zimmerman-New HOF, Loebig, Dixon or Rombach).

The Duquesne Dukes got back in character as they ran over the Wagner Seahawks at Rooney Field. The Dukes seemed like themselves again after a big loss to Albany where they let the Danes turn them to 1st quarter zombies followed by a game where the Dukes somehow managed to win against CCSU without doing the things that usually make a Duquesne victory.

All the familiar players showed up as Larry McCoy ran for over 100 yards and 3 TDs. Larry not only had 149 for the game but he topped 1,000 for the season and 3,000 for his career. Sean Patterson again chucked it for well over 200 yards with two TDs pulled in by the usual suspect, Conner Dixon. Isaac Sprague added another 9 grabs for 95 yards.

The defense was back to their normal selves by holding Dominique Williams to 81 yards on 20 carries. Williams entered the game ranked ninth nationally and a 111.8 yards per game average.

The Dukes have usually had a good defensive backfield. Now Serge Kohna Jared Williams, Khiry Carter seem to be inheriting the mantle of past players like Leigh Bodden.

Charlie Leventry is beginning to change the image of adventurous field goal attempts. Charlie entered the Duquesne and Rooney Field record books with an important 51 yard field goal to end the first half 17-7. At the time Duquesne had piled up a good statistical edge but led by only one score. The previous school was 47 yards set by Doug McAuley vs. Mercyhurst in 1988.

The Dukes may be exceeding their past character reputations on some other fronts as well. Going into the NEC, the Dukes offensive and defensive lines had been pushed around. The offensive line protected Patterson well and opened up huge holes.

Duquesne has always had good linebackes such as Nathan Totino but their linebacking corps may be their best ever with talent and depth at ever spot.

Finally, the Duquesne Dukes are characteristically competing for a conference title again. Unfortunately, Albany kept in character too by blowing out CCSU.

The only negative to come out of this game was that the Dukes really have to find a way to cover their kickoffs and punts. All of Wager’s scores were greatly aided by some terrible kick coverage that put pressure on the defense if it didn’t lead directly to a score.

NEXT WEEK: The Dukes face a big challenge next week when they visit Monmouth (4-3, 3-1) at 1:00.

Image courtesy of Duquesne Athletics.

Beware of Wagner: Preview and Prediction

2011-10-21T15:47:00.015-04:00

Wagner (1-5, 1-2) at Duquesne (5-2, 3-1) at Rooney Field, Saturday, 10/22 at 12:10.

Don't underestimate the 1-5 Wagner Seahawks. The visiting team represented themselves very well against #9 Richmond and barely lost to two teams that the Dukes barely beat (CCSU and Bryant). Most of the games between Wagner and the Dukes have been tight including Duquesne's 1 point (21-20) come-back win last year. The year before the Seahawks pulled out a 23-17 win in two overtimes. Wagner has had two weeks to prepare for this game and will not see themselves as being out of the conference race yet.

The Dukes seem to be facing all of the top running backs in the FCS. This weeks its running back Dominique Williams who ranks #9 in the nation at 111.8 yards per game. Wagner is 10th in the Nation and 1st in the NEC in Turnover Margins at 1.33 per game. Wagner Coach Walt Hameline has over 200 wins to his credit.

From Shaler Tom at the Forum: "Wagner lost their starting QB in their last game but their back up, a red shirt freshman put up some nice numbers in a loss to Georgetown. They have two DB's that are transfers from Purdue and Syracuse."

Prediction: Wagner's defense played well against Richmond and will take time to crack. After a close first half, Dukes over Seahawks 28-17. (I'll respectfully defer to and hope that Shoey is right to predict the blow-out)

Game Ball Leftovers: I started a new weekly poll on this blog for the CCSU game to award a game ball. Sean Patterson won it even though he didn't throw for hit best numbers. It wasn't the best week to start the poll, particularly since nobody really stood out. I should have put in a selection for "team". Last week had few individual stars but a collective will to get the win. Two weeks ago- Albany really surprised the Dukes with their intensity. They knew that the season championship may have been decided right there since the Danes are used to competing in a tough conference. The Dukes learned the hard way what it takes. I'd still favor the Dukes in a re-match.

