The Penn football team is doing a lot of things to prepare for its season opener tomorrow against Duquesne, but looking at its last matchup against the Dukes isn't one of them.
This year's Duquesne team is very different from the squad that lost 51-10, to open Penn's 2003 season.
In that game, Penn running back Sam Mathews had a solid debut in a Quakers uniform after transferring from Navy. The Pittsburgh native rushed for 89 yards and caught a touchdown pass against the team from his hometown.
But this year, Mathews acknowledged that this year the Dukes (2-0) -- ranked No. 2 among Division I-AA mid-majors -- will be a more formidable team.
"We're just going to stay consistent with our offense," Mathews said. "They have a lot of active defensive linemen and their linebackers move around a lot."
Under first-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, the Dukes' defense has held each of its first two opponents under 14 points. Led by senior lineman Josh Antinopoulos, Duquesne held Fordham of the Patriot League to just 250 yards of total offense in an impressive 30-13 home victory last week.
Junior cornerback Kyle Postell also returned an interception with four seconds left in the first half that turned the tide of the game. Fordham did not score at all in the second half.
But the Quakers have enough offensive weapons to be confident in their ability to score.
"We're going to have a balanced attack both ways, be efficient as possible with the run and pass," Mathews said. "We'll see how they're playing us and adjust."
Penn might be more concerned about the Dukes' offense. Unlike the 2003 team that gave up three third-quarter turnovers against the Quakers, this year's Duquesne offense seems more potent even with a novice at the helm.
Redshirt freshman Scott Knapp has thrown for 630 yards combined in Duquesne's two wins so far.
In the Dukes' first victory of the season against Georgetown, Knapp completed 23 of 42 passes for 365 yards. That total set Duquesne's record for passing yards by a freshman, and was also the seventh-highest yardage total in school history.
The Dukes also have a number of talented receivers, led by sophomore Bruce Hocker, who has caught 11 passes for 261 yards in two games.
"They have a lot of skill," Penn senior linebacker Ric San Doval said. "Their receiving corps is one of the best we'll face all year long."
"Up there with Villanova, [Duquesne] is probably gonna be one of the better specialist groups we play against. One wrong mistake on defense means seven points the other way."
San Doval also realizes that the Dukes are coming in with the momentum of two big nonconference victories.
"These guys are posting big numbers against two formidable opponents," San Doval said. "When they come into Franklin Field on Saturday, it is by no means easy. It's like playing Harvard."
While a victory over the Dukes would not have Ivy title implications the way a victory over the Crimson would, the Quakers are still treating their first opponent with the same respect as their conference rivals.
