'Weathered' Duquesne football players balancing fun of playing at Acrisure Stadium with challenge of facing Pitt

Duquesne defensive lineman A.J. Ackerman remembers the first time we spoke about the topic. 

What’s the level of excitement surrounding the Dukes’ 2025 season opener at Acrisure Stadium against Pitt?

“I think the last time you asked me that question, I gave you a much more muted answer,” Ackerman said. “I will say now you can feel a buzz across everybody. It’s at the forefront of our mind at the moment.”

Now the game against the Panthers is allowed to be lodged in the front of Ackerman’s brain. It’s the next thing on the agenda. When the long-rumored, highly-anticipated announcement was made that the Dukes and Panthers would be renewing football relations for the first time since 1939, it was early January.

A new semester was just starting. Offseason conditioning needed to take place. Spring practice. Summer camp.

But now, Saturday’s game is only a week away. Finally, Ackerman and his teammates are embracing the anticipation of this matchup that has been captivating the fanbase’s attention for seven months.

“A couple of months ago, I wasn’t even close,” Ackerman said of turning his focus to the Pitt game. “I’ve got this, I’ve got that, I’ve got camp. And now it’s like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re a week away.’ Yeah, let’s go.”

For veterans of the Duquesne program, playing in a big venue such as Acrisure Stadium is not a new thing. In recent years, the Dukes have traveled to play big-time FBS schools such as West Virginia, Boston College, Texas Christian and Florida State.

So the pure scope of playing in a 68,400-seat stadium won’t be as daunting for this Dukes team as it may be for some other FCS clubs who have had to step up in competition as an early-season opponent for a FBS power-conference team.

“I think it was more of a shotgun to play TCU (Sept. 4, 2021) for the first time. That was our first big FBS game,” center Cameron McLaurin said. “That was kind of surreal for a lot of the guys, because we’ve never been somewhere like that before or seen something like that. A lot of guys on this team have been here for a while. We’re kind of weathered to that environment. I think we’re going to be ready to just go and play.”

In fact, McLaurin is one of a few Pittsburgh-area players on the roster who have played at Acrisure Stadium before. He did so as a high school freshman when his Montour Spartans lost to Thomas Jefferson in a WPIAL championship game (2017, 4A).

At least this time, McLaurin is expecting the conditions to be nicer.

“It was a rainy night. We were the last team to play. The field was destroyed,” McLaurin recalled. “Everyone in ponchos, umbrellas. The sideline was just soaked. Real backyard football, to be honest.”

Another benefit Duquesne players have in this contest may be seeing more of their own fans than they are used to greeting.

Not just compared to venues like the ones they traveled to in Texas, Florida and Morgantown.

Defensive back Antonio Epps (South Allegheny ‘21) is expecting to see far more Duquesne supporters turn out than normal as “road fans” because of the unique nature of the opponent and the stadium’s proximity to the alumni base.

“It’s going to bring a bunch of people to fill that stadium — fans from all over for both teams. It’s going to be really exciting. At Duquesne, our stadium isn’t that big,” Epps said. “In an FBS environment, being able to play in an atmosphere like that, with thousands of screaming fans while we are playing football, is something we are all looking forward to.”

To Epps’ point, the Dukes’ home stadium, Arthur J. Rooney Field, only seats 2,200. You can definitely expect more Duquesne fans than that next Saturday.

Ackerman (Elizabeth Forward, ‘19) is hoping his grandmother, who is in her 80s, will be one of those motivated to make the trip to the North Shore.

“She’s never seen me play in any big venues yet,” Ackerman said. “She’s seen me play in high school. She’s seen me play at Duquesne. She’s never seen any of these big stadiums that we’ve traveled to. She’s not much of a football person. She likes watching me.”

That said, Ackerman isn’t expecting to go out of his way to take any extra time during warm-ups to soak up the ambience of being in the home of the Steelers and Panthers.

“I’ll probably think about it after maybe a year or two down the line,” Ackerman insisted. “I just want to be prepared. I want to feel good. I want to feel loose. I’ll probably think back and look at a picture someday and be like, ‘That’s cool as (heck). I played there.’ But until that day comes, I’m just worried about playing.”

Conversely, Ackerman’s coach, Jerry Schmitt, admits he’ll take a beat. A 1978 graduate of Keystone Oaks, Schmitt has been coaching Western Pennsylvania high schools, or local college football, since 1983.

Specifically at Duquesne, he’s been in charge of the football program since 2005.

“Being a hometown guy here, born and raised in Pittsburgh, it’s really exciting. I’ve watched the Steelers and Pitt Panthers play games there for years and years on television. Personally, I think it’s outstanding to see Duquesne University have an opportunity to go play the Pitt Panthers.”

One thing Schmitt would prefer to forget from some of those other games when Duquesne has traveled to play FBS opponents is the final score:

• A 45-3 loss at TCU in 2021.

•A 47-7 loss at Florida State in 2022.

•A 56-17 defeat at WVU in 2023.

•A 56-0 shutout at Boston College last year.

The financial benefits to the program are worth it, though. And, as Schmitt sees it, for an FCS program like his, so is the experience for the players.

“It’s a great opportunity for our young men,” Schmitt said. “We’re really dialed in and focused on our first football game. The fact that it’s here locally and it’s against the University of Pittsburgh is just extra icing on the cake for us.”

LISTEN: Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and Tim Benz have fantasy football tips for you in advance of your draft in this week’s podcast.