Radio: WMNY 1360 AM or at RedzoneMedia.com.
Video and Gametracker: GoDuquesne.com
Live Game Thread at the Forum: http://www.voy.com/214207/

Dukes Team Up on CCSU 28-21

2011-10-16T11:36:00.003-04:00

Duquesne’s win over the NEC’s pre-season favorite Central Connecticut was an odd one.

• Larry McCoy didn’t get 100 yards.
• Conner Dixon didn’t catch a touchdown.
• The defense gave up almost 400 yards.
• Sean Patterson didn’t throw for 200 yards.
• Duquesne was outgained on the ground and through the air.
• CCSU held the ball for over 38 minutes

When the Dukes win, they usually pile up the huge statistical lead that led them to be fourth in the nation in both total offense and total defense before hitting a brick wall at Albany. Duquesne has routinely lost games over the past few years where they won the battle of the statistics such as the season opener at Bucknell.

Although the defense allowed almost 400 yards, they did what it took at the time it needed to. This game could have been another agonizing close loss had it not taken the ball away at Duquesne’s 10 yard line when Alden Sutton recovered a Debenendittis fumble forced by Jared Willims. Sean Patterson was the back who actually did gain over 100 yards with his clutch 42 yard run and then a 4 yarder to finish off a 90 yard drive for the game’s final game winning TD. McCoy came close with 97 yards on only 18 carries.

To finally get to the point, the Dukes won a game that took more than gaudy stats to win. They found a way to win from a team that had real talent. They did what it took to take a game when they had to show more than their talent. Other than Charlie Leventry’s 47 yards per punt this was a pretty neat team victory where no individual stood out but all pulled together to do what it took. But even Leventry didn’t have to kick a field goal to do it.

NOTES: This was Duquesne’s first win against CCSU, going 0-4 in all other meetings.

Dukes Host Pre-Season NEC Favorite CCS Blue Devils

2011-10-14T19:00:00.008-04:00

The 4-2 Duquesne Dukes hope to rebound after last week’s loss to Albany when they host the NEC’s pre-season number one pick to be conference champions, Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils come in at only 2 and 4 but played a very tough non-conference schedule. They were within 2 points of overtaking CAA Massachusetts in the fourth quarter before the Minutemen returned a kickoff and an interception for late touchdowns to put the game away. CCS played CAA James Madison close as well falling 14-9.

Last year the Dukes came close to staging a remarkable comeback when they scored two touchdowns in the final 2 minutes and appeared to tie the game on a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter that was overturned by a controversial penalty. Larry McCoy finished that game with his career best 233 yards.

Duquesne will honor our nation's wounded heroes this Saturday in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Duquesne has invited all military personnel with military ID to attend the game free of charge and will be selling camouflage Duquesne hats to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Prediction: This is really a tough one to call since much depends upon how the Dukes respond to the Albany game. I’m going to be chicken and say it will be either a close Duquesne win 28-24 if the Dukes regain their confidence or another drubbing if the Dukes have lost faith in themselves.

Radio: WMNY-AM 1360- Alex Panormios and Tad Maurey
Streaming Live and Achieved Audio: RedZoneMedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
Video & Gametracker: GoDuquesne.com

???????????????????????????????????????????

2011-10-08T23:20:00.015-04:00

There is a basic difference between writing an article that describes what happened during a game and writing an article analyzing why the game came out the way it did. It’s a good thing I don’t get paid as a football analyst because it is hard for me to explain why the Dukes were blown away by the Albany Great Danes on Saturday October 8, 2011. I can easily retell what happened. The Dukes got beat. They got beat badly but don't ask me why. It should not have occurred with the talent they have. I can only offer the following feeble observations:

