Dukes’ sturdiest legs support heavy expectations

Never ending pasta bowls. That's what keeps this team running.

The pasta bowls may not be the best in a nutritional sense, but for senior offensive lineman Ron Dunn, it's exactly what it takes for this squad, and especially his offensive line, to bond as a team.

"We kind of think of ourselves as a wolf pack. We're all part of the pack," said Dunn, a preseason All-NEC pick who has made 31 consecutive starts for the Red and Blue.

Dunn and his wolf pack returning starters — Eric Warning, Jamaal Thomas, Cameron Downey and Brian Layhue — weigh in at an average of 280 pounds. The 6-6 left tackle and the Duke's front wall hold a wealth of starting experience with all five linemen returning as starters up front save for Layhue, who will move from right tackle to tight end this fall.

That experience, in addition to the continued maturation of returning playmakers Sean Patterson and Larry McCoy, has the Dukes set on topping the Northeast Conference for the first time since joining in 2008.

Duquesne plans to improve its 7-4 (5-3 NEC) record from last season, when they finished third behind Robert Morris and Central Connecticut State University in the conference.

Coach Jerry Schmitt's team returns eight starters on offense and six on defense. The offense will be run by new offensive coordinator Gary Dunn, who spent the last 14 seasons at Morehead State.

"It shouldn't be too much of a difference. Coach Dunn has his own things that he brought to us, but it's more of a combination of what he has in mind as an offense and what we've had here in the past," said Sean Patterson, who threw for 2,050 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

Patterson's improvement is a main reason the Dukes were picked to finish second in the NEC this season. In the team's last five games, four of which the Dukes left victorious, Patterson threw for 15 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

His fellow playmaker, Larry McCoy, was honored with preseason All-Conference honors after six 100-yard games last fall and credits the veterans on the offense for the groups rising success.

"I think the last couple of years we've really been coming together. I've been fortunate enough to work with them the last two years, and I think we're really gelling big-time," McCoy said. "I think we have a veteran presence to us."

Coach Schmitt knows where his team's strength lies.

"Our experience is based in the core of our offensive line and our quarterback and running back position. So we're solid up the middle. As in most sports, if you're solid up the middle, you're going to have a chance to be successful," Schmitt said.

The Dukes O-line spends every Thursday night together, eating carb-loaded pasta bowls among other things.

"We do a lot of things together, and we work hard together," Dunn said, "on the field and in the weight room."

Schmitt sees that, too.

"Not only do they have a bond on the field, they have a bond off the field. They take pride in their work," Schmitt said. "The offensive line is truly a unit that has to work together and persevere through many different situations."

Senior center Cameron Downey moved from guard to center in the spring of 2009 and has gone on to start 22 games in a row. He isn't one for the stats or credit that the quarterback or all-star running back receive.

"If we see the ball moving down the field, we're doing our jobs," Downey said.

In a lineman's usual form of letting the flashy playmaker make the noise, he even tried to get McCoy to speak for him in an interview.

"He talks real well, so he can just pretend he's me," Downey chuckled.

Patterson will never downplay the importance of his protectors, averaging over 6-foot-3 as a unit.

"It's definitely a huge benefit having guys up there, up front, who have played before," Patterson said. "You feel comfortable with them up there, and it's just a good thing to have a veteran line."

If there are question marks on the team, it remains on the defensive side. Duquesne will return Mike Passodelis (25 tackles, three for loss), Khiry Carter (58 tackles) and top-returning tackler Serge Kona, who will move from linebacker to safety alongside Carter but has other holes to fill with the loss of ball hawks Nathan Totino, Thaimu Bangura and Wade Powell, who started each game last season.

Duquesne brings back 98.5 percent of its rushing yards, mainly on the legs of McCoy, who garnered 1,291 yards, ranking 11th nationally. But the receiving production will need to be replaced after the loss of spring graduates Dave Williams (55 receptions, 788 yards) and Connor Dixon (43-602) and tight end Sean Bunevich (13-165), who accounted for 70.2 percent of the Dukes' receiving yards.

Akeem Moore, whose best performance, a three catch, 69-yard outing, came in the second to last game of the season versus St. Francis, will have to fill that void.