Dukes Break Records and Mold to Win 45-42

Charlie Leventry snuck in a 31-yard field goal as time expired to finally reward a series of good performances by a number of Dukes. It almost felt like Leventry forgot to read the playbook that the kick was supposed to go just wide so that the Dukes could add yet another agonizing loss to the season.

Up until joining the NEC, Duquesne played with the attitude that it was supposed to win every game it played. For the past two years, the Dukes have been finding creative ways to outplay an opponent and then to find a way to lose. They seemed to be doing the same thing in the second half after being up 21-7. Time and time again, the Dukes left receivers uncovered or took costly penalties or kept kicking off out of bounds to keep opening the door for Sacred Heart to come back and win. Aside from the dismal and unexplainable loss to St. Francis, Duquesne’s game plan seemed to be to outplay the opponent, but refusing to win. Larry McCoy, Kevin Rombach, Conner Dixon and yes, even the kicking game finally found a way to win.

· McCoy tied a school record with 5 touchdowns to go with 121 yards. He ran with both talent and will power.
· Kevin Rombach set a passing percentage record by throwing for 26 completions on 30 attempts (.867) for 252 yards.
· Conner Dixon made 6 catches for 96 yards- His most important was his last which set up the winning field goal as time ticked away.
· Charlie Leventry kicked the pressure filled 31 yard field goal as time expired. Eric Dule, Duquesne’s regular kicker was left back in Pittsburgh with an illness.
· Jay Spinks added another 8 catches
· Duquesne over all converted 12 of 18 3rd downs on their way to gaining 450 yards.

Duquesne closes out the season with Senior Day at home vs. Bryant.

Dukes Lose Another Close One: Patterson Takes His Turn

One of the most precious gifts I had ever received from my father-in-law (aside from my wife of course) is a vivid memory of his he shared of a Duquesne quarterback. It was from the 1936 Orange Bowl when he told me in intimate detail of a late game 72 yard touchdown pass from Boyd Brumbaugh to Ernie Hefferle to pull out a 13-12 Duquesne win against Miami. He must have only heard the game on the radio and read about it in the papers later, but his eyes could still follow the pass through the air as he told me that the pass arched 69 yards in the air. Brumbaugh was an honorable mention All American and would late play for the Steelers. However, he generated no more golden memories for my father-in-law to share.

Brumbaugh’s collegiate statistics as quarterback and Duquesne’s major college football program did not outlive my father-in-law’s memories. Duquesne’s program went from being one of the best in the nation just prior to World War II to extinction in 1950.

Duquesne, of course would re-start its program in 1969, but would not re-joint Division I (1-AA/FCS) until 1993. Since 1993, a talented crop of Brumaugh’s heirs at quarterback has blessed Duquesne. If Penn State is known as Linebacker U. has successfully recruited a group of very skilled quarterback.

Current receivers coach Dave Loya (1994-97), was the first modern QB of the era, ending his career in possession of 13 of 15 Duquesne quarterback records. Dave, recently engaged, would lead the Dukes to “Mid-Major” prominence and would earn the first of many MAAC Conference Championships. He also has had the agony or pleasure of seeing most of those records gradually surpassed as he coached from the sidelines.

Tony Zimmerman ((1998-2000) would take over after Dave’s four years as starter and would only need three years to break his mark for career passing yards, touchdowns and completions.

Neil Loebig (2001-04) didn’t miss a beat as he pushed the passing records further. As he learned from Loya, Neil currently directs the Duke’s passing game.

From there, the records stopped falling…

It is not due to a shortage of talent. Scott Knapp (2005-07) was well on his way to working into Duquesne’s record books, but lost his job to another highly skilled quarterback, Kevin Rombach (2005-09). Kevin had a Redshirt season in 2006 and was, like Knapp, the apparent heir to the throne with the highest completion percentage of them all. Knapp left the University early. Kevin lost his crown to Conner Dixon, also an excellent quarterback who transferred in with considerable publicity and expectations from Michigan State.

Dixon couldn’t have had a better start during last year’s Bucknell game, setting the record for the most touchdowns in one game. No Duquesne fan could have predicted the lack of consistency since.

Finally a new, young talented quarterback has made a challenge for the title. Sean Patterson started today against Central Connecticut and played reasonably well in the 31-24 loss. Today’s loss was not due to the inexperienced Patterson. It was due to continued and chronic mistakes and lack of focus. The Dukes lost another close game they could have and should have won. A blocked punt late in the game set up the Blue Devils winning score.

This coaching staff must take a long look at itself and determine just who they are going to develop put their confidence in. They are turning unlimited potential into limited liabilities. The most important position on any team is its quarterback. The position requires time to learn and time to learn the offense and make it his own.

One suggestion would be to move Dave Loya, the guy who started it all, back to running the passing game as quarterback’s coach. Dave is a proven coach who ironically brought the present quarterback’s coach along to break his own records.

Some day, Duquesne may have an established leader and quarterback to help them gain focus in the locker room and on the field. And some day, I hope to have my future son-in-law hear my stories of the great quarterbacks from Duquesne. I wonder if he will find them as interesting?

The Bright Side of an Albany Blow Out

Can there be a “bright side” to a 55-10 blowout? After waiting a few hours and looking over the game stats, the answer actually may be “yes”.

Consider the following…

Duquesne went into mighty Albany’s house on Homecoming. The Great Danes haven’t lost a game to an NEC opponent for the past 16 games.

Albany is not only playing toe to toe with the best teams in the FCS, but is now scheduling Big East member Cincinnati.

Duquesne had more first downs (22-17), passing yards (221-193), time of possession (34:00 to 26:00), and even higher yards per punt average. The Dukes forced the same number of punts as well.

Conner Dixon put up decent numbers against a tough defense (20-31 for 194 yards and a touchdown).

The overall yards (unless you add in the return yardage) didn’t reflect the final score.

So why the 55-10 score?

The Dukes made the same amount of mistakes that they have all year to a much better team. It started on the first play from scrimmage for the Dukes, losing a fumble to set up Albany’s first score. They went on to fumble three more times and added an interception. Their punting average was 33.5 yards (Albany’s was 31.7).

Most damaging were the big plays and Albany’s ability to make Duquesne pay for every mistake and lack of focus. The Dukes have been making mistakes and have had trouble focusing all year and it has cost them each time. With the exception of this game the Dukes could make an argument that they could have won all the others this year.