• Albany came out on fire and pushed the Dukes around like they were a grade school team on the first three drives of the game.
• The defense was not the only unit that looked like a deer in the headlights. It took the offense until their fourth drive of the game to even generate a first down.
• An offense can afford to start the game badly and then get moving once they figure things out as long as the defense is playing acceptably well. They can also help out a defense that is playing badly by keeping them off the field. Neither unit helped out the other in the first quarter.
• Bob Ford is one heck of a coach who deserves the 250th win he earned over the Dukes. He knew his run defense had been poor to date so he sold out to stop the run.
• Through a combination of Sean Patterson having an off day and Duquesne's coaching staff refusing to rely on the passing game to re-establish the run, Bob Ford's plan worked. Sometimes you establish the run by burning a defense that over-commits. Duquesne only made them pay once.
• With the commitment to stop the run Conner Dixon should have been open more often or else he must have had a bad game too.
• Sean Patterson is a streaky performer. As well as he played the week before against Bryant, that is in direct opposite to his game at Albany.
• Conner Dixon must be used for more than just catching touchdowns. Sure touchdowns are good, but his 30+ yard catch was his only grab of the game. He can be used to get a first down too.
• Duquesne must be haunted by an odd October Pre-Halloween Curse. Last year they were blown out by Monmouth in a similar bizarrely bad game. The Dukes have had other bizarre down games in October against teams as bad as Iona (three times).
• After the Dukes got down by 24 points, they either found out how to play defense again or Albany let up on them. The good news is that I don't think Albany let up. The bad news is that they didn't start the game playing as they could.
• The Dukes really are not as bad a team as they showed and the Great Danes are good but not that good.
• Albany has been there before against tough conference opponents. They know that they have to load up, particularly against their biggest rivals.
• Duquesne, if they are going to be the team they want to be better get used to being everyone's biggest rival and be ready.
• The Dukes don't seem to throw on first down.

This is still an immensely talented football team in all areas of the game. The Dukes certainly have the ability to have played better than they did. As to why they did not, again I have only an idea. I can't look very deeply into the hearts of the young men who played that game for Duquesne. Only they can. Only they can find the fire deep inside that will allow them to still have a chance at the Conference Championship. On paper, they have the skill but the paper and the grand statistics the Dukes rang up to date don't mean a thing.

This, thankfully, still only counts as one loss.

Albany Preview/Prediction- McCoy Adds the Balance

2011-10-07T19:31:00.016-04:00

Duquesne always seems to be have been able to throw the ball. Patterson, Dixon, Rombaugh, Loebig, Zimmerman, Loya, Bocan... you can almost draw a timeline of talent back to 1969 and even further back through Boyd Brumbaugh and Ernie Hefferle, the Orange Bowl heros to the Chief, Art Rooney who was a gifted athlete of the 1920s teams. Prior to that the Dukes probably ran a single wing back into the 1800's but I'm sure the Dukes found a way to chuck that rounded ball too. It seems that Duquesne has been able to live well off the pass and die when they could not.

No matter how many times we play the Albany Great Danes, I think back to the first time the Dukes played the Dane. It was the last game of the 2001 Season in the ECAC Bowl. Better known by Duquesne Fans as the "Slush Bowl", the Dukes' perfect season came to a slushy, blustery and frozen 24-0 end.

The Dukes went into the game with a 1-AA National Ranking and a real shot at being the first team from the "Mid-Majors" to make the NCAA 1-AA Playoffs. Their defense was more than respectable but their offense had been unstoppable. Unstoppable, except for when it became almost impossible to throw the ball through the high winds to receivers who became mortal under the frozen conditions. The one flaw that the 2002 team had was that it was geared only to a real high octane passing offense led by Neil Loebig.

Unfortunately for the Dukes, the one player who could have made a difference in the slush to balance out the passing game, Josh Rue, was declared ineligible just prior to the season. Josh was to be the featured back; a hard runner talented enough to make the roster of the Arizona Cardinals and still be playing professionally with the Pittsburgh Power. Rue carried the ball just 122 times for 916 yards and 12 TDs. His 7.51 yards per carry average was just shy of the NCAA Division I-AA record of 7.52 set by Adrian Peterson of Georgia Southern in 1998. Without Rue and unable to pass, the Dukes exposed their Achilles heal.

