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Wednesday, November 06, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The most challenging matchup for Duquesne's Jeremy Conley and Leigh Bodden doesn't take place Saturday afternoons.

It happens during the week at practice. That's when Conley, one of the most dangerous receivers in NCAA Division I-AA, is guarded by Bodden, a physically gifted defender of the pass who ranks among the top interceptors of all time.

"It's fun to watch," Duquesne Coach Greg Gattuso said. "They go after each other."

Lined up on one side is Conley, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior and holder of the school record with 2,501 receiving yards. On the other side is Bodden, a 6-1, 210-pound senior whose 27 career interceptions is one shy of the Division I-AA record held by Holy Cross' Greg Murphy and Bethune-Cookman's Rashean Mathis.

"It's even," Conley says of his duels with Bodden. "We know each other's moves because we've been doing this for four years."

Conley and Bodden will be in the spotlight when Duquesne (9-0, 6-0) plays at Canisius (2-7, 2-5) in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game Saturday. The Dukes have won 22 consecutive games against league opponents and can clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive MAAC championship with a victory against Canisius or Fairfield in the final game of the regular season.

If everything follows form and Duquesne wins the MAAC, the Dukes will play in the ECAC Classic Nov. 23 at the home of the Northeast Conference champion. Albany (6-3) can clinch the NEC title with a victory against Monmouth in two weeks.

"Sometimes it's twice as easy going against other teams after going against Leigh," Conley said. "He's so good. He's so big."

Conley's career at Duquesne got off to a slow start and didn't blossom until last season, when he led the team with 41 catches for 766 yards and 11 touchdowns. He provided a glimpse of his potential in 2000 with nine receptions for a school-record 231 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against VMI. His shoulder was separated and a bone was broken in his hand late in the game and received a medical redshirt.

He has 59 receptions for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and is within range of school records in all three categories.

"When I came to Duquesne, all I was looking to do was help the team win," said Conley, who didn't play football until his senior year at Allderdice High School. "I'm always looking for the best, and hoping for the best things to happen."

In high school, he concentrated more on basketball and track than football. "I never really played that much football growing up," he said. "Basketball was my first love."

Conley joined Duquesne's basketball team a couple days after the football season ended last year and scored 10 points in four games.

Although pro football scouts have made their way to Rooney Field to check them out, Conley and Bodden appreciate the odds are stacked against them becoming the first Duquesne players to reach the NFL since the school's glory days in the 1930s and early '40s.

"I hope to get to the next level," said Bodden, who won the long jump and finished seventh in the 100 meters at the Atlantic 10 Conference track and field championships last spring. "As long as I get an opportunity, I'll make the most of it."

Dukes keep climbing

Duquesne, top-ranked in NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major, moved up to 26th in the USA Today/ESPN and The Sport Network polls that include scholarship, partial scholarship and non-scholarship schools. The Dukes don't offer scholarships.

Did you know?

Gannon, which finished 5-5, set school season records with 4,325 total yards, 28 rushing touchdowns and 40 touchdowns. Defensive lineman George Allen set the school record with 22 tackles for a loss. ... Slippery Rock (6-3) is assured of its 12th consecutive winning season, the longest active streak in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. ... IUP's nine-game win streak is its longest since 1994. ... IUP quarterback Brian Eyerman set a school season record with 29 touchdown passes.

The Big Game

IUP (9-1, 5-0) at Slippery Rock (6-3, 3-1), 1 p.m. -- IUP can clinch the PSAC West title and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs with a victory in its final game of the regular season.