Duquesne football seeks better results behind retooled roster, picked to finish 3rd in NEC

If all goes to plan for Duquesne this fall, 2023 will prove to be more successful football campaign than 2022.

The Dukes, looking to rebound from a 4-7 season, enter year No. 19 under coach Jerry Schmitt.

Those four wins marked Duquesne’s lowest total since 2009, with the Dukes tying for fourth in the Northeast Conference last year.

The Dukes managed to go 3-2 down the stretch, however, after beginning the season 1-5.

Early-season challenges are aplenty for the Dukes this fall, as well.

After their Sept. 2 season and home opener against Edinboro, Duquesne hits the road for a pair of FBS showdowns: Sept. 9 in Morgantown vs. West Virginia and Sept. 16 at Coastal Carolina.

The Dukes’ final nonconference opponent is a road game at Delaware in Week 5.

“We want to give (our players) opportunities to stress themselves and be as good as they can be,” Schmitt said Wednesday at NEC Media Day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

“We want to play as good as we can, and we’ll have to in those games. The preparation for the staff and for the players will be great. We’ll plan on it, enjoy that opportunity and play as hard as we can.”

The Dukes’ NEC slate features a road game Sept. 30 at LIU followed by two straight home games against Central Connecticut (Oct. 14) and St. Francis (Oct. 21).

From there, Duquesne plays at Sacred Heart (Oct. 28) and Wagner (Nov. 4) before hosting Stonehill on Nov. 11.

???? No team in the conference was able to get past @SFUathletics in 2022.

The team to beat in @NECFootball in 2023 has not changed, as the Red Flash have been tabbed the favorite to repeat as NEC champs at season’s end in the annual preseason poll ‼️#NECFB x @RedFlashFB pic.twitter.com/rwd6KRPGNl

— Northeast Conference (@NECsports) July 19, 2023

The regular season concludes Nov. 18 at Merrimack.

At NEC Media Day, the Dukes tied for third in the eight-team league’s preseason poll, earning one first-place vote.

In addition to key returners such as receiver Joey Isabella and defensive lineman A.J. Ackerman, both of whom earned preseason All-NEC honors Wednesday, Schmitt added 17 newcomers to the program: seven transfers and 10 high schoolers.

The spring additions bring the number of first-year players in Duquesne’s program to 30.

But, as the transfer portal giveth, it also taketh away.

The Dukes notably lost linebacker and Steel Valley alum Todd Hill, who paced the team last year in tackles (61), tackles for loss (22) and sacks (11¹⁄₂).

Along with Hill, now at Pitt, Duquesne lost leading rusher Billy Lucas, who transferred to Liberty.

“There’s a lot of management and organization to (football) that there wasn’t maybe before, but you just stay organized,” Schmitt said.

“ … Whether (players) come in as a freshman and you have them for four or five years, or they’re just joining your team, you treat those guys as best as you can, like they’re your own sons.”

In addition to the transfer additions and subtractions, Duquesne will trek onward without quarterback Joe Mischler and leading receiver Dwayne Menders Jr., both of whom graduated.

Looking to take over behind center full-time after getting his feet wet in 2022 is Darius Perrantes, who appeared in seven games as a freshman last fall, completing 52.1% (37 of 71) of his passes for 539 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I try to use my athleticism to the best of my ability,” Perrantes said. “I know that not every game, I won’t be able to do that necessarily, but just knowing what the defense is going to give me and our team — (that’s) going to lead us to victories.”

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line looks to be a position of depth and experience, anchored by returning players such as Ackerman, Kevin Kurzinger, Ryan Lopez and Noah Palmer.

At linebacker, Shane Stump returns, as does Jayden Johnson, whereas players such as Ayden Garnes and Ezekiel Daure look to offer stability at defensive back.

Duquesne’s defense enters its second season under coordinator Mike Craig, with Scott Farison handling co-defensive coordinator duties.

“For defense, I’d say our biggest thing is tackling better,” Daure said. “We had a lot of missed tackles, and I think being in Year 2 of a new scheme is really going to help us out. I think that’s it; it’s a pretty simple fix for us.”