This year, the Great Danes probably have a better team than their 2002 edition, but then again so do the Dukes.

Prediction: Larry McCoy, now being mentioned seriously for the Walter Payton Trophy for being the bet back in the FCS will provide the balance that the 2002 team didn't have to beat the Great Danes. He may be the best back the Dukes have had since... perhaps even better. Dukes over Danes 27-21.

See the poll at right to voice you opinion on Larry and Josh- I ran it last year and just re-opened it.

Click the title or cut this link into your browser for a great article on Josh Rue and the Pittsburgh Power Arena League Team- http://www.arenafootball.com/news/eastern-division-roll-call-josh-rue

Duquesne Breaks Away From Bulldogs 31-28

2011-10-02T08:00:00.021-04:00

If you were not at the game between Duquesne and Bryant to determine which would get the early lead in the NEC Conference race, you may have a hard time wondering why the game was very much in doubt until the very end.

Statistically, this game looked like the Duquesne Dukes should have had an easier time dispatching the visitors. The home team in front of the Homecoming crowd led in just about every significant team and individual category including First Downs, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, Punting Average (Net and Average), Punt return yardage, Kickoff Yardage, Average Gaine per Play, Time of Possession, Third Down Conversions, and Sacks. They narrowly lost the kickoff return average which really didn’t figure in the game’s outcome. It’s not that Duquesne’s margin was close. For example, they outgained the Bulldogs by over 100 yards and held the ball for almost 10 minutes more. It can’t be blamed on the bad breaks since the Dukes won the turnover battle too.

So why was this game so close?

Much like Duquesne’s only loss of the young season by a single point to Bucknell, the Dukes seemed to outplay the opposition and led in the statistical categories. The closeness of either game can’t be blamed upon individual effort.

Offensively, Duquesne had plenty of heroes. The best example would be the pure guts shown by Larry McCoy to grind out a very hard earned 153 yards and a touchdown against a determined Bryant defense. These yards weren’t ripped off in chunks as they were the week before. Of the five receptions thrown at Conner Dixon three went for touchdowns. This man proved again that he can find the end zone. Sean Patterson didn't have the game he had the week before but he certainly didn’t play badly with over 200 total yards passing and running on a sloppy day. One interception was the ricochet type that bounced off the receiver and the other can be forgiven.

The Duquesne Defense had a number of standouts too. Horvin Latimer and Khiry Carter had 8 stops with Mike Passodelis and newly activated Dorian Bell right behind with 7 and 6 respectively. Collectively, the Dukes had 6 stops in the backfield and three sacks. (IMHO- The Dukes need to find a way to keep Latimer, Dozie and Bell on the field at the same time.)

Nor can this game’s closeness be attributed to the special teams. Charlie Leventry showed again that the faithful can finally relax. Hitting on all field goal and PAT attempts and producing a healthy 41.2 yard punting average. He has shown that he can kick under pressure and in the rain as well.

This was just a good back and forth game where the Bulldogs lived up to their nicknames and somehow refused to let the Dukes pull away until Richie Piekarski’s interception with about two minutes left in the game. Every time the Dukes took a lead, Bryant seemed to have an answer with 5 lead changes during the game. Bryant's Jordan Brown, whose 1-yard run in the third quarter gave Bryant a 21-17 lead, ran for 142 yards and two scores. The Bulldogs held their final lead 28-24 on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Mike Croce to Jordan Harris with 12:44 left.

How do the cliques go? You have to "put the final nail in the coffin", "put your foot on their throat", "finish them off", "put them away", "close the door", "Don't let them hang around" etc., etc. The Dukes let this team hang around but this time pulled it out. This is a great team with tons of potential to go very far if it learns to "slam that lid". Bryant is a good team. If the Dukes can go as far as their talent can take them, they will face better in November.

Duquesne honored their past with some neat looking "Iron Dukes" 70's jerseys and have also determined this year to honor the Dukes team that won the 1937 Orange Bowl.

