Duquesne enters a new era of football in the fall in a new league with scholarship players for the first time and a renovated home field, but coach Jerry Schmitt doesn't expect the Dukes to look much different than the teams that dominated the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference the past 14 seasons.

Asked if he plans to change his approach when Duquesne starts playing in the Northeast Conference this season, Schmitt answered without hesitation, "No. We're still prepared to win every football game we play."

And Duquesne will continue doing it the same way it did to win or share 11 of the past 14 MAAC titles.

"We've been a throwing team," he said. "We'll still be a throwing team. We'll stay with our offensive philosophy."

The thrower again will be quarterback Kevin Rombach, who started nine games last season after winning the job from Scott Knapp. Rombach completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,410 yards and 20 touchdowns. He threw six interceptions. Knapp, who had productive freshman and sophomore seasons as the starter, passed for 494 yards and four touchdowns in five games last season.

Knapp decided not to play in his final season of eligibility because he is graduating this spring and has a job offer.

Rombach's competition for the job will be provided by Sean Patterson, a record-setting quarterback from St. John's Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio, who originally signed to play at Weber State but returned home and enrolled at Duquesne for the winter term.

"He has the talent to challenge," Schmitt said. "But first he has to learn the offense. By going through spring drills, he's going through the learning curve now instead of having to do it in the fall."

Duquesne will conclude its spring drills with the Red-Blue game at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Pine-Richland High School. The Dukes have practiced at Keystone Oaks, Central Catholic, Quaker Valley, Upper St. Clair and Chartiers Valley because Rooney Field on campus is undergoing renovation that includes the construction of permanent grandstand seating and concession stands and the installation of a new playing surface.

Although Duquesne is losing one of its all-time receivers in Bruce Hocker, Schmitt is optimistic the Dukes will continue to throw deep with Alex Roberson (34 catches, 686 yards) assuming the role as playmaker.

Greg Hough (801 yards rushing, 5 TDs) will complement the passing game with his solid, if unspectacular running.

Tackle T.J Stefanik will anchor the offensive line.

Defensively, the headliners will be lineman Mykol Gardiner, who had a team-high 7¹/₂ sacks, and cornerback Aaron Strader, whose four interceptions led the Dukes.

Duquesne returns 14 starters from a 6-4 team that shared the MAAC title. Duquesne's first class of players on athletic scholarships will arrive in the fall. The Dukes offered aid based solely on financial need as a member of the MAAC.

"We got some players we probably couldn't have gotten before without scholarships," said Schmitt, who offered the equivalent of eight full scholarships to the incoming class of freshmen. "Those kids could have gone to a lot of other schools."

Schmitt was talking about Mars running back Bill Blair, Gateway offensive lineman Eric Warning and Brentwood wide receiver Akeem Moore.

"We're going to be stepping up a level in the NEC," Schmitt said of the Dukes, who were 3-1 against teams from the NEC and are 14-7 against current members of the NEC. "I expect us to be up to the challenge."