Duquesne quarterback Joe Mischler looks to return from injury, regain starting position for opener at Florida State

In Pittsburgh, we’ve spent a lot of time this summer talking about quarterbacks. The Steelers have a new rookie in Kenny Pickett, a new free agent in Mitch Trubisky and a returning incumbent in Mason Rudolph vying for the job.

At Pitt, new transfer Kedon Slovis will likely to take over for Pickett after battling with Nick Patti.

At Duquesne, it’s a little different. The Dukes’ two candidates have both been winners at the school and are now in competition for the same job.

Ohio transfer Joe Mischler took the Dukes to overtime of the NEC championship of the 2020-21 spring season before blowing out his knee in the ‘21 fall opener at Texas Christian. Rhode Island transfer Darius Perrantes took over and won seven of the next nine games.

Now Mischler is healthy, and Perrantes is back for his sophomore season. But there is still just one QB job to win.

Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt hasn’t publicly declared a starter for Game 1 Saturday at Florida State. Mischler and Perrantes are separated by an “or” on the team’s official depth chart.

“You’re thankful that you have two really good quarterbacks,” Schmitt said during a recent “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “We’ll see how that plays out. They both have gotten equal reps. They are both ready to go. And we’ll see how that plays out. At this point in time, we haven’t made a final decision. But coming down the stretch, we’ll decide who is going to start and how many plays they are going to play.”

It’s been speculated by some around the program that Mischler has the inside track to win the job. Even if that does happen, Schmitt said both players could find themselves participating on game days, particularly with four games (Florida State, Youngstown State, Thomas More and Hawaii) on the schedule before the conference season begins.

“That’s always a possibility. You weigh that out with timing with the receivers. Running the offense. It’s always a challenge, but it’s a welcome one when you have multiple talented guys competing at positions, and you always need depth throughout a football season,” Schmitt said.

If it is Mischler to start, he’ll be returning to competition after a long rehab from a torn ACL and a damaged meniscus — injuries that didn’t have him at full strength until summer drills.

“I felt confident around the six-month mark,” Mischler said at a recent taping of the “Duquesne Coaches Show” on AT&T SportsNet. “But at that point (roughly late March), your knee is not quite ready yet. It still needs a couple of extra months. So we did it the way you are supposed to. We took our time. That was the one luxury of getting hurt early like I did last year, is that you have time to recover.”

According to Schmitt, Mischler has come back in fine form.

“Joe came back. He is healthy. That was the number one thing. He’s working extremely hard on his ACL injury. He’s practiced all camp. And he is ready to go,” Schmitt said.

In terms of processing the speed of the game, Mischler said it’s coming back to him. But he knows that attribute will be tested at the highest level he’s seen at Duquesne when the Dukes travel to Tallahassee on Saturday to take on a Power 5 opponent. It was under similar circumstances when Mischler got hurt at TCU a year ago, and the Dukes lost 45-3.

“Size and speed help,” Mischler said of Florida State’s athletic prowess. “But it also helps to have technique. Be smart. Play physical, stay within yourself, and don’t try to do too much.”

Mischler’s last play of the 2021 fall season resulted in a season-ending injury. His last play of the 2020-21 spring season was a fumble in overtime that ended the championship game versus Sacred Heart at Rooney Field.

Now he’s dedicated to writing a better ending in 2022, even if Perrantes is his co-author on the script.

“I have confidence in both of us that we will go out there and perform well for the team. And I think the team feels the same way,” Mischler said. “It’s not often you have two guys with starting experience. It’s been good. I think we do a good job of pushing each other in practice. That helps the both of us take our game to a different level as well.”

A level they’ll need to reach if the Dukes are to put a scare into Florida State on Saturday.

In the latest “Breakfast with Benz” podcast, Tim Benz talks with Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt about the team’s opener at Florida State, the Dukes QB battle, and changes on defense.

Listen: Tim Benz talks with Duquesne head football coach Jerry Schmitt