PITTSBURGH – Nehari Crawford (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central) posted career-highs of 11 receptions for 223 yards with a pair of touchdowns as Duquesne held off a late Dayton comeback in a 31-26 victory over the Flyers on Saturday afternoon at Rooney Field.
The Dukes collect their third consecutive win to improve to 3-1 on the season while the Flyers drop to 1-2 with the loss.
Duquesne built a 31-13 third-quarter lead before Dayton answered with a pair of touchdowns to shrink the deficit to 31-26 with 9:28 to play in the game.
Following an interception on the Dukes' next possession, the Flyers would drive inside the Dukes' 10-yard line with a chance to take their first lead of the afternoon in the closing minutes of the game.
That is when Brett Zanotto came up with three straight tackles, the first two limiting Dayton to no gain with a tackle for a loss of four yards on third down, forcing the Flyers into a fourth-and-goal from the Duquesne 10-yard line.
On that play, Dayton quarterback Jack Cook attempted to loft a pass up top to 6-6 tight end Adam Trautman, but Daquan Worley (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville/Penn State) batted the ball down for the crucial pass breakup for the Dukes.
Duquesne was then able to run out the clock, sealing their third win in a row.
The Dukes defense forced the Flyers to convert on just three-of-six trips inside the red zone, while Duquesne was a perfect three-for-three on the day.
Earlier in the game, the Dukes jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by A.J. Hines (Wilson, N.C./Fike) on the first drive of the contest, before the Flyers responded with a two-yard rushing score of their own by Richie Warfield. Roman Macek (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) got a hand on the Dayton extra point attempt, preserving the 7-6 edge for Duquesne.
In the final minute of the opening quarter, Daniel Parr (Jupiter, Fla./William T. Dwyer/FAU) found Crawford on a 12-yard touchdown pass to cap a 13-play, 91-yard scoring drive and give the Dukes a 14-6 advantage.
Duquesne would add to that lead in the second quarter when Parr hit Crawford again, this time on a 80-yard touchdown connection down the right sideline to go ahead 21-6 with just over 10 minutes to play in the half. The 80-yard play represented a career-long for both Parr and Crawford.
Dayton countered with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Cook to Trautman with a minute remaining the half to shrink the deficit, but the Dukes would tack on a 39-yard field goal by Mitch MacZura (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic/Ohio State) as time expired in the second half to take a 24-13 halftime lead.
Duquesne gained its largest lead of the afternoon in the third quarter when Parr found Stew Allen (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) for his second touchdown reception of the season, putting the Dukes on top 31-13 with 5:19 to play in the period.
That score was set up by a Dayton miscue as Jonthant Istache (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central) recovered a Flyer fumble at the Duquesne six-yard line. This ignited the 11-play, 94-yard scoring march for the Dukes.
Following his standout