Wednesday, September 17, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Duquesne's football team is stepping way out of its league when it plays at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Dukes haven't played a team with such a high national profile since they quit playing big-time football nearly 60 years ago. Penn, a heavy favorite to win consecutive Ivy league championships, is ranked No. 23 in the Division I-AA Sports Network poll and No. 26 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

The Quakers open their 127th season of varsity football against Duquesne at 6 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Field.

This will be the first Ivy League opponent for Duquesne, the four-time defending champion of the lightweight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Although Duquesne and Penn play NCAA Division I-AA football, the Dukes will be making a huge step up against Penn. The Quakers operate with a significantly larger budget and have eight full-time coaches compared to only two for Duquesne, which is ranked No. 2 in I-AA mid-major.

"We've always stretched our program," said Dukes coach Greg Gattuso, whose Dukes are 1-1 coming off a 49-0 victory against Butler. "I enjoy coaching in games where there's desperation, where you're the underdog. I like the story line.

"It's a plus for us no matter what the score is," he said. "If we get blown out, it will be worth our while. If we win, it will be worth our while. Everybody looks at us as if we're crazy, but every time we've stepped up we've gotten better as a team."

Gattuso doesn't shy away from the challenge of playing opponents from more prestigious conferences, such as Bucknell and Lafayette of the Patriot League.

"If I had a choice of going 11-0 and killing our opponent each week or going 8-3 against tougher competition, I'd take the latter," he said. "Playing Penn helps you in every way. It's excellent for recruiting and we get to go into an historical stadium."

Penn, which returns 15 starters and 12 all-Ivy League players from a 9-1 team, averaged 14,000 for five games at Franklin Field last season.

"We're not doing it for a payday; we're not getting that," Gattuso said. "When the phone call [from Penn] came, I leaped at it. The kids on our team have come to me to say they want to play everybody you can line up."

Duquesne has added national power Fordham of the Patriot League to its non-league schedule for next season along with Georgetown, Dayton, Robert Morris and possibly another Ivy League opponent.

"Penn will be the biggest game of all our careers," said Duquesne junior quarterback Niel Loebig, who has thrown at least two touchdown passes in 20 of the 24 games he has started. "Going to Penn is definitely a big jump for us. We want to shock the world."

Loebig, a graduate of South Fayette High School, played the second half of the game against Butler after his ankle was twisted late in the first half.

"He's fine -- knock on wood," Gattuso said. "We have some guys who can level the playing field in the skill department, but they have more depth. Our size up front is pretty equal. We've got to play a really smart football game."

Many of Gattuso's friends have questioned whether he made a smart decision to play Penn.

Gattuso laughed. "Right about now, I'm wondering the same thing. I think the big thing is we, the coaches and players, like the challenge. Nobody thinks we can win. We're excited about the game. There's no question we've been looking forward to it."

Gattuso will have the full attention of his players this week.

"Our preparation with our kids has to be strong," he said. "It's a fun-type game because nothing's expected out of us."

Gattuso paused, then added: "Who knows? There's always a chance for an upset."

The rankings

Duquesne (1-1) remains No. 2 in the Sports Network Divison I-AA mid-major poll. ... IUP (2-0) stayed at No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll and Shippensburg (2-0) is No. 20. ... Washington and Jefferson (1-0) is No. 20 in the AFCA Division III poll.

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