What can Carnegie Mellon's football team do for an encore?

That question has caused sleepless nights for coach Rick Lackner, whose Tartans open the season today at Rochester University in a matchup of premier teams in NCAA Division III.

Carnegie Mellon was 11-1 last season for a school record for wins and reached the second round in its first appearance in the playoffs since 1990. With 14 starters returning, including the entire offensive backfield and four-fifths of the line, the Tartans should have no problem posting their 33rd consecutive non-losing season.

"Our kids have raised the bar, our whole program has raised the bar," Lackner said. "Expectations are high. Absolutely that's a good thing. I want them to set high standards for themselves and be demanding for themselves. We hope to build on what we did last year."

He added after a pause, "Complacency is always a fear for a coach."

The returning skilled players are running back Travis Sivek, the school's all-time rusher with 3,067 yards who set a school record with 1,326 yards last season and 14 touchdowns; running back Robert Gimson (1,959 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns); quarterback Doug Facemyer (470 yards passing, 3 TDs) and tight end Derek Wisnieski (13 catches, 259 yards, 3 scores).

Employing their unconventional wing-T attack, the Tartans ranked eighth nationally with 260.6 yards rushing per game as Sivek and Gimson became the first two players in the same backfield in school history to run for 1,000 yards in a season. Carnegie Mellon committed the fewest turnovers in the country, with just five fumbles and five interceptions.

"We played to our potential last year," Lackner said. "A lot of things went right."

Noseguard Mike Reggie and back Jon Scholl return from a defense that allowed 9.9 points per game to rank sixth nationally.

Rochester, which returns a bulk of the starters from a 7-4 team, will challenge Carnegie Mellon's defense with wide receiver J.J. Vanderstyne (85 catches, 1,128 yards, 11 TDs) and running back Matt Bielecki (1,390 yards rushing, 14 TDs).

Other games:

Bucknell at Duquesne, 6 p.m. -- With 16 starters from a 7-3 team led by quarterback Scott Knapp, wide receiver Bruce Hocker and linebacker John Simmons the Dukes are looking to make their final season as a non-scholarship program memorable. Duquesne will begin to offer athletic scholarships in 2008 when it moves into the Northeast Conference from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Pitt transfer Derron Thomas, a graduate student who started nine games for the Panthers two years ago, will add a physical presence to a strong linebacking corps. Greg Hough has been moved from linebacker to running back because of injuries in the backfield. Bucknell starts three offensive linemen from Western Pennsylvania -- Jonathan Grainger (Carrick), Chad Glasser (Bethel Park) and Greg Conti (Pine-Richland). Strong safety Casey Williams is from Moon High School. Bucknell, a member of the Patriot League, is 7-1 against Duquesne since 1997.

Dayton at Robert Morris, 1 p.m. -- Robert Morris hopes to maintain momentum from last season when the Colonials rebounded from an 0-2 start to finish 7-4. Their surge coincided with the development of quarterback Erik Cwalinski (2,066 yards passing, 19 touchdowns). Dayton has a threat in quarterback Kevin Hoyng, who passed for 1,998 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 555 yards (4.9 per carry average) and 7 scores last season. He is the school's career passing leader with 4,545 yards.

Gallaudet at Saint Vincent, 1 p.m. -- Saint Vincent, which will play its first football game since the program was discontinued 45 years ago, will dedicate Chuck Noll Field on its campus. Coach Bob Colbert's 108-man roster is comprised of 59 freshmen, 30 sophomores, 13 juniors and six seniors. Colbert, 60, was an associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Bridgewater College (Va.) for six seasons prior to taking the job at Saint Vincent in 2006. Gallaudet is a Washington D.C. school for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Glenville State (1-0) at California (1-0), 5 p.m. -- California, ranked No. 21 in Division II and the team to beat in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West, faces its second consecutive non-league opponent. The Vulcans opened with a 26-3 victory against East Stroudsburg. Glenville State's Jerry Seymour rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-19 victory against Bowie State.