Duquesne entered the NCAA Division I FCS Top 25 poll for the first time since 2018 earlier this week.
On Saturday, the No. 24 Dukes proved they belong among the nation’s elite.
Quarterback Darius Perrantes threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, while the Duquesne defense conceded just 237 yards with seven sacks and an interception, en route to blowing out renewed crosstown rival Robert Morris, 31-6, in a critical Northeast Conference game at Arthur J. Rooney Field.
“Obviously our defense did a great job today stopping an explosive offense,” Perrantes said. “Credit to our guys over there. When you have a lot of opportunities with the ball to just capitalize on third downs, fourth downs, whatever it may be, coaches just put us in the best positions they can for us to succeed.”
The victory against the Colonials (6-4, 3-1) put the Dukes (7-2, 4-0) alone atop the NEC standings. Duquesne has regular-season games against Wagner (4-6, 2-2) and Central Connecticut (5-5, 3-1) remaining with the chance to win the NEC title outright and advance to the FCS playoffs for the second consecutive season now squarely within their own control.
“I’m very, very proud of our team, all three phases, the way they played today,” Duquesne coach Jerry Schmitt said.
The Dukes offense had plenty of contributors in a renewed rivalry game between two universities separated by just 18 miles driven mostly along the Parkway West. Robert Morris and Duquesne played for the first time since 2019 Saturday, and prior to that contest, the teams had squared off for each of the previous 17 seasons.
Wide receiver John Erby caught six passes for 126 yards and three critical first-half touchdowns to pace the Duquesne offensive attack, while Joey Isabella added three catches for 66 yards and a second-half touchdown.
The Dukes also rushed for 152 yards, led by JaMario Clements, who carried the football 22 times for 105 yards.
“The message all week was to focus on us no matter what happens,” Erby said. “That’s what it’s been all year, but especially this week. This was my first time being a part of this rivalry, but we knew it was going to be a lot of things outside of the game.
“I told the guys, ‘It’s not about what happens, it’s about how you react to it and stay focused on what we do and how we control the game.’”
The Dukes did just that from the opening drive on.
Perrantes orchestrated an 11-play, 71-yard drive, which he punctuated with Erby’s first touchdown of the game, a 13-yard scoring strike.
The second quarter would produce more of the same, as Perrantes found Erby for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 14:34 left in the first half before the pair again connected for an 18-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining before halftime.
“It was very important that we got that because we got the ball first and they were getting the ball after halftime,” said Erby of his third touchdown of the contest. “We didn’t want to give them any momentum off of a stop.”
Duquesne’s defense frustrated Colonials quarterback Anthony Chiccitt, who was battered by the Dukes’ pass rush for much of the contest.
The Bethel Park product managed just 122 yards through the air, while Robert Morris’ ground game was limited to just 77 yards.
Running back Delvecchio Powell II led the Colonials rushing attack. He accumulated a team-high 42 yards on seven carries and accounted for his team’s lone touchdown on a 10-yard rush with 12:22 left in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore linebacker Ty Howard led the Duquesne defense with nine tackles, a sack and an interception. Sophomore defensive lineman Jack Dunkley had three sacks for the Dukes, while Jason Patterson, Kevin Kurzinger and Adrian Ramirez also contributed a sack each.
“We got outcoached, we got outplayed and that’s what happens when you get outcoached and outplayed,” Robert Morris coach Bernard Clark Jr. said. “You lose the football game. Coach Schmitt had his guys ready to go. They played outstanding. I give them all the credit. We didn’t play well at all.”
While Clark said he was disappointed that his team’s shot at an NEC title was now out of his hands, the chance to play well in the Colonials’ remaining regular-season games against Central Connecticut and Stonehill will provide plenty of motivation.
“We’ve still got two football games left,” he said. “This isn’t a situation where we’re going to just lay down and quit and not play hard.”
Likewise, Schmitt said his team is poised to attack the season knowing it now has a good shot to return to the FCS playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Duquesne’s third FCS playoff run in school history ended with a 40-7 loss to Youngstown State in the NCAA postseason a year ago. The Dukes earned their second outright NEC championship and first FCS playoff bid since 2018 in 2023.
“They practiced with a pace about them and an intent about them preparing for this game, and it’s probably because it was for first place,” Schmitt said. “We talked about it, really, realistically, in the conference, every week is a playoff game right now. You can’t lose. You’ve got to keep playing and keep winning.”
No. 10 Slippery Rock pulls away from Seton Hill late in PSAC West finale
Quarterback Brayden Long accounted for three touchdowns and No. 10 Slippery Rock scored 28 second-half points to pull away from Seton Hill late for a 38-20 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division victory Saturday afternoon at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
Long threw for 248 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and also rushed for an additional score to lead the Rock (8-1, 5-1) past the Griffins (3-7, 1-5).
Mike Solomon caught five passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Logan Ramper chipped in three catches for 87 yards and a score.
Running back Chris D’Or also rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for the Rock, which also got a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Kylon Wilson.
Seton Hill running back Ky’Ron Craggette, a Uniontown native, rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while wide receiver Todd Phillips caught three passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns from Griffins quarterback Jake Cruz.
No. 18 California wraps up perfect season in PSAC West play
Davis Black threw for 183 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for another score to lead No. 18 California University of Pennsylvania to a 28-14 win against visiting Edinboro Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium.
The PSAC West Division champion Vulcans (8-1, 6-0) will next host PSAC East Division champion Kutztown next Saturday in the conference championship game at Adamson Stadium in California.
California wide receiver Eric Willis III caught six passes for 120 yards against Edinboro (3-7, 2-4), while D’Avay Johnson caught two passes for 39 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Running back Bobby Boyd Jr., a McKeesport product, rushed for 66 yards to pace the Vulcans ground game, while Eric McKan III added 45 yards and a touchdown.
No. 13 Grove City hands Case Western Reserve third straight loss
No. 13 Grove City rushed for 201 yards, led by West Allegheny product Nico Flati’s 144 yards and two touchdowns, Saturday afternoon to earn a critical 30-20 Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory against visiting Case Western Reserve at Robert E. Thorn Field.
With the victory, the Wolverines (8-1) join No. 16 Carnegie Mellon (8-1) and No. 19 Washington & Jefferson (8-1) in a logjam atop the PAC standings with one game remaining in the regular season next week.
Grove City running back Ian Demeri, a Penn-Trafford product, also rushed for 62 yards and a score against Case Western (6-3).
Quarterback Logan Pfeuffer threw for 154 yards and a touchdown for the Wolverines. His top targets were Knoch product Scott Fraser, who had four catches for 70 yards, and Blackhawk graduate Ryan Heckathorn, who reeled in four catches for 34 yards and a score.
No. 16 Carnegie Mellon grounds out lopsided victory against Allegheny
No. 16 Carnegie Mellon racked up 460 yards of total offense, which included 295 yards via its ground game, en route to earning a 63-10 PAC victory against Allegheny Saturday afternoon at Gesling Stadium in Oakland.
Tartans (8-1) running back Tre Vasiliadis rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and Willem Bouma contributed 79 yards and a score on seven carries against an overmatched Gators (1-8) defense.
Quarterback Ben Mills also threw for 127 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for the Tartans. The senior also rushed for another score.
Joey McGinnis IV also completed 3-of-5 passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns for Carnegie Mellon.
Wide receiver Brendan McCullough, a Peters Township graduate, caught six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown for the Tartans, while DJ Johnson, Will Squibb, Bouma and Vasiliadis also contributed scoring strikes through the air.
Westminster offense runs wild in rout of Geneva
Westminster exploded for 585 yards of total offense and ran to a 56-7 rout of host Geneva Saturday afternoon in a PAC contest at Reeves Field in Beaver Falls.
Quarterback Billy Levak threw for 293 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 49 yards and an additional score, to lead the Titans (7-2) past Geneva (4-5).
Wide receiver Jalen Washington had five catches for 146 yards and a touchdown for Westminster, while Moon product Taite Beachy chipped in 27 yards and two scores and Ethan Buford added 37 yards and a score.
Running back Elijah Grayer rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries for the Titans, and Clayton Cannon Jr. added 70 yards and two scores.
Waynesburg bounces back with win against Thiel
Quarterback Samuel Barber threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns to lead Waynesburg to a 37-10 PAC victory against Thiel Saturday afternoon at John F. Wiley Stadium in Waynesburg a week after being shut out by Grove City.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Richmond, a Carmichaels product, caught four passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets (4-5) against the Tomcats (2-7), while Southmoreland product Isaac Trout contributed seven catches for 85 yards.
Waynesburg running back Zayne Cawley carried the football 17 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, as Hunter Cameron and Brian Scott-Hill also scored rushing touchdowns.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.