Next week, the Dukes travel to Albany for a 1:00 start.

Photo provided by Duquesne Athletics.

HOMECOMING GAME PREVIEW & PREDICTION (Click here for Alumni Site)

2011-09-28T23:17:00.012-04:00

Duquesne is still the only NEC team from Pennsylvania to beat the Bulldogs when they travelled to Smithfield, Rhode Island for their closing 37-29 victory of the year. The Bulldogs will look for revenge here at Rooney since the Dukes were also the only team to beat them at their home field last year.

This is the second week in a row that the Dukes will match their top running back against another of the nation’s leading running backs. Bryant’s junior Jordan Brown averages 149.8 yards per game and is second in the NEC to last week’s opponent’s Kyle Harbridge who had been averaging over 180 yards per game before the Duke’s D held him to just 76 yards. The Dukes' Larry McCoy averages 135.5 yards per game.

There is still no official word on whether Dorian Bell will be allowed to play vs. Bryant even though there have been numerous signals that he would be available. The coaching staff may be downplaying his entry.

The Dukes are at the top on both sides iof the ball so far this season, ranking fourth in the FCS in both total offense (493.8 ypg) and total defense (255.5 ypg).

Bryant senior quarterback Mike Croce has fully recovered after a preseason injury. Last week against Wagner, he for 245 yards and two touchdowns.

Prediction: Duquesne's D holds another premier back under 100 as the balanced offense does its job again.

Duquesne 27 Bryant 19

DUKES PUMMEL ST. FRANCIS 41-14

2011-09-25T10:09:00.005-04:00

Maybe I’m just putting to much thought into it but I felt terrible writing the headline for this game. “St. Francis Pummeled” sounds like you’re about to read a story about a biblical stoning while cheering on the bad guys… “Dukes Dominate St. Francis” is even worse since it sounds like a bad horror movie featuring a couple of satanic-masochistic Dracula figures.

Any way you summarize it, after giving up an early lead to St. Francis, the game quickly became a highlight reel of big play offense for the Dukes. The stats speak for themselves as Duquesne opened conference play on TV and under the lights by racking up 553 Total yards. They could have had considerably more had they not started taking out their starters in the 3rd quarter.

Even with the show of offensive fire power, the biggest statistic of the night was contributed by the Duquesne defense in holding the nation’s leading Division I rusher Kyle Harbridge to just 76 yards and under 4 yards per carry. Last week Harnridge had a record-setting, 346 yards against Moorhead State. Amazingly, Harbridge wasn’t heavily recruited and had to make the team as a walk-on. Coming into the game he was ahead of South Carolina’s Heisman Trophy candidate Marcus Lattimore with Duquesne’s Larry McCoy in 6th place nationally. Harbridge and Lattimore had been the only backs to pass 500 yards before yesterday’s game.

McCoy joined the 500 Club adding 153 yards to his new total of 542 before being taken out in the 3rd quarter. Opening up a lead took St. Francis out of their offensive game plan to lean on their star running back.

Duquesne showed a very balanced attack with 263 total yards running and 290 yards passing. Sean Patterson personally typified the balance with 290 yards through the air and another 75 rushing yards. This was even without rushing/receiving combo back Bill Bair who was held out of the game. It took Graduate student Conner Dixon only 4 receptions to reach 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Isaac Spragg added 4 receptions and a TD while TE Brian Layhue pulled in the other touchdown pass of 17 yards. It almost seemed unfair as last minute substitute freshman cornerback Calvin Bane was mercilessly targeted early and often by the Dukes, particularly by Dixon who was more than a half foot taller.

Punter/Kicker Charlie Leventry continues to gain confidence as he gave Duquesne an early 6-0 lead before St. Francis took it’s only lead 7-6 after a muffed punt to give a short field TD. Leventry barely missed a try from 50 yards which would have been the longest recorded field goal for the Dukes. Leventry didn’t have much practice with his other duties with only 2 punts all night.