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Wednesday, September 25, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

This is as good as it gets in NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major -- No. 1 Dayton vs. No. 2 Duquesne.

They will get together Saturday at Dayton in a showdown of 3-0 teams with impeccable resumes.

"They're the big brother on the block," Duquesne Coach Greg Gattuso said of the Flyers. "They've done it at a high level for a long time."

Dayton's streak of 25 consecutive winning seasons is the longest in Division I-AA, and Mike Kelly's 198-40-1 record for a .831 winning percentage in 21 years is the best for I-AA coaches with a minimum of five seasons. The Flyers, who have been a perennial power in the Pioneer League, have won 19 of 20 at home since a 17-13 loss to Robert Morris in 2000.

Duquesne, winner of three consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships, has had eight consecutive winning seasons and is 73-19 under Gattuso since the formation of Division I-AA Mid-Major in 1994.

"I guess you could call us the new kids on the block," he said.

The roles were reversed last season, with Duquesne No. 1 and Dayton No. 2 when the teams met at Rooney Field. Dayton returned three of five interceptions for touchdowns in a 42-16 victory that snapped Duquesne's nine-game winning streak.

"We were not dominated. It got a little bit freakish at times, and it turned into a little bit of an insane football game," Gattuso said. "They beat us up at our place. We want to show we're a better football team than that."

He paused for emphasis, then added, "We don't doubt we can play at this level. We were a lot better than that game showed."

Duquesne will see a well-conceived option attack directed by quarterback Kelly Spiker, a master at picking apart defenses with his running and passing.

"It's hard to simulate their option in practice," Gattuso said. "They try to get a big play on you early with a long pass, and then they try to wear you down. No frills. Just good, solid football. They believe in it and execute it. It's not ground-breaking or innovative. They know how to get the job done.

"He runs the heck out of the option. He's a field general who gives them an advantage in big games."

Dayton's biggest hurdle this season was a 24-10 victory against then No. 3 Robert Morris. Duquesne's 35-14 victory against Bucknell has been its highlight.

"These are the fun games," Gattuso said. "This is what I envisioned when we talked about adding Dayton to our schedule."

Broken records

Bethany quarterback Jeremy Lacaria, a senior from Seneca Valley, set school records with 31 completions, 65 attempts and 445 total yards in a 38-28 loss to Wooster. He passed for 345 yards and three touchdowns and carried 23 times for 97 yards and a touchdown. Lacaria was involved in 88 of Bethany's 110 offensive plays, two shy of the NCAA Division III record set by Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College against Bethel (Minn.) College in 1985.

Clarion's school-record 519 yards rushing, in a 59-38 victory against Glenville State, was second most in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference history behind Millersville's 559 against Bloomsburg in 1981. Clarion set a league record with 27 first downs.

By the numbers

Duquesne (3-0), Edinboro (3-0), California (3-0) and Juniata (3-0) are the remaining undefeated teams in the district. The only winless team is St. Francis (0-2), which has lost 25 consecutive games. ... IUP's Brian Eyerman has thrown two or more touchdowns in 10 consecutive games.

The rankings

Youngstown State (1-2) dropped 11 notches to No. 22 in The Sports Network 1-AA Major poll. ... Robert Morris (2-1) moved up two positions to No. 4 in 1-AA Mid-Major. ... IUP (3-1) climbed four places to No. 18 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll. ... Washington and Jefferson (1-1) dropped four spots to No. 24 in the AFCA Division III poll.