Sept. 5, 2009

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Sept. 5, 2009

PITTSBURGH - Junior receiver Dave Williams caught 11 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in his Duquesne debut - and the DU defense limited Bucknell to 163 yards in the second half - to lead the Dukes to a 24-19 win over the Bison at Rooney Field.

The win, Duquesne's ninth all-time over a Patriot League team, ended a five-game Bison series win streak.

Junior Connor Dixon came off the bench to complete 15-of-21 passes for 212 yards for the Dukes. Dixon, who was a teammate of Williams two years ago at Michigan State, entered the game on the final series of the first quarter to replace starter Kevin Rombach who was forced to leave the game with a concussion. Dixon and Williams connected 10 times for a total of 138 yards.

Duquesne, which finished with 322 yards passing, outgained Bucknell 429 to 360.

Rombach completed 4-of-4 passes for 76 yards, with the last 36 coming on a touchdown pass to Michael Rasky to give the Dukes a 7-0 lead on their first possession.

Bucknell answered with Marcello Trigg going 3-of-3 for 55 yards, the last of which came on a 41-yard scoring pass to Marlon Woods to tie it at 7-7 less than three minutes into the game.

Freshman Eric Duale added a 19-yard field goal to give the Dukes a 10-7 lead at the end of one quarter.

Rombach completed 7-of-10 passes for 110 before he was injured on a run late in the first quarter.

Duquesne, with Dixon under center, upped the lead to 17-7 when Bill Bair capped a 77-yard drive with a 32-yard run with 7:35 left in the half.

Bucknell answered with a 13 play, 66-yard drive that ended with a one-yard plunge by Trigg, but failed to convert the extra point to make it 17-13 at the half.

The Dukes forced a pair of turnovers in the third quarter - an interception by freshman linebacker Horvin Latimer and fumble forced by Nathan Totino and recovered by Latimer - but could not capitalize as the Dukes took a 17-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

Dixon, who was not expected to play as he recovers from off-season shoulder surgery, found Williams for a 35-yard score to put the Dukes up 24-13 early in the fourth quarter.

Trigg hit A.J. Kizekai with a five yard touchdown with under a minute left for the game's final points.

Anthony Rhoades led the Dukes with 12 tackles. Totino finished with 10. Sophomore Ashton Burno added a pair of sacks and broke up a pass - all in the second half - for the Dukes.

Duquesne makes its first appearance west of the Mississippi since 1947 when it travels to Thibodaux, La. to face Nicholls State next Saturday at 2:00 (Eastern).

Scoring by Quarters

LEADERS
Rushing (Att./Yds./TD): DU - Bair (9-55-1); BU - Hopson (14-136-0)
Passing (Att./Comp./Int./Yds./TD): DU - Dixon (21-15-0-212-1); BU - Trigg (34-18-2-152-2)
Receiving (Att./Yds./TD): DU - Williams (11-145-1); BU - Simmons (5-46-0)
Tackles (Tot./Solo): DU - Rhoades (12/8); BU - Nissley (13/7)

GAME NOTES
The win, Duquesne's first over the Bison since Sept. 2, 2002 (35-14 at Rooney Field), ended a five-game Bucknell series winning streak ... the Bison lead the overall series 10-4 ... the two teams combined 448 yards of total offense in the first half (251 for Duquesne and 197 for Bucknell) ... senior quarterback Kevin Rombach (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) left the game late in the first quarter with a concussion ... Rombach completed 7-of-10 passes for 110 yards in a little under one quarter of action ... junior quarterback Connor Dixon (South Park, Pa./South Park), who did not participate in spring drills while recovering from shoulder surgery, entered the game for the final series of the first quarter ... he finished 15-of-21 for 212 yards including a 35-yard scoring strike to Dave Williams ... junior Michigan State transfer Dave Williams (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) caught 11 passes for 145 yards ... 10 of the catches for 138 yards came from Dixon ... the 11 catches tied the second-highest single-game total in school history ... junior Nathan Totino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle) finished with 10 tackles ... it was his 12th double digit tackle effort in 20 career games ... Totino also forced a fumble and was in on a sack to stop a pair of third quarter Bucknell drives ... true freshman Horvin Latimer (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) picked off a pass in the third quarter ... Duquesne missed a 23 yard field goal attempt on the following series ... two plays later, Latimer recovered a fumble to thwart Bucknell's next drive ... freshman Bill Bair (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) took his second career carry 32 yards for a score in the second quarter ... Bair finished with 55 yards rushing on nine carries ... sophomore linebacker Anthony Rhoades (Oxford, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic/Arizona Western) finished with a career high 12 tackles (eight solo) ... his previous best was seven last season against Sacred Heart.