Tim Benz: Duquesne football embraces restructured spring season, hosts NEC championship game
Apr. 7—This time of year in Pittsburgh sports, normally the only postseason action taking place is the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Penguins.
We aren't usually thinking about postseason for football. Especially on the college level.
Frankly, we are often just wrapping our brains around the concept of a spring game in most cases.
But everything has been a little bit different the last 13 months because of the coronavirus pandemic. And few teams have adjusted better than the Duquesne University football team.
After play was wiped out in the fall of 2020 due to concerns over the virus, the Dukes just spent the last four Sundays in March winning all of their NEC regular-season games in the newly created 2021 spring season. If the team wins the NEC championship game, coach Jerry Schmitt and company will find themselves in the FCS playoffs.
"They decided that, if they are going to play a football game, it doesn't matter when it is. They are going to play to the best of their abilities," Schmitt said on Wednesday's "Breakfast With Benz" podcast. "They were excited about playing football. I don't think it matters what time on the calendar it was. I have enjoyed watching them having fun playing football."
Schmitt's Dukes will play Sacred Heart in the title game at home at 2 p.m. Sunday. It's a rematch from Week 1 of the spring season, a game the Dukes won 30-27 at Arthur J. Rooney Field.
Although it wasn't easy. Pioneers running back Julius Chestnut went off for four touchdowns and 209 yards from scrimmage.
"He's an unbelievable talent," Schmitt said. "Obviously, you don't want to play a guy of that caliber. But I'm OK because you have to earn everything you get. To earn a championship, you have to play the best. And he is the best running back in our league."
Chestnut totaled an insane 699 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns in just three outings this year, as the Pioneers won two of their three contests. That was good enough to finish in second place and earn the right to rematch against Duquesne by way of winning percentage in the short season.
The Dukes have apparently found a running back for themselves in the spring campaign, too. Replacing A.J. Hines — the program's all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns — was anticipated to be a major concern heading into the fall.
But Mercyhurst transfer Garrett Owens has proven to be a worthy successor during the past month. He accumulated 503 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns in the four games.
The 25th-rated Dukes — ranked for the second time in the Stats Perform FCS Poll — also seem to have found a solid replacement at quarterback for Daniel Parr. Ohio University transfer Joe Mischler is completing 68% of his passes (62 for 90) to the tune of 860 yards and a passer rating of 164.49. He's thrown six touchdowns versus just three interceptions.
"They have been able to pick up our system. Get in with the guys. Be part of our team, our football family, and be successful in that regard," Schmitt said. "We've been fortunate these past few years to have talented players (at those positions). These young men are both talented players and they are buying into the system and what we do."
Another transfer at wide receiver, former St Francis (Pa.) pass catcher Cyrus Holder (15 catches, 360 yards, four touchdowns) has also shown promise for the fall. All of this year's players can come back in September without having this season count against their eligibility.
"We had conversations in the fall (of 2020), and the majority of our players at that point in time wanted to return," Schmitt said. "We'll check on that again in the spring. But most of our guys have decided that they would like to come back and finish their year of eligibility in the fall if they are seniors."
Whoever wins the NEC game Sunday will enter a modified version of the FCS playoffs. The postseason tournament will feature just 16 teams this year as opposed to the usual 24 entries. Competition begins the weekend of April 24.
Then the Dukes will rest before the fall season begins on Sept. 4 against TCU.
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In Wednesday's "Breakfast With Benz" podcast, Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt and I discuss the spring season, the outlook for Sunday's NEC championship game against Sacred Heart, and prospects for getting a full season off the ground in the fall.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
