Dayton to Face Off Against Duquesne in Non-Conference Finale

By: Connor Hanson – Staff Writer

Dayton football (1-1) heads into its matchup against Duquesne (1-1) on the heels of a huge win against Southeast Missouri (0-2) last Saturday. This will be Dayton’s second straight home game and Duquesne’s third straight game on the road.

Not only is this Dayton’s final game in non-conference play, but it is also Parents’ Weekend, so the atmosphere should be terrific for the Flyers. This plays well into freshman kicker Patrick Sandler’s hands.

“I felt a lot more comfortable [kicking against SEMO], it was definitely a lot easier at home with a non-hostile crowd,” Sandler, who made four field goals last week at home after missing two of three on the road the previous week, said in a press conference.

And the Flyer Faithful will hope for the same, as Sandler is coming off a four-of-five performance, tying a Dayton record and being named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week.

Opposing Dayton, the Duquesne Dukes are coming off of a barn burner against Valparaiso, where the they were able to edge out a 45-40 win.  This will be Duquesne’s 14th time playing Dayton, holding an 8-6 advantage against the Flyers with the most recent game being a 34-20 victory in Pittsburgh last year.

UD Head Coach Rick Chamberlin had this to say about the matchup: “It’s going to be a typical Duquesne game, they’re a very similar team as the Dayton Flyers, they don’t beat themselves, they execute very well and they are athletic, big and strong.” He continued, “We’re also going to see the best running back we see all year in (A.J.) Hines. I was watching film and he ran over a Valpo defender like it was nothing, so we must be ready to execute at our best level.”

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Starting safety and Pioneer Football Defensive Player of the Week, David Leisring, saw Duquesne in the same light as his head coach.

“It’s going to be a battle of execution,” Leisring said. “They are always a strong team, every year they have great players on each side of the ball and it’s going to come down to limiting mistakes and capitalizing when the other team makes those mistakes.”

And Leisring certainly knows how to capitalize on mistakes, snagging five interceptions last year–good for second-best in the PFL–and already two pics this year.

“Of course, you love to get the ball thrown your way, and if you don’t then you probably wouldn’t be here on the college level,” Leisring surmised. “I welcome that [upcoming teams love to throw the ball] and I know that Duquesne has a strong offense, both run and pass, and we’re just looking forward to showing what the Flyer defense is all about.”

Chamberlin also gave an update on injured quarterback Alex Jeske’s status.

“Alex Jeske right now is progressing, he has a doctor’s appointment Thursday, just to determine if he can get out of his boot yet,” he said. “X-rays showed that it is healing and that he is moving right along, so hopefully he’ll be able to get out of his boot and into some regular shoes. Right now, we feel very comfortable with how Kyle [Kaparos] is doing and how the offense is performing, we just want to see Alex get healthy.”

The game against Duquesne will be at 1:00 p.m. at Welcome Stadium, make sure to get there early as the stadium is sure to be packed with parents and avid fans.

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Photo by Griffin Quinn/Staff Writer