The Dukes seem to have the talent (except for a punter and other costly spots). They have had costly injuries to key players but have shown depth.

If Duquesne could ever match the focus and attitude of Albany, they would be in the middle of a wining season. The Dukes must learn that focus, or they will always be a talented team that can't win.

Albany to the CAA?

Albany is doing all of the things I would hope that the Dukes would do to bring their program to FCS excellence. Ironically, its the same recipe the Dukes used to go from a Club team to D-III to D-1-AA. They scheduled up, moved to a scholarship conference, they started building a collegiate atmosphere with an new field, press box and worked with a band. Then, all of a sudden the Dukes took back to a D-III feeling. No band, a short sighted expansion of the field, a tiny "pep" band that can't be heard, no "real" tailgate area (The Straub area is nice, but not a tailgate area).

Football recruits see this and it affects their decisions to come here. It all has to come together. I don't blame Albany for not wanting to stay in this conference and go to the CAA. Duquesne has the smallest field, no band, no tailgate area to lure a crowd, and no longer reaches as dramatically above their conference. And when they do shedule Delaware, they will not have as much of a chance to compete evenly due to this minor league attitude. NAIA and high school teams have a better band, stadium, tailgate, and press box. A guy trowing a frisbee to his dog is not a half time show.

After last year's game the Dane's fans thought that the Dukes would help the NEC's image, but If Albany leaves, it will be due, in part, to Duquesne short sighted imagination to build a REAL FCS team and atmosphere that goes with it.

Dukes Hold Off Cross-Town Colonials 34-20

Duquesne held off Robert Morris in an emotion filled, but sloppy game typical of these cross-town NEC rivals this year. The Dukes looked to dominate the contest by building a 27-0 lead into the third quarter before wise old Joe Walton decided his offense needed to take the red-shirt off freshman quarterback Jeff Sinclair. The Highlands grad got used to the collegiate play by the third quarter and led the Colonials to within a touchdown before the Dukes got themselves re-focused for a final drive to put the game away.

Duquesne got in a freshman quarterback of their own by letting prospect Sean Patterson lead them to a 37 yard touchdown drive for the Dukes’ second score. Larry McCoy had yet another 100-yard game with 107 yards on 20 carries with 13 and 11-yard touchdown runs. Joe Cangilla looks to be the latest in a talented stable of receivers, pulling down three passes for 68 yards. His most impressive was a leaping 27 yard catch from Conner Dixon to set up the Dukes’ last touchdown. Dixon was 19 of 31 for 201 yards while Patterson went 1 for 2 for 11 yards.

Duquesne was able to overcome 3 turnovers (2 fumbles and an interception), a muffed punt, a missed extra point and over 100 yards in penalties to miss shooting themselves in the foot for the fourth week in a row. Duquesne, with less mistakes, could easily be undefeated rather than 2-3 if they could ever sustain the focus that built them a 27-0 lead in this game. The Dukes’ kicking game, which helped to frustrate decent chances to win the past three games, helped the Colonials considerably by giving Robert Morris the ball at Duquesne’s 15 yard-line and missing the second chance at an extra point after a penalty.

Duquesne took a lead in the overall series against Robert Morris 6 games to 5. Next week, the Dukes travel to last year’s NEC Champion Albany for a 1:00 game heard on WMNY and Redzone Media.

By Shaler Tom from the Football Forum

Subject: Back from Dayton

Author:
Shaler Tom

Date Posted: Saturday, September 26, 11:47:05pm

I wonder if three straight tough road games finally caught up with the Dukes today. It seemed to me as I watched from behind the bench that the boys just weren't in it mentally or physically.
After a 67 yard run by Larry McCoy on the opening play, which to be honest was created by a missed tackle on a simple dive play, the Dukes shot themselves in the foot, over and over again.
A blown coverage led to UD's first TD, a 58 yd pass that tied the score. This was on a second and 18 play!
Duquesne, on its best drive of the game, went 66 yards but had to settle for a field goal and led 10-7. The Dukes had a chance to stretch the lead near the half, but with a 4th and 1 at the 15 were called for a false start and then missed a 32 yard field goal.
In the third quarter, another blown coverage and TWO missed tackles resulted in a 62 yard TD putting Dayton up 14-10.
After a 29 yard punt, the Flyers started in good position and drove for a field goal. 17-10
A one yard run, a dropped pass, a QB sack and a 28 yard punt put Dayton in good position again. Steve Valentino, the aforementiond WR turned QB, began to chew up our defense on the ground with ease. The boys were tired and over pursued. A face mask penalty contributed to the Flyer drive, 24-10.
Friends, this was a TEAM loss. The offensive line play was poor, take away McCoys TD run and the backs ran for 68 yrds on 30 plays. Dixon looked shakey. He was hurried and hit on almost every pass play. He did throw some nice balls but just as many poor ones. Our recievers had some drops that would have kept drives alive, our special teams were terrible and the play calling.....very, very predictable. Our linebackers were outstanding as usual, Totino and Scruggs were the lone bright spots in my opinion. Our D-line was suckered into an over-pursuit all day long and our DBs were torched.
As most of you know, I try to be optimistic, but this one was tough to watch. I'm hoping that it was simply a case of too much travel in too few days.

Dukes Give Monmouth a Win: 17-10

“Devastatingly ugly…”

That comment from the booth summed up the Duquesne effort for the second week in a row. For Duquesne fans, it is almost easier to witness a blowout defeat than see their team again give away a close one they should have won.

If John Madden were to draw up a game plan for Duquesne to win their NEC opening game against the Monmouth Hawks he would include the following:

1. Keep Monmouth’s Davis Sinisi from grinding down the defense as he did last year. Check- Sinisi got his yards, but was held to 44 yards on 16 carries in the second half.
2. Get the ball to game-breaker Dave Williams. Check- Williams had 9 catches for 92 yards.
3. Run the ball well to set up the passing game. Check- Cleo Williams was the second Duke in as many games to top 100 yards rushing (109 yards on 23 carries).
4. Move the ball through the air. Check- Kevin Rombach threw for over 250 yards (22 of 36 for 252 yards and a touchdown).

