Football set to do it all over again

Penn quarterback Mike Mitchell might not have his top two receivers from last year, but he's not afraid to get into a shootout. He might have to. When Duquesne (1-1) comes to Franklin Field at 6 p.m. tomorrow for the Quakers' season opener, the Dukes will bring an offense that racked up 535 total yards last weekend in a 49-0 thumping of Butler. In fact, the Dukes' offense might evoke memories of the 2002 Quakers. Duquesne is powered by a dynamic trio, not unlike the one Penn fans witnessed last year when Mitchell teamed with wideouts Rob Milanese and Erik Bolinder. "They're statistically leading the country in passing offense in I-AA," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "They're not bashful. They're throwing the ball 50 times a game." Leading the charge for the Dukes is junior quarterback Niel Loebig. His top targets -- Michel Warfield and Yardon Brantley -- caught a combined 10 passes for 216 yards against Butler. "Obviously they're a pretty good team if they're scoring 40 or 50 points and shutting people out," Mitchell said. "We have a little challenge ahead for us." The challenge starts on offense. Bagnoli doesn't expect anyone on his roster to make people forget about Milanese -- it has to be a collective effort. "I don't think it's fair [that] we ask any singular two people on our team to do that," he said, citing the 132 catches Milanese and Bolinder shared. "But hopefully, between [Jonathan] Robinson, [Joe] Phillips, [Dan] Castles and [Matt] Makovsky, they're able to generate 50 or 60 catches each, and that's where you get your 150." Mitchell echoed Bagnoli's faith in the wideouts. "All the receivers have looked pretty good," he said. "Right now it's not clear who's going to step up and make the most plays, but from what I can see just through practice, all of them have a lot of ability." The Quakers, however, are hoping the game won't turn into a track meet. While cornerbacks Rudy Brown and Pat McManus will be most responsible for stopping the Dukes' passing attack, Penn's linebackers might be the key to the game. After an offseason marred by injuries, the middle of the defense returns to full strength. Linebacker Luke Hadden has been practicing again. His position mates Ric San Doval and Chad Slapnicka have been cleared to put the pads back on after suffering injuries in the preseason. The play of the linebackers, especially last year's first team All-Ivy selection Steve Lhotak, will go a long way in determining the course of the game. "We're going to have to do a good job trying to generate a pass rush," Bagnoli said. "They're built around their skill kids -- their receivers, their quarterback, their tailback. They like to play the vertical game." If Lhotak and his cohorts can't get to Loebig, tomorrow night's matchup has the makings of an upset. While the Quakers -- ranked No. 23 in the Sports Network/CSTV I-AA poll -- are heavy favorites, they could be rusty from a long offseason. The Dukes, meanwhile, have two games under their belt. Their units on both sides of the ball are hitting on all cylinders. And they are coached by Greg Gattuso, whose winning percentage is third among active Division I-AA football coaches. Lucky for Penn, Bagnoli is second on the list. And his Quakers appears ready to play. "Our guys have been getting fired up all week," Mitchell said. "The first game's huge. You want to come out and make a statement with all the practice you've been given. "We're working towards trying to come out and play our best game and see if we can give them a little run of our own."

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