Duquesne University · Next-Season Outcome Band
Fanbase Health Index · Duquesne University · medium confidence
FCS Program Prestige · Duquesne University1937 Orange Bowl Appearance
Duquesne plays in the Orange Bowl, a marker of national prominence
Duquesne University7-5Hope-Doping·Offseason
Duquesne is the Northeast Conference veteran and 'City Game' rival—a program that resumed the Pittsburgh football rivalry after 86 years of silence, anchored by Jerry Schmitt's 21-year coaching legacy.
Title DroughtSince 2021 · 4 yrs
The fanbase carries the weight of Pittsburgh's dominance in the same city. Duquesne is the other program, the Jesuit school that once beat Pitt, then lost the rivalry for 86 years. The City Game's ret…
offseason · quiet
Approaching
30 days
until kickoff · at Air Force · Sat Sep 5 · 17:00 UTC
The experience
Duquesne is the Northeast Conference veteran and 'City Game' rival—a program that resumed the Pittsburgh football rivalry after 86 years of silence, anchored by Jerry Schmitt's 21-year coaching legacy.
The Dukes hold the line.
Duquesne University · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Floor 5-7
Base 7-5
Ceiling 10-2
floor5-7Sub-.500 season. Playoff bid out of reach.
base7-5Mid-table finish. Conference title a stretch.
ceiling10-2Conference title + deep playoff run.
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Streak W2Last 5 · 3-2Last 10 · 6-4
The forecast
Opens Sep 5
vs Air Force · away
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
Takeaway conversion
15% of tipped/broken-up passes have turned into picks — about the ~19% league average.
2 interceptions of 13 disrupted passes (11 deflected, 2 intercepted), 2025 only.
The Pulse on Duquesne University
—
The Dukes hold the line.
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
Camp
Fall camp open — install + scrimmage cycle
ongoing
Kickoff
Season opener in 16 days
kickoff
"Go Duquesne"
— Duquesne University fanbase · recurring line
10 mentions · awaiting signal
Fanbase Health Index · Duquesne University · medium confidence
Growing (56)
DecliningStableGrowingSurging
On-Field — 7-5 (58% win rate)62
Volume — 10 effective signal-N50
Key stats — 2025 — FBS rank
Points/game#56 / 138 · 60th pct28.4
Pts allowed/game#69 / 138 · 51st pct25.2
All 16 stats
Other
First down pass rate#33 / 215 · 85th pct#5 / 70 · 94th pct#2 / 7 · 86th pct0.50.0/gm
H1 epa per play opponent#152 / 167 · 10th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct0.40.0/gm
H1 epa per play#153 / 162 · 6th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct-0.0-0.0
Red Zone & Drive Efficiency (2014– , play-by-play derived)
Red zone trips
Team40.3/gm#148 / 167 · 12th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#2 / 5 · 80th pct
Opp151.2/gm#29 / 166 · 83rd pct#1 / 70 · 100th pct#4 / 4 · 25th pct
Red zone score %
Team75.0%75.0%#104 / 167 · 38th pct#55 / 70 · 23rd pct#2 / 5 · 80th pct
Opp86.7%86.7%#134 / 166 · 20th pct#61 / 70 · 14th pct#3 / 4 · 50th pct
Points / drive
Team0.60.0/gm#155 / 167 · 8th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#4 / 5 · 40th pct
Opp3.70.3/gm#157 / 166 · 6th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#1 / 4 · 100th pct
Yards / drive
Team20.61.7/gm#160 / 167 · 5th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#4 / 5 · 40th pct
Opp40.93.4/gm#80 / 166 · 52nd pct#40 / 70 · 44th pct#1 / 4 · 100th pct
Plays / drive
Team5.20.4/gm#162 / 167 · 4th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#5 / 5 · 20th pct
Opp5.50.5/gm#2 / 166 · 99th pct#1 / 70 · 100th pct#1 / 4 · 100th pct
Three-and-out rate
Team33.3%33.3%#158 / 167 · 6th pct#70 / 70 · 1st pct#1 / 5 · 100th pct
Opp18.5%18.5%#20 / 166 · 89th pct#11 / 70 · 86th pct#4 / 4 · 25th pct
Scheme Identity (2014– , play-by-play derived)
Standard-downs success allowed#136 / 172 · 22nd pct#65 / 70 · 9th pct52.9%52.9%
FBS rankings · 2025 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs
Player stats — 2025 season
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
Duquesne University · 2025 schedule & results7-5Soft slateAverage opponent win rate 41% · 1 AP top-25 opponent on the schedule.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 30 | #133 | #41 | +39 | @Pittsburgh | L 9–61 123 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 6 | #114 | #326 | — | Lincoln (PA) | W 55–14 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #159 | #199 | +7.5 | Lehigh | L 21–35 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #179 | #158 | +10.5 | @Akron | L 7–51 131 | 1-3 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sep 27 | #201 | #265 | -18 | New Haven | W 44–18 | 2-3 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #193 | #248 | -7.5 | Stonehill | W 34–14 | 3-3 | 2-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #179 | #256 | -14.5 | St. Francis (PA) | W 52–7 | 4-3 | 3-0 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #160 | #219 | -3 | @Mercyhurst | W 37–0 | 5-3 | 4-0 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #137 | #259 | -23.5 | @Wagner | L 13–24 | 5-4 | 4-1 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #158 | #198 | -7 | @Long Island University | L 11–29 | 5-5 | 4-2 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #173 | #167 | +1.5 | Central Connecticut | W 38–33 | 6-5 | 5-2 |