Add to it- Duquesne had 23 first downs to the Hawk’s 12 and out-gained them by more than 100 yards (387-278). The defense constantly got the ball back to the offense and gave the Hawks only one legitimate touchdown drive. The rest of Monmouth points were scored without the Hawks gaining a single first down.

So… What happened?

Fumbles, interceptions, shanked punts, mental mistakes, poor use of the clock, and dropped passes by the Dukes kept them from taking over the game in the Northeast Conference opener against Monmouth. The Dukes continued their sloppy play to give away a game for the second week in a row. Breaks and turnovers are part of any game, but they are particularly hurtful to the Dukes who haven’t found a way to dictate their will to win.

The Duquesne defense proved again that they are much improved over last year but the offense and special teams were just too generous to the Monmouth Hawks. The Dukes seemed capable, but inept at the little things it takes to win. For example, running third down routs short of the sticks.

Dave Williams fumbled twice and two critical interceptions (one ran back for a touchdown) from Kevin Rombach proved too much for the Dukes to overcome. Williams also dropped a wide-open fly pattern toss from Rombach in the third quarter.

The Dukes had three legitimate drives that could have led to scores at the end of the game.

On the third to last drive, Duquesne stalled when they couldn’t even throw the ball away correctly. Kevin Rombach was flagged for intentional grounding and loss of down for not throwing the ball past the line of scrimmage.

The Dukes second to last drive almost reached the red zone before Rombach threw an interception.

The Dukes last drive reached the14 yard-line with under a minute and no time outs. They ran a draw that took too much time off the clock before the last potential pass to tie the game went through the end zone.

The Dukes could easily be 3-0 this season. Instead, they are 1-3 and wondering what they have to do to win after outplaying their opponents.

Dukes are Good, Bad and Ugly in Louisiana Loss

There were plenty of very good things to come from Duquesne’s trip to Louisiana. Normally, when a team does this well it wins. Unfortunately, the bad and the ugly outweighed the good.

First, the good…

The Duke’s defense showed it could more than hold its own against a more established scholarship program on its own turf. The Nichols State Colonels brought a pair of bruising hard runners that the Duke’s D stood up to. The defense refused to give in as last year’s edition repeatedly did. Amid a question of just who is the Duquesne defensive coordinator, the defense actually got stronger as the game went on, not giving up a point over the final three quarters. Trey Hopson showed considerable power in the first TD drive but was held out of the end zone the rest of the game by a series of hard hits and determined stops.

Also good… Larry McCoy ran for 195 yards behind an offensive line that gradually took control of the game.

Also good… Dave Williams continued to show that he is a real impact player by tying the score late in the forth quarter.

And… The Dukes out-gained the Colonels by over total 100 yards (341-218) and had 22 first downs to Nichols State’s 8. Duquesne had almost ten more minutes with the ball as well (34:08 to 25:52).

Now the bad…

Duquesne’s passing game was non-existent except for one play late in the game. There is just too much talent and depth both throwing and catching the ball for this to have occurred. With Conner Dixon, Kevin Rombach and even Sean Patterson available to throw the ball to a stable of excellent receivers, there is no reason not to find a way to burn a young defense that got lit op for 72 points the week before.

The Dukes were 0-2 inside the Red Zone with a fumble and a blocked kick.

Finally, the ugly…

If the defense was good, the offense bad, the special teams were ugly.

A four-yard punt set up Nicols State’s only drive for a score.

Duquesne blew an opportunity to tie the game when it’s first down from the 16 ended with a blocked field goal. The defense didn’t even have to jump to block the attempt. The kick may have even hit off the back of the Duquesne players.

The winning score came on a complete breakdown in covering a fake punt. As Duquesne was in the process of taking over the game the Colonels ran a fake punt the resulted in their other score that was aided by a failure in special teams play. Duquesne had just driven 83 yards to tie the score when Earvin Moore took the snap and ran 63 yards unmolested to put Nichlos State up for good.

Duquesne’s next drive was fumbled away once into Nichols State territory.

Duquesne had 8 penalties for 133 yards fumbled 4 times- losing 2 and threw 1 interception and completed only 9 of 25 passes and was sacked 9 times losing 58 yards.

One last good and bad for the Duke’s… Next week’s game vs. Monmouth will be televised on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, but shown a day later on tape delay.

Duquesne’s Depth Bounces Bucknell

Duquesne showed a number of things in its 2009 opener that they failed to show last year. The team is still dominated with young raw talent, but they showed a consistency and depth that allowed them to play a full four quarters of winning football. Duquesne gave up leads to Bryant, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Albany last year by allowing momentum to slip away. This year they showed that they have the depth and maturity to finish off an opponent when the game breaks start going the other way.

Kevin Rombach was red hot to start the game going 7-10 for 110 yards and a touchdown to Michael Rasky in the first quarter before going out with a concussion. Conner Dixon, still recovering from shoulder surgery found his rhythm mid-way through the second quarter with fellow Michigan State teammate and transfer Dave Williams among others.

Gateway grad Williams helped show that the Dukes could reload their receiver corps after considerable loses due to graduation. He was in step with both Rombach and Dixon all night catching 11 passes for 145 yards in his first game as a Duke. His third quarter touchdown reception held the crowd in brief, but deep suspense before the referee ruled it a score rather than a fumble into the end zone. Williams was lunging for the goal line when the ball came out just after he crossed. Akeem More, Jay Spinks, Williams and Rasky all looked good and should provide Rombach and Dixon with plenty of targets. Brian Layhue took over again for All Conference Sean Bunevich showing the Dukes depth at tight end as well.

The offensive line also showed a consistent and steady effort as well, opening up holes for a herd of young backs that kept the press box guessing just who would spring out of the backfield next. Feature back Cleo Williams looks to share the load with both Mars alum Bill Bair and Spring Game star Larry McCoy. Bair scored the Dukes second touchdown on a neat 32 yard run at 1:52 of the second quarter.

New kicker, Eric “Mule” Duale showed good hang time on kickoffs and seems able to take over for Mark Troyan kicking a 19 yard field goal, but narrowly missing a 23 yard attempt that could have proved the undoing of last year’s team. On Bucknell’s first play after taking over, QB CJ Hopson took it deep into Duquesne territory before the Bison turned the momentum back to the Dukes with a turnover.

Bucknell slowed the game down after both teams came out in a no huddle offense, scoring just before the half with Marcello Trigg barely getting the TD call after un-stacking the pile on Bucknell’s third attempt from inside the three.

The Dukes displayed depth defense too with a great new addition- freshman Horvin Latimer. Lehigh valley product Latimer intercepted when Bucknell tried to go on 4th and 10 from the Duquesne 32 in the third quarter. Linebacker Anthony Rhodes had 12 tackles. Nathan Totino’s knee was tested severely in 4th but held up well as he had to run with the Bucknell receivers as they desperately tried to come back.

The game ended with Duquesne gradually bending but taking time off the clock. The Bison scored late on a 4th and goal from the 5 with 1:01 left in game. Duquesne intercepted the 2-point conversion attempt. Mike Raskey recovered the following onside kick but got hurt going high in air to pull it down.

The stands were pretty much full on a beautiful opening evening as the Dukes got revenge from last year and their first win since 2002 vs. the Bison.

THE BLESSING AND CURSE OF BEING DUQUESNE

Mark Draskovich
OnTheBluff.com Football Analyst

Duquesne's recent football tradition has been both a blessing and a curse. Winning the now defunct MAAC Conference title so often made it a disappointing season if the team only tied for first place. The previous fourteen winning seasons in a row made last year's 3-7 season look like a gigantic failure no matter how long the NEC competition had been offering scholarships prior to Duquesne's first scholarship player since 1950. The Dukes made a habit of playing very well against one or two higher rated 1-AA teams and then mopping up on the likes of St. Peters and La Salle.

Now that the Dukes play a challenging schedule from beginning to end, they have discovered just how tiring a season can be. The Dukes have always managed to recruit a decent crop of skilled players, however, they have to discover that size and endurance matters too. Given the two year head start the rest of the NEC had in offering scholarships, we may have to be willing to concede that last season may have been the exception to the high standard and may not spell doom for the future of Duquesne Football. The silver lining to last year's disappointing season may be that we now have re-adjust expectations from the start for this young team. After the string of 14 winning seasons was ended, a winning season of any kind would actually look like dramatic progress.

According to most forecasts, finishing better than fifth in the NEC may actually exceed most expectations. The Sports Network picks the Dukes to finish 7th and the NEC Coach's Poll picks them to finish 6th.

Coach Jerry Schmitt, back for his fifth season is proud of his team's progress. "I think we got better as the year went on," said Schmitt. "Our defense was young last year and will mature."

Actually, Duquesne's best performances on the field occurred in the first half of the season if you consider the second half at Bucknell, the home win against Dayton and the near upset of Albany. The early St. Francis win and later win at Wagner were not all that impressive considering the opposition. The second half collapse at Robert Morris seemed to destroy any confidence to be contenders.

The expectations that matter most may actually come from the players on the field. The Dukes came closer than any other NEC to upsetting Albany. These players beat Dayton, yet lost to cross town rivals Robert Morris after blowing a lead. Last season's Bucknell game best showed the roller coaster Dukes to be susceptible of lacking the consistent attitude and confidence it takes to win. To win, they really do have to "believe".

Albany, incidentally just announced a 2011 game against Big East member Cincinnati. This may put the first Pitt-Duquesne game since 1939 within the realm of at least a remote possibility some day.

The Dukes open the 2009 Season this Saturday, Sept. 5 at home to Bucknell at 6:00 at Rooney Field. The game is broadcast on WMNY am 1360 and streaming on Redzone Media. Bucknell defeated Duquesne 48-42 when the two teams met last season.

From Marquis on the Football Forum- I agree!

Subject: Lehigh Valley and REAL Tailgating?


Author:
Marquis
[Edit]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Posted: Friday, July 03, 10:01:51am

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dukes have re-discovered the Lehigh Valley Pipeline with Latimer!

I hope he brings back the greatest group of fans that have ever attended Duke's games.

The "tailgate area" is nice, but its really a party area. Keep it going, but do something creative and open up Bluff Street for REAL tailgaiting during the games. The river view is a natural.

I went to the Robert Morris game and their pre-game atmosphere puts ours to shame with a great tailgate area. Also- put radio broadcast (pre-game, game and post game) on speakers at the Mellon Hall area and along Bluff Street.

The student station (WDSR) could do an extended pre and post game show and be on the speaker set up too. The Red and Blue Crew is great for Basketball and can add a lot to the Football games too.

And put some REAL bleachers on the visiting side even if its just for the season. It looks so bush league the way it is.

If we build the atmosphere, more fans will come!! I feel like I have to appologize when I bring friends to the games. It really wouldn't take much to get soo much more back. We aren't Club or D-III any more.

DUKES HIRE NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

The Dukes have just brought back Ollie Phillips who had been the DC back in 1995. Joe Bernard is said to have taken an unknown job at Pitt. Most coaches and players are positive about welcoming Phillips back as they begin their first day of spring practice. Practice schedule is posted on the football site. Best wishes to Joe and thanks for the years and hard work here on the Bluff.

Observations From Atlantic City From A 83

Atlantic 10 Tournament Thoughts

Boardwalk Hall is a great venue for college basketball. The staff was friendly and answered questions readily. I bought some A-10 shirts and noticed they had merchandise for the A-10 tournament and every other tournament school except one. I asked the vendor why no DU stuff. Someone from the A-10 heard me, and chimed in, "We sent Duquesne two requests for merchandise and we received no response."

I only attended the last two nights. But it was great walking around the Boardwalk wearing DU wear and meeting the Dukes' fans. It was great talking to you all or at least yelling "Go Dukes!" to each other.

Major congratulations to the fans that attended all four games. There were about 100 people who attended and they were great! They were friendly and cheered non-stop. I met some at the DU reception before the final game. Thank you for your support. Next year, I hope to be a part of that group by buying my tickets before the tournament. Also, congrats to the three Crew members who sat in the student section for all four games. And the DU cheerleader who attended the game on her own last night! She brought her pom-poms and cheered from the stands. Great job to all!

Dukes/Dayton game had a weird vibe. Most Temple people ran out after game like they had a bus to catch. There were not really that many X fans there, I saw one 3/4 full section and then scattered throughout out arena. Most of them left also. Dukes' performance quieted the Dayton folk.

After what seemed like the fourth failed Dayton alley-oop in the second half, a Dayton fan stood up and screamed, "Stop doing that for Chr*st's sake." which brought laughter from all around.

I was in the upper deck for the first game. I maintained my composure until Ajax hit that 30 foot three point shot over the Dayton defender at the buzzer. I jumped and screamed and the rest of the section just looked at me. I left the section at that point and joined the larger group of DU fans for the final few minutes.

A-10 tournament news - My alarm was set to a Jersey station that was talking about the A-10 tournament on Saturday morning. The host had a reporter on the show from the Philly Inquirer (Phil Newman, I believe his name was) who was covering the tournament. He said that after the A-10 AD meetings this week and that the finalists for the A-10 tournament are Atlantic City and Pittsburgh. He said if the new Pittsburgh arena was completed for next season, the tournament would be gone. The ADs wanted the tournament to stay in AC for next season and then move to Pittsburgh. AC said no to that. So apparently, they are deciding between a new three year contract with AC or finding a one year site for next years tournament (Dayton was mentioned) and then to Pittsburgh for a three year contract. The site will be announced the Friday before the final four.

I spoke with Bob Derda at alumni reception. He was very nice. He said that really hope for the WNIT bid and they are actually making plans for a first round home game. He also said they hope to sell-out blue seats next year.

Not too much to say about the Temple game. It seemed to go very fast. And as others have said, Bill Clark's third foul seemed to be the turning point.

Noticeably more, DU people at the finals. Maybe about 500. Saunders dunk brought the loudest reaction from the DU and neutral fans. It would have been great to win.

The Temple dancing girls were hot.

And finally on the cheerleader and band not being at the tournament. It was a real topic of conversation among those that attended and not just by me! The comments on the Voy board seemed split and it seemed to me that people who attended were upset and people who didn't attend didn't care. The atmosphere at the X/Temple game was great with both bands going back and forth in the pregame. We didn't have that. I am certainly not saying that having the band and cheerleaders there cost us a victory by any means. But it didn't help. Perfect example. We hit a shot to make the score 62-57 with four minutes left or so and Temple calls timeout. That is where a band and cheerleaders can help. Right away, the Temple band started playing and their fans got behind the Owls drowning out the DU fans. Perhaps, with a band and some cheerleaders we get the neutral fans on our side.

I can almost (and I say almost) see not having them their for first round based on our history. But once DU made the semi-finals, it was inexcusable. Does DU want fans to attend their tournament games? Do they want us to spend our money to travel and support the Dukes? If so, we should expect the same commitment from our school that the other A-10 schools get. Every other school including SLU sent a band and cheerleaders. This was our first A-10 final (two Eastern 8s) ever. This was the biggest game in 30 years. And the school simply dropped the ball.

It was a great time and I hope to attend next year. I won $31.25 playing quarter video poker. I will never be confused with a highroller. Great job Dukes!!

Much thanks to John (A 83) who wrote this article as a favor to me and all loyal Duquesne Fans!

CAN ANYBODY WRITE A SCREENPLAY?

I keep seeing AJAX career at Duquesne made into a movie. Kid comes in to play a first season on a team that wins 3 games with a team that hasn't won in years. He looks at pictures of long ago Dukes teams that were powerhouses, New coach comes in to clear house, but kid convinces coach that HE IS GOING TO STAY. Gets shot along with others on team. Kids gets betrayed by others brought in who fall to their own egos and to bad decisions. Kid works hard along side of a walk-on who didn't even have a scholarship, but came aboard after the shooting. Kid leads freshmen and sophs to Conference Championship.

Stay Tuned- See Draft Screenplay at bottom of page.

BELIEVE!

Duqusne and Temple meet in A-10 Championship final Saturday at 6:00 pm on ESPN2

March 14, 2009
2008-09 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP

#7 DUQUESNE (21-11) vs. #4 TEMPLE (21-11)
Sat., Mar. 14, 2009 - Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, N.J. - 6:05 p.m. (EST)

TELEVISION: ESPN2 with Dave Pasch & Bob Valvano
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.redzonemedia.com or www.GoDuquesne.com
LIVE STATS/VIDEO: www.Atlantic10.org ("men's basketball championship" link)

FINAL-LY!: This is the first time Duquesne has advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship title game since 1981. The Dukes' only other championship game appearance came in the Eastern 8's inagural tournament in 1977 when Norm Nixon led the Dukes to the title. DU is 1-1 all time in tournament title games. This is the first time Duquesne - a No. 7 seed - has won three games in the Championship since `77. Duquesne will be attempting to become the second A-10 school to win the title in four games (Xavier did it in 2004 as a West No. 4 seed and in 2006 as a No. 10 seed, both of which were close to home as the `04 title game was played at University of Dayton Arena and the `06 final was at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena). Only 13 times in NCAA history has a team won four games in four days in a conference tournament.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: The winner of the A-10 Championship receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Duquesne has made a total of five NCAA tournament appearances, the last of which came in 1977 (1940, 1952, 1969, 1971 & `77).

HOW'D THEY GET HERE: DU opened with a 91-81 win over No. 10 seed UMass on Wednesday followed by a 78-74 upset of No. 2 Rhode Island Thursday night. DU secured its spot in the final with a 77-66 upset win over No. 3 Dayton yesterday.

DUQUESNE LATELY: Duquesne's 21 wins are its most since 1971 ... DU is bidding for its first NCAA Tournament bid since the 1977 Norm Nixon-led Dukes, who went 3-7 in conference play, reeled off wins over Penn State, UMass and Villanova to rise above .500 at 15-14 and earn the first league championship ... the Dukes snapped an eight-game second round losing streak with Thursday's 78-74 win over Rhode Island ... DU is 1-1 in championship games (win in `77 and loss to Pitt in `81) ... senior point guard Aaron Jackson, who has never missed a game in his Duquesne career, will be taking the floor for his 119th consecutive game ... only Tony Petrarca (120 games from 1987-91) has played in more games at DU ... Jackson, who has 16 assists in three tourney games (184 total), has broken the school single-season record of 178 set by Norm Nixon in 1977 ... 6-7 soph. F Damian Saunders has broken the DU single-season record for steals with 71 ... the old mark of 70 was set by Clayton Adams in 1988 ... Saunders' 78 blocks rank second in Duquesne's all-time list ... DU has set a new school record for 3-point makes (270) and attempts (768) breaking the record for both set in 2007 (239-of-722) ... DU's 538 assists are one shy of the school record of 539 set last year.

DUQUESNE vs. TEMPLE: Temple leads the overall series 37-13, including a 4-0 advantage in A-10 Championship games ... Duquesne has won just two of the past 15 meetings - with both wins coming at home ... DU snapped an eight-game series losing streak with a 61-54 win at Pittsburgh on Jan. 8, 2003 ... two years ago DU rallied from 12 down with 11:55 left to defeat the Owls 96-92 at the Palumbo Center ... Juan Fernandez led four Temple players in double figures in Temple's 78-73 win over DU on Feb. 15 ... Ron Everhart is 1-2 vs. Temple.

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE: Duquesne, which has posted its first 20-win season since 1981 and is one win away from its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977, was 3-24 with an RPI of 308 the year before Ron Everhart's arrival on the Bluff. In his first season, Everhart took a team that had two returning players (one of whom was senior Aaron Jackson) and was rocked by a preseason campus shooting to a 10-19 record including five consecutive A-10 regular season wins. Last year, he led the Dukes to the school's first winning record since 1994 at 17-13 as DU's RPI improved to 130. This year, despite losing his top five scorers from the 17-win team, Everhart has guided a team with one scholarship upperclassman (Jackson) and eight freshmen (one of whom was lost for the season due to December knee surgery) to 21 wins and a 77RPI through games of March 12.

21 WINS: Duquesne's 21 wins are its most since the 1971 NCAA team went 21-4. The `71 Dukes, who lost in the first round of the East Regional to Penn, finished the season ranked 15th by AP and 18th by UPI. The last Duquesne team to win 22 games was the 1962 Dukes who finished 22-7 on the way to a fourth-place NIT finish and No. 17 (AP) and No. 18 (UPI) national ranking. This is the first time since 1981 (20-10) and second time since 1972 (20-5) that Duquesne has won 20 games in a season.

SOME BIG Ws: The Dukes, who own a victory over then-No. 9 (AP) Xavier (72-68), have also defeated a pair of NCAA Tournament teams on the road in Radford (94-75) and Robert Morris (88-62). DU never trailed in handing RMU its worst loss of the season and led Radford from the 19:31 mark of the first half. DU only trailed Xavier at 2-0 and led from the 17:43 mark on. The Dukes also own a win over MAC No. 1 seed Bowling Green and victories over a pair of 20-win teams in Rhode Island and Dayton at the A-10 Championship.

FOUR IN FOUR: Only 13 times in NCAA history has a team won four games in four days of a conference tournament. Its been done twice in the Atlantic 10:

SCHOOL -- CONFERENCE (YEAR)
Georgia -- Southeastern (2008)
XAVIER -- ATLANTIC 10 (2006)
Syracuse -- Big East (2006)
XAVIER -- ATLANTIC 10 (2004)
Siena -- Metro Atlantic (2002)
Iowa -- Big Ten (2001)
Arkansas -- Southeastern (2000)
Saint Louis -- Conference USA (2000)
Charlotte -- Conference USA (1999)
UNLV -- Western Athletic (1998)
Marquette -- Conference USA (1997)
Auburn -- Southeastern (1984)
Clemson -- Southern (1939)

Duquesne SID

Duquesne's Recruiting Class 2009

NAME HT WT POS CL HOMETOWN/LAST SCHOOL
Kevin Barthelemy 6-3 250 OL Fr. Moon Township, Pa./Moon Township
Sean Brady 6-0 175 WR/DB Fr. Orchard Park, N.Y./Canisius
Damon Cotton 6-0 190 WR/DB Fr. Aliquippa, Pa./Center
Devin Duggan* 6-0 210 DB Jr. Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (Valley Forge Military Acad.)
Reggie Eiland 6-1 255 OL/DL Fr. Accokeek, Md./Gwynn Park
Will Henson 6-5 250 OL Fr. Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area
Serge Kona 5-11 215 LB Fr. Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg
Derrick Lakins 6-0 215 LB Fr. Upper Marlboro, Md./De Matha
Horvin Latimer 6-1 225 LB Fr. Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty
Justin Melhado* 6-1 190 DB Jr. Ridgewater (Minn.) Community College
Kevin Miranda 6-0 285 OL/DL Fr. Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk
B.J. Morton 6-0 245 DL Fr. Petersburg, Va./Matoaca
Nick Ohrman 6-2 270 OL/DL Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa./The Linsly School (WVa.)
Jay Pettina 5-11 190 DB Fr. Indiana, Pa./Indiana
Nick Redden 6-2 260 OL/DL Fr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area
Nick Rossi 5-10 170 K Fr. North Huntington, Pa./Serra Catholic
Logan Rucker 6-2 190 DB Fr. Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont
Gus Sutera 6-2 250 OL Fr. Haverford, Pa./Haverford
Billy Viscuso 6-2 270 OL Fr. Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus
Dave Williams* 5-11 180 WR Jr. Monroeville, Pa./Gateway (Michigan State)
Luke Wright 5-10 180 WR Fr. Sykesville, Md./Century
* - indicates transfer

DUQUESNE BEATS PITT TO TAKE CHMA HOCKEY CONFERENCE

Duquesne Takes Title in Thriller
2009-03-01

Ultra-exciting CHMA Championship Game goes in favor of top-seeded Dukes

In one of the best-played and most-thrilling games in CHMA history, the Duquesne Dukes came out on top to earn the 2009 CHMA Playoff Championship. A valliant effort by Pitt pushed the outcome into the waning moments and continuously brought the fans to the edge of their seats before the final buzzer sounded to solidify the 5-3 final score.

For the Dukes, it was their second CHMA Playoff title in the past 3 years, having won the inaugural event in 2007. The accompanying CHMA Season Championship from this year gives Duquesne three of the six forms of titles ever awarded in the three-year-old league. The Dukes now move on to the ACHA National Tournament in Cleveland, where they will take on Penn State at 2:30 PM on March 14th.

For his 5-point effort on the weekend, Duquesne senior forward Brian Bahurinsky was named as the CHMA Playoff Most Valuable Player. Bahurinsky posted a goal and an assist in the semi-final win on Saturday afternoon and came through with a pair of goals and an assist in the Championship game.

Courtesy Duquesne Hockey Site

Duquesne Plays Pitt for Hockey Conference Title

City Rivals Clash in CHMA Championship Game
2009-03-01

Duquesne erases W&J, 6-4, while Pitt prevails in OT over IUP, 4-3


Duquesne and Pitt worked their way into the CHMA Championship games with wins on Saturday, matching the #1 and #2 seeds in the final game.

#1 Duquesne pulled away from #5 Washington & Jefferson in the first of the semi-finals, ending with a 6-4 game. The contest was well-played from start to finish, but the Dukes used a relentless attack and timely goaltending to record its league-high 5th-career CHMA playoff win. Duquesne will also look to be the first team to win two playoff titles in the league's three year existence on Sunday afternooon.

Pitt, on the other hand, notched its first playoff win in over a decade to earn a spot in the title game. It took a late rally to make that a reality, though, as the Panthers overcame a 2-0 deficit midway through the game and a 3-2 disadvantage for nearly the last 20 minutes of regulation time. But Pitt evened the score with 1:03 to play and then got the game-winner from Justin Thomas -- his 3rd of the game -- at 5:35 of overtime.

The 2009 CHMA Playoff Champion will be crowed when the two foes from the city of Pittsburgh face-off at 1:30 PM on Sunday afternoon at Ice Castle.

From CHMA Web Site

#15 DUKES HOCKEY FACE #2 PENN STATE IN DIVISION 1 ACHA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

2009 Men's Division 1 National Tournament Schedule Released
2009-02-27


TOURNAMENT RANKING SHUFFLES 4 TEAMS AROUND


Per the ACHA Policies and Procedures Manual:

E. Division 1 Tournament Seeding
Tournament seeding for the 16 team format shall be determined by a vote of the top 18teams ranked in the most current national rankings at the completion of ranking #10. The Division 1 Commissioner shall poll each of the eighteen teams to determine seeding.


And the seedings for the National Tournament are as follows:

Lindenwood
Penn State
Delaware
Illinois
Oklahoma
Iowa State
Rhode Island
Liberty
Robert Morris (PA)
Ohio
West Chester
Kent State
Central Oklahoma
Stony Brook
Duquesne
Penn State Berks
So, #8 and #9 changed, and #12 and #13 changed compared to Ranking #10.

Tournament game schedule can be found in 2 different formats below.

Click here for the TOURNAMENT BRACKET, TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
http://www.achahockey.org/news2.php?news_id=154980&league_id=1059&lang=

DUQUESNE HOCKEY WINS THE CHMA CONFERENCE: GETTING SET FOR CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS

Playoff Seedings Are Set as Post-Season Action Starts Friday
2009-02-23

Duquesne and Pitt clinch top seeds

The 2008-09 regular season has come to an end in the CHMA, setting the stage for the CHMA Playoffs. Duquesne clinched the top spot, coming in 4 points ahead of Pitt. Both of those teams will get a bye into the semi-finals.

After multiple changes in positions over the course of the weekend, the remaining four teams to earn playoff spots are IUP, West Virginia, Washington & Jefferson, and Youngstown State. Slippery Rock fell one point shy of the post-season, while John Carroll finished in eighth.

The 2009 CHMA Playoffs will begin on Friday, February 27th at Ice Castle Arena in Castle Shannon, PA. #3 IUP will take on #6 Youngstown State in the first game, starting at 6:00 PM. In the nightcap, the same two teams from last year's championship game will meet when #4 West Virginia battles #5 Washington & Jefferson at 9:00 PM.

The winners will advance into Saturday, with #1 Duquesne taking on the lowest-remaining seed at 4:00 PM, and #2 Pitt confronting the highest-remaining seed at 7:00 PM. The two teams left standing will face each other in Sunday's championship game, which begins at 1:30 PM.

Stay tuned to the CHMA website throughout the weekend for scores and highlights of all the playoff games.

FINAL CHMA STANDINGS

TEAM W L OTL PTS
1 Duquesne 12 2 0 24
2 Pitt 10 4 0 20
3 IUP 8 5 1 17
4 West Virginia 7 5 2 16
5 W&J 6 7 1 13
6 Youngstown St 6 7 1 13
X Slippery Rock 5 7 2 12
X John Carroll 2 9 3 7

From CHMA Web Site

Duquesne's First New Year's Day Bowl Victory

The second Palm Bowl
By John C. Hibner

During the year of 1933, George Hussey, E.G. Sewell, the mayor of Miami, W. Keith Philips, president of the Miami Chamber of Commerce, and Earnie E. Seiler, head of the Miami City Recreation Department, were prominent local figures who studied the possibility of staging another post-season game. The first Palm Bowl wasn't a great financial success, but many of the committee members felt a game like this could be associated with the city of Miami and the state of Florida. It was decided by the Festival committee to hold another pageant and football game on January 1, 1934.

The University of Miami was again selected by the committee to represent the city of Miami and the state of Florida in the game. Many still remembered the thrilling upset of Manhattan College's Jaspers by the Hurricanes in the previous game, coach Tom McCann's team had started out the season defeating Southern Georgia 20, then walloped Piedmont 71-6, Bowden 48-0, Louisville 33-7, and Rollins 18-0. The battle between the Hurricanes and rival Stetson ended in a scoreless tie. McCann called it a "moral" victory for his team because Miami had never defeated or even tied the Hatters before. The University of Tampa was the last opponent of the regular season, and the game ended up a very disappointing scoreless tie for both teams.

Miami's Palm Bowl opponent would be the sixth ranked team in the country that season. The Duquesne Dukes coached by Elmer Layden of Notre Dame fame. Layden had just finished his sixth season at Duquesne, which had played a very difficlut 10-game schedule and recorded nine victories and one loss at the hands of Pittsburgh's powerful Panthers. Pitt had won the game by a single touchdown in one of the most thrilling contests ever played at Pitt Stadium. Among the Dukes' notable victories were 14-0 over a very strong Detroit team, 19-6 over West Virginia, 21-6 over Washington & Jefferson, and a 13-0 win over a very tough Western Maryland team.
This would be Layden's last game as head coach of the Dukes. Next season, he returned to his alma mater to replace Heartly "Hunk" Anderson as the head coach of the "Fighting Irish."

The Duquesne team of 34 players, plus assistant coach Joe Bach, team physician Dr. Leo O'Donnell, and George Kelly, director of publicity, left from Pittsburgh Thursday, Dec. 26, on the Seaboard Air Line Railway for Miami. They arrived at seaboard station the next morning at 7:45 a.m. after their 1,500 mile trip.

A reception committee made up of Members of the Univ. of Miami athletic board and a group of Miami students were on hand to greet the team. Every member of the football team was wearing overcoats when the train pulled in, but the players shed them very quickly in the warm sun. After establishing headquarters at the Alcazar Hotel, coach Layden took his squad out to Moore Park for a workout and some brief drills. Only light signal, punting and passing were sharpened up as Layden was wary of the effect the sudden change in climate could have on his players.

Coach McCann and his guest assistant, Bob Zuppke, the famous Illinois coach, also began to taper-off on their practices, ing and holding dummy scrimmages. working only on passing and punt- The colorful pageant held before the game started and the theme was "The Avenue of Rose Petals." The Miami Junior Chamber of Commerce Drum and Bugle Corps played the music, accompanied by the Edison Senior High School Girl Cadets who did the marching. Miss Jane Burge, Univ. of Miami coed, was crowned "Queen" by mayor Sewell. when the pageant was completed both teams were brought onto the field.

The Dukes were a very colorful group,wearing golden silk pants and scarlet jerseys with large white numbers. The Hurricanes wore orange pants with green
jerseys, and they also had white numbers. Charles Heckman kicked off for the Hurricans to Albert Krankota, who took the ball on his goal line and brought it out to his own 20-yard line. After several exchanges of punts between the two teams, Duquesne seemed to be getting the beat of the action as the temperature was hovering around the 80-degree mark. In the first half the Dukes had six scoring opportunities, but failed to score on any of these. Penalties for an illegal shift, in fact five of them, kept the Hurricanes in check. Layden and the officials had several discussions on the sidelines about the shift. Layden was very disturbed about the matter. It was Zuppke who aroused the Miami defense again and again. The Hurricanes stopped the Dukes at their six-inch line and took over on downs. Again Duquesne drove down to the one-yard line, only to be thrown back for big losses at that point.

Even two field goal attempts missed. One by Armand Niccolai from the 41-yard line was long enough, but wide. William Kakasio tried one from the 22-yard line, but it was low and wide. So at halftime the score was still 0-0. Vic Vondi kicked off for the Dukes in the second half and neither team could move the ball. Late in the third period, Joe Gates of Duquesne returned a punt 25 yards to the Miami 46. James Fillingham made four yards off left tackle, and a completed pass from James McDonald to left end Ed Powell brought the Dukes a first and ten at the Miami 26. McDonald was stopped for no gain. A Duke pass fell incomplete, and James Campbell failed to gain at the center of the line. The fans were rooting for the Miami defense on fourth down and ten. The next play changed the nature of the game. The Dukes lined up and Fillingham ran through a large hole at left tackle, hurdled over two defenders, and was finally stopped at the Miami five.

Another first down for the Dukes and the crowd was behind the defense. They had stopped Duquesne before and they could do it again. Campbell hit the center of the line and was piled up, but the Hurricanes were offside and the ball was put on the one-yard line. Again the big fullback Campbell hit the line and was stopped for no gain. Then Ed Zaneski slipped through a small hole between right tackle and end for the touchdown. Kakasic's kick for the extra point was wide. The score was Duquesne 6, Miami 0.

Five plays later, the Dukes were again deep in Miami territory after Fillingham broke loose for a 38-yard gallop from his own 41 as the fourth quarter started. A pass from McDonald to Campbell put the ball on the Miami five, and Zaneski broke through the center of the line and scored his second touchdown of the game. Kakasic's extra point kick was wide again and now the Dukes led 12-0. Again
Layden changed his complete team as he had been doing all day. He wanted fresh troops in the game at all times.

The Hurricanes got a break when QB Joe Cutrona fumbled the ball on a reverse play and Mike Sissman recovered for Miami at the Duke 34. A pass from John Ott to George
Reichgott put the Hurricane on the 16 for a first down. Another pass from Ott to Reichgott put the ball on the eight, and Layden called a timeout to bring in fresh
players to stop Miami. Cecil Cook hit the center of the line and got a first down at the four-yard line. On the next play Cook again hit the line, but it was a fake. Ott fired a pass into the endzone that Reichgott caught. He had to leap over two defenders, but he came down with the ball. Pete Petrowski's kick split the uprights and now the score was 12-7 in favor of the Dukes with eight minutes to play.

Duquesne came right back as Cutrona returned the kickoff back to his own 36. Alphedio DeLuca broke through the center of the line and galloped 43 yards to the Miami 21. The next play saw the Dukes take too much time calling signals and they were penalized five yards. Silvio Zannelli got five at right tackle, DeLuca added nine around right end, and Arthur Strutt broke two tackles as he bulled his way down to the seven. DeLuca got one yard at right tackle, and then Zannelli went to his left, found a big hole, and plowed into the endzone. Armand Niccolai kicked the extra point and Duquesne went ahead 19-7.

The Dukes kicked off as some of the fans started to leave the stadium. Ott took the kickoff on his goal line and brought the ball out to his own 39. Two line thrusts failed, then on third down Ott faded back and threw. George Rado of Duquesne picked the ball out of the air at the Hurricane 44. DeLuca hurled a long pass to end Gerald Baker who had gotten behind two Miami defenders. Baker caught the ball on the Miami two and crossed the goal line standing up. Again Niccolai kicked the extra point and the score was now 26-7.

Ott returned the kickoff to his own 38. A pass to Gus Gaiero from Cook was good for a first down at the 48. Another pass, Cook to Petrowski, gained six yards after an interference penalty. Then Rado made his second interception of the day when he picked a pass off in the flat at the Miami 44-yard line.

It took the Dukes only one play to add more points on the scoreboard. On the halfback option play Arthur Strutt hit DeLuca on the Miami 22-yard line. He broke two tackles and raced on to a touchdown. Niccolai kicked the extra point and the score was now 33-7. The game ended several minutes Later with the ball on the Hurricanes' own 27.

Thus ended the second Palm Bowl Festival. The organizing committee decided to stage another game. The name "Orange Bowl" was brought up, and when put before the group was readily accepted.