Luke Henne | Editor-in-Chief
March 23, 2023
Following a 2022 campaign in which the Duquesne football team went 4-7 — its worst record since 2009 — the Dukes now officially have a 2023 schedule to prepare for.
The team officially released next season’s schedule on Monday, and it’s a loaded with capable opponents, both in non-conference play and in Northeast Conference action.
The season will get underway on Sept. 2, when Duquesne hosts Edinboro — a member of the NCAA Division II’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) at Rooney Field.
This will mark the sixth-consecutive full season (Spring 2021 season was limited to four games, all against NEC opponents) in which Duquesne’s home opener will be against a non-Division I opponent. The Dukes’ last full-season home opener against a Division I team came on Sept. 10, 2016, when they defeated Bucknell 30-19.
That home opener is followed by a four-game road trip that will keep Duquesne away from Rooney Field until Oct. 14.
The lengthy trip begins with back-to-back games against FBS opponents — West Virginia and Coastal Carolina — on Sept. 9 and Sept. 16, respectively.
Since 2018, the Dukes have played six games against FBS opponents: UMass and Hawaii in 2018, TCU and Ohio in Fall 2021, and Florida State and Hawaii in 2022.
Arguably one of the biggest wins in program history came for Duquesne on Sept. 11, 2021 against Ohio. Despite being nearly 30-point underdogs, the Dukes snuck past Ohio 28-26.
Despite being separated by just 75 miles, Duquesne and West Virginia haven’t met since Nov. 16, 1935. The Dukes have never played Coastal Carolina.
After a bye week, conference play will begin for Duquesne with a matchup against Long Island on Sept. 30.
After another non-conference road game against Delaware on Oct. 7, the Dukes will finally return home for three of their final six games.
A back-to-back pair of home games against Central Connecticut on Oct. 14 and St. Francis (Pa.) on Oct. 21 will get Duquesne into the heart of its NEC schedule.
That two-game homestand is followed by another multi-game roadtrip. The Dukes will play at Sacred Heart (Oct. 28) and Wagner (Nov. 4) before returning home for its final home game against Stonehill (Nov. 11).
Duquesne’s regular-season schedule concludes with a game at Merrimack on Nov. 18.
Of Duquesne’s four wins in 2022, three came against NEC opponents (Central Connecticut, Sacred Heart and Wagner) by an average margin of 21.3 points.
Only one of the team’s four NEC losses was decided by more than seven points — a 51-14 loss at St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 12.
Head Coach Jerry Schmitt — who is set to begin his 19th season leading the Dukes — has guided Duquesne to a winning record in 13 of his 18 seasons with the program.
Although the season is over five months away from kicking off, the team will hold its spring scrimmage this Saturday at Rooney Field. The start time is set for 1 p.m.