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Sunday, September 08, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

This was for pride. For respect. For validation.

Duquesne's 35-14 victory against heavily favored Bucknell in the season opener yesterday before 4,805 at Rooney Field ranks as the most important since the football program was revived 30 years ago.

"I hope people understand how big a win this is," said Coach Greg Gattuso, whose Dukes lost the four previous meetings to the Bison by an average of 21 points. "I'm not sure I've ever had a team play this hard. It seemed like our defense was out on the field the whole day."

The defense made its mark with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in the final 7 1/2 minutes to set up three touchdowns.

"The defense played their butts off with great heart," Gattuso said. "I think the world of Bucknell football."

Duquesne stepped out of its league against Bucknell, a program that offers football scholarships and is expected to contend for the Patriot League title. The Dukes, who don't offer scholarships, have won the past three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships.

"They downplayed us," said senior wide receiver Jeremy Conley, who didn't let back spasms keep him from making five catches for 114 yards and three touchdowns. "They look at us like we're children. They talked a lot of trash and called us a midget-league team.

"I know a lot of people questioned us, but we never questioned ourselves."

The Dukes seemed to follow the same pattern that resulted in the losses to Bucknell. The Bison dominated both lines of scrimmage, hogged the football and tied the score, 14-14, on Jess Brinson's 4-yard run with 10:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Brinson, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior from Ambridge, rushed for 120 yards on 28 carries.

"Everybody knew it would be up to the defense to stop them," said Leigh Bodden, a senior All-American cornerback for the Dukes who made a touchdown-saving, acrobatic interception in the end zone in the final seconds of the third quarter with the Duquesne clinging to a 14-7 lead.

Bodden held Bucknell senior receiver Jim Horan to one reception for 7 yards. Horan, a graduate of Central Catholic, is on pace to have most of the school's receiving records when he leaves.

"I want to show I can play with any receivers," Bodden said.

Gattuso's defensive game plan was to stack the line to stop the run and leave Bodden one-on-one against Horan.

"We counted on Leigh to shut down their best receiver," Gattuso said. "There were a lot of heroes for us, but two stand out -- Conley and Bodden. We challenged our stars. We told them they have to shine."

They did.

Sophomore quarterback Niel Loebig completed 13 of 26 passes for 193 yards and four touchdowns despite playing with a tender throwing shoulder that was injured in a pileup midway through the second quarter. His 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Mrdjenovich gave the Dukes a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and a 74-yarder to Conley made it 14-7 at halftime.

Conley caught the ball near midfield with two defenders draped on his back, spun free and outraced everybody to the goal line.

"I wasn't close to taking him out," Gattuso said of Loebig. "He had to play with some pain."

So did Conley, who whose status was questionable as late as Thursday.

"Every time I get a touchdown, it goes away," Conley said with a smile of the pain. "You don't think about it on the field."

The play that swung the momentum to Duquesne's favor was Joe Pavlik's interception and 32-yard return to Bucknell's 11. Two plays later, Loebig hit Conley for a 10-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead at 6:42 of the fourth quarter.

Duquesne's Armar Watson gave the Dukes much-needed breathing room when he returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown with 5:28 left. Loebig's 18-yard touchdown pass to Conley with 1:07 to play capped the scoring.

"We wanted Bucknell," Bodden said. "We owed Bucknell."