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Friday, September 27, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Without a playoff system or a title game, the champion of NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major could be determined on the field tomorrow when No. 1 Dayton plays host to No. 2 Duquesne.

Both are 3-0 and have been ranked No. 1 (Dayton) and No. 2 (Duquesne) all season in the weekly Sports Network poll.

"If Dayton wins, there's no one on their schedule who can beat them," Duquesne Coach Greg Gattuso said of the Flyers, the overwhelming favorite to win the Pioneer League. "If we win, it gives us a chance to be the national champion."

After Dayton, Duquesne plays Lafayette, a second-division team from the Patriot League, and a full schedule of opponents from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Dukes have won three consecutive MAAC titles and 18 consecutive games against league opponents by an average of nearly 30 points.

When the teams met last season at Rooney Field, Duquesne was ranked No. 1 and Dayton No. 2. Although the Flyers returned three of five interceptions for touchdowns in a 42-16 victory, Gattuso called the game the beginning of Niel Loebig's maturation as a quarterback.

"He learned from it and got better," Gattuso said of Loebig, a sophomore from South Fayette High School. "He easily could have folded. He didn't."

Gattuso has tweaked Duquesne's offense since last season, scrapping the go-for-broke philosophy for a more patient approach.

"We're trying to be more responsible with the football, more responsible the way we attack defenses," Gattuso said. "Niel was running [Tony] Zimmerman's ship. This ship fits our personnel better and fits Niel better."

Loebig, who passed for a career-best 337 yards and two touchdowns against Dayton, led Duquesne's 36-0 victory against Marist last week with 257 yards passing and two touchdowns. Loebig and the Dukes will face a Dayton defense that ranks first in the country in scoring defense (3.3 ppg). The Flyers have defeated St. Francis, 39-0; Robert Morris, 24-10; and Austin Peay, 42-0.

Duquesne's defense, which limited Marist to 66 yards and leads the country at 159 yards per game, will be challenged by Dayton's offense directed by quarterback Kelly Spiker.

Other top games:

Monmouth (0-3, 0-1 Northeast Conference) at Robert Morris, (2-1, 1-0), 1:30 p.m. -- Robert Morris, ranked No. 4 in I-AA Mid-Major, will be thin at running back with Sam Dorsett out for the season with a knee injury and Dante Settles out indefinitely with a knee injury. Sophomore Develand Campbell rushed for 180 yards on 26 carries in a 14-0 victory against Central Connecticut State last week.

Allegheny (1-1) at Westminster (1-1), 1 p.m. -- Westminster junior quarterback Kevin Huber will make his second consecutive start. ... Allegheny, under first-year coach Mark Matlak, is coming off a 28-25 upset of Washington and Jefferson.

Edinboro (3-0) at East Stroudsburg (2-1), 1 p.m. -- Edinboro, trying to go 4-0 for the first time since the Fighting Scots opened 7-0 in 1992, will have a new quarterback. Justin Bouch, a redshirt freshman from Highlands, will replace Cam Marsh who is out with a shoulder injury.

California (3-0) at Cheyney State (0-3), 1 p.m. -- Vulcans need a victory to equal last year's start. ... Nine players have scored their first touchdown at California this season.

W&J (1-1) at Thiel (1-2), 2 p.m. -- W&J has won 20 consecutive games against the Tomcats by an average score of 41-6 since a 35-3 loss in 1981. W&J won last year, 38-20, when Thiel scored in double-digits for the first time since 1985.

IUP (3-1) at Millersville (0-2), 7 p.m. -- IUP, ranked 14th in NCAA Division II, has won three consecutive games. Millersville won last year, 30-26, when IUP was 8-0 and ranked No. 2.