Replacing a Legend, QB Knapp Eases In

It was a packed house at Duquesne as the football team kicked off the 2005 season against rival Robert Morris, attempting to avenge last year's 31-14 loss. This would be a nerve-wracking experience for any quarterback, let alone one starting his first collegiate game after the graduation of a football icon.

But redshirt freshman Scott Knapp steeled his nerves and led Duquesne to a 23-12 victory over the Colonials after the graduation of the Dukes' most prolific passer of all time, Niel Loebig. After pre-game jitters that Knapp described as "normal ... I had some butterflies," he settled in quickly, going 14-25 with 222 yards in the first half alone. He would finish the game 23-42 for 365 yards-good for seventh-best in Duquesne single-game passing history-with one touchdown and one interception.

"We were hoping that he could manage the game, limit his mistakes and keep his composure," Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt said. "By throwing for over 300 yards in that game, he exceeded all of our expectations."

Coming into this season, the most pressing issue for Duquesne was the quarterback position. Neil Loebig was a four-time member of the All-MAAC first team, and one of only five quarterbacks to throw for 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns, while leading the Dukes to a 34-10 record over his four years as a starter. Following his graduation, three players were competing for the starting QB position. Knapp outplayed redshirt junior Ben Palumbo and fellow redshirt freshman Mark Rupert to earn the spot.

"He picked up the offense better than the rest of the quarterbacks," Schmitt said. "He also did the best job of managing the game and dictating the tempo. His ability to control his emotions and remain poised also made the decision. Additionally, his exceptional arm strength and his ability to play within himself, limiting his mistakes, made him the right choice for this team."

With 16 returning starters to a program that has won 33 consecutive MAAC games and six straight conference titles, Duquesne only needed Knapp to play consistent, mistake-free football. Instead, following the victory over number five-ranked Robert Morris, Knapp went 12-23 with 265 yards and two touchdowns (a 65-yarder to Bruce Hocker and a 66-yarder to Conrad Carter) and no interceptions in leading the Dukes to a 30-13 romp over Fordham.

After a 2-0 start, Knapp and Duquesne hit a roadblock last week against Ivy contender Penn. The Quakers' aggressive defense held Knapp in check, allowing him only 121 yards on 10-29 passing. He did manage two touchdowns against just one interception, but Penn went on to rout the Dukes 41-14.

"Penn is just a very good team," Schmitt said. "Although I felt Scott did some good things during that game, there were other significant factors besides his individual performance that keyed the loss. His production was lessened since our number one receiver (Bruce Hocker) was out for the entire game, and in the second quarter our other starting receiver (Dan Spriggs) got hurt."

With a veteran core and a quarterback that has won the MAAC Rookie of the Week award three times in as many weeks, Duquesne appears poised to remain atop the MAAC, even three games into the season. With six straight conference titles in the bag, Schmitt has made sure his players remain focused.

"All we can do as a team is look at them one game at a time, and look at every game like it's our toughest," he added. "We need to play with confidence and as hard as we can every week."

That game-by-game attitude starts with this weekend's contest against Columbia.

"It will be a challenging game," Schmitt said. "It's the Lions' home opener so they should be up for it. We will benefit because of our game last weekend at Penn-we will be a little more road-tested this week. On film, the coaching staff saw a very good team, that is particularly well-coached, and very disciplined in all aspects of the game."

Judging by his performance so far, Knapp should be up for the challenge.