PITTSBURGH - Duquesne dropped a 21-20 decision to visiting Bryant in the Dukes' Northeast Conference (NEC) opener on Saturday afternoon at Arthur J. Rooney Field. Four first-half turnovers plagued the Dukes in the homecoming contest which featured five lead changes.

For the second straight game, the Dukes (3-3, 0-1) gained the early momentum, forcing a turnover on downs on Bryant's (4-1, 2-0) first drive of the game as the Bulldogs moved into Duquesne territory. On fourth-and-three, Brett Zanotto (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional/Maryland) limited quarterback Price Wilson to a one yard rush, giving the Dukes possession.

That allowed Duquesne to begin a five-play, 76-yard scoring drive capped by a 37-yard touchdown connection from Daniel Parr (Jupiter, Fla./William T. Dwyer/FAU) to Stew Allen (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) to give the Dukes a 7-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, the Bulldogs would even the score at 7-7 when Price Wilson found Vincent Nisivoccia for the 51-yard touchdown.

Following a Duquesne punt, a bad snap sailed over Wilson's head and was recovered by Jalen Booker (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge/Lackawanna College) at the Bulldogs' one-yard line. However, the Dukes could not take advantage of the miscue, as a DU fumble two plays later gave the ball back to Bryant.

The Duquesne defense would force a Bulldog three-and-out which gave the Dukes a short field on its next march. DU began the drive with three straight plays of more than 10 yards, the last being an 11-yard completion to Kellon Taylor (Landover, Md./DeMatha Catholic) to put the Dukes at the Bryant seven-yard line. Two plays later, A.J. Hines (Wilson, N.C./Fike) rushed five yards into the end zone to regain the lead for Duquesne. The extra point would be blocked by the Bulldogs, as the Dukes gained a 13-6 edge early in the second quarter.

After Duquesne forced another turnover on downs near midfield with just over six minutes showing on the clock in the second quarter, a fumble by the Dukes on first down would be recovered by Bryant's Robert Brown and returned 46 yards for the touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 14-13 advantage.

Following an hour and 20-minute weather delay, play would resume as Duquesne would threaten to take the lead twice late in the half, but an interception and a fumble - each coming inside the Bryant 15-yard line - would preserve the one-point Bulldog lead at the break.

The Dukes would strike first in the second half when Parr found Allen in the end zone for the pair's second touchdown hook-up of the afternoon, this time on a one-yard pass, putting Duquesne ahead 20-14. Two plays earlier, Parr hit Nehari Crawford (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central) down the right sideline for a 40-yard gain to lead to the score.

Late in the third stanza, the Bulldogs would take the lead for good when Wilson completed a 24-yard strike to Alex Rasmussen for the Bryant touchdown, giving the visitors a 21-20 advantage.

The Bulldogs held the Dukes to just one total yard in the final period, sealing the NEC road victory.

Parr completed 19-of-33 attempts on the day with two touchdowns and an interception. Hines tallied 75 rushing yards on 19 carries and a score to pace Duquesne on the ground. 

Crawford hauled in six catches for a game-high 113 yards for his ninth career 100-yard receiving performance. Taylor, who wore Marquis Brown's No. 40 jersey to honor his friend and teammate, recorded a career-high eight receptions for 52 yards. Allen caught two passes, both for touchdowns for a total of 38 yards.

Leandro DeBrito (Pawtucket, R.I./Shea/Monroe College) led the Duquesne defense with seven tackles (six solo) to go with a pair of pass breakups. 

The Dukes stay home to host local foe Robert Morris next Saturday night  at 7 p.m. at Rooney Field.