| 13 | Nov 22 | #170 | #243 | -13.5 | @Robert Morris | W 20–17 | 7-5 | 6-2 |
Advanced box score (EPA, success rate, explosiveness)▼
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22 | @Robert Morris | W 20–17 | — | — | — | -0.096 | 35.1% | 101.9% | One-score win |
| Nov 15 | Central Connecticut | W 38–33 | — | — | — | +0.614 | 50.9% | 173.0% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Nov 8 | @Long Island University | L 11–29 | — | — | — | -0.154 | 45.6% | 75.2% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Oct 25 | @Wagner | L 13–24 | — | — | — | +0.232 | 42.1% | 130.5% | |
| Oct 18 | @Mercyhurst | W 37–0 | — | — | — | +0.427 | 55.6% | 113.1% | Best defensive stand |
| Oct 11 | St. Francis (PA) | W 52–7 | — | — | — | +0.210 | 37.5% | 157.3% | Blowout win |
| Oct 4 | Stonehill | W 34–14 | — | — | — | +0.270 | 41.4% | 154.7% | |
| Sep 27 | New Haven | W 44–18 | — | — | — | +0.510 | 55.7% | 127.8% | Best success rate |
| Sep 20 | @Akron | L 7–51 | 230 | 3 | 33:18 | -0.112 | 25.8% | 136.9% | Blowout loss |
| Sep 13 | Lehigh | L 21–35 | — | — | — | +0.232 | 39.7% | 126.5% | |
| Sep 6 | Lincoln (PA) | W 55–14 | — | — | — | +0.376 | 42.4% | 145.5% | Blowout win |
| Aug 30 | @Pittsburgh | L 9–61 | 208 | 0 | 35:23 | -0.050 | 14.5% | 175.4% | Most explosive |
| Season average (12 games) | 219 | 1.5 | +0.205 | 40.5% | 134.8% | ||||
Schedule mirage
How much of Duquesne University's number is the schedule?
Raw EPA/play through week 21 is 0.20; 78th percentile once opponent strength is stripped out, it's 0.06. The widest gap came in week 21: 0.20 raw vs. 0.06 adjusted.
Home-Field Advantage · Duquesne University · 2018-present
Elite
80% home win rate vs 44% on the road. margin runs +23.9 better at home. Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field seats 2,200, averaging 81% full (1,784 attendance, 11 games reported).
Home28-7Away20-25
Historical echo
Duquesne University’s slide has precedent — and 3 of the 4 closest kept falling.
Programs whose stature fell in the same shape. The grey line is their decline; the color is what came next for them.
Utah State 1967–1972
kept sliding
Southern Miss 1984–1989
kept sliding
Indiana 1968–1973
stayed down
Purdue 1980–1985
kept sliding
An analogy on the shape of a program’s Zeitgeist stature arc — not a prediction. Interim calibration, medium confidence; matched among current FBS programs at a comparable level.
Venue texture
62°F average kickoff temp; 12% of games had measurable precipitation; 7 mph average wind.
Based on 24 home games with weather data.
FCS Program Prestige · Duquesne University
Mid-Major Contender
All-Time Record
227-148-6
since 1914 · 42 seasons · .595 win rate
HOME
143-38-3
AWAY
73-102-3
NEUTRAL
11-8
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
2000s
2010s
2020s
NEC Standing · 2025
2nd in the NEC
Duquesne University is 2nd in the NEC at 6-2. 1 team above — that's the direct path to the title game.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Connecticut | 6-1 |
| 2 | Duquesne | 6-2 |
| 3 | Long Island University | 5-3 |
| 4 | Mercyhurst | 5-3 |
| 5 | Wagner | 4-3 |
| 6 | Stonehill | 3-4 |
| 7 | Robert Morris | 2-5 |
| 8 | New Haven | 0-3 |
| 9 | St. Francis (PA) | 0-7 |
Program memory
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
Original City Game (1930s–1939)
Duquesne plays Pittsburgh in the storied City Game rivalry before a 86-year hiatus
2025
City Game Resumption
After 86 years, Duquesne vs. Pittsburgh resumes at Acrisure Stadium in 2025
Miracle
Moment of the Year · Duquesne University · 2025
Moment of the Year · Duquesne University · 2025Won 55-14 vs Lincoln (PA)
Week 2 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
Playoff History
Playoff HistoryRecent postseason (2023): 0-1
Most recent: 2023 — loss 40-7 (away). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.
2023
r/cfb moments
146
[Postgame Thread] TCU Defeats Duquesne 45-3
All-time top community posts · ranked by upvotes
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