Wednesday, October 01, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Mike Hilliard’s eyes were as wide as the gaping holes Duquesne carved out of La Salle’s defensive line in a 62-14 victory Saturday.

By the time Hilliard stopped running with 4:40 left in the third quarter, he had a school-record 323 yards for the most yards rushing in a game this season in Division I-A and I-AA.

“I was seeing everything on the field, like I was a step ahead of everybody and you know what’s going to happen before it happens,’’ said Hilliard, a 5-foot-10, 197-yard senior tailback from Homer City High School in Indiana County. “It seems like you know where everybody’s going to be before they get there.

	GROUND ASSAULT Top Division I-A and I-AA rushing performances in 2003 Name, School Opponent -- Yards Mike Hilliard, Duquesne vs. La Salle -- 323 Chris Davis, Wagner vs. Iona -- 251 Anthony Davis, Wisconsin vs. Akron -- 247 Walter Reyes, Syracuse vs. Central Florida -- 241 Terrance Freeney, Northern Iowa vs. Stephen F. Austin -- 241 Tyrone Gross, Sacramento State vs. Idaho State - 240

“After a while, it seems just like it should be. Just like it goes in practice.’’

Hilliard, who carried 31 times and scored five touchdowns for a school record, piled up 139 yards in the first quarter, 240 by halftime and 323 before the end of the third quarter, when he and the other starters were taken out for the remainder of the game. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference offensive player of the week, Hilliard gained the second-most yards in the league behind Siena’s Reggie Greene, who had 379 against St. John’s in 1996.

“I agree with coming out. I didn’t need to be in there just to get 400 yards and set a record,’’ said Hilliard, who has rushed for 592 yards and seven touchdowns this season. His 1,310 yards rushing in 2002 was second most in school history, behind Bill Green’s 1,427 in 1995.

“You never realize a career game like that can happen. It’s a dream, you always wish for big games like that. But I’ve never set numbers as goals in a game.’’

Hilliard had a similar game in high school, rushing for 320 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries as a senior against Purchase Line.

“I never thought I’d achieve something like that again,’’ he said. “This makes it a little harder for me now because people, Duquesne fans, will expect a big performance and for me to perform at a higher standard. In the past, people looked at our passing game first. This opened eyes to our running game.’’

The Dukes (2-2, 1-0), winners of 25 consecutive games in the MAAC, play host to league foe Siena (0-4, 0-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rooney Field.

The lopsided victory against La Salle was a confidence-booster for Duquesne, which rebounded from a 51-10 loss to nationally ranked Penn.

“We wanted to go out and put up big numbers against La Salle after Penn,’’ Hilliard said. “People maybe were starting to forget about Duquesne because we’re usually undefeated at this time of the season. I’m glad I was able to help the team get recognized again.’’

The PSAC

Edinboro receiver Justin Lipscomb accounted for 238 all-purpose yards with five catches for 77 yards and a 19-yard touchdown, four kickoff returns for 147 yards and a punt return for 14 yards as the Fighting Scots (3-1) defeated then-No. 16 East Stroudsburg, 31-20, for their third consecutive victory. ... IUP has won 16 consecutive regular-season games and scored at least 20 points in 27 consecutive games. ... Slippery Rock is 1-3 for the first time since 1990.

The PAC

Washington and Jefferson’s 17-10 victory was its 22nd consecutive win against Thiel. ... Westminster’s Scott Froelich rushed for 100 or more yards for the 13th time with 150 yards on 32 carries in a 3-0 victory against Allegheny. ... Waynesburg is 3-1 for the second consecutive season. ... Froelich is offensive player of the week and W&J strong safety Frank Pilato is defensive player of the week.

The rankings

Duquesne (2-2) jumped two notches to No. 3 in the Sports network I-AA Mid-Major poll. ... IUP (4-0) remained No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll and is ranked for the 43rd consecutive week dating to the 2000 preseason poll. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has the most teams of any league in the poll with No. 22 Shippensburg (3-1), No. 24 West Chester (3-1) and No. 25 East Stroudsburg (3-1) joining IUP. ... Washington and Jefferson (3-0) remained No. 16 in the AFCA Division III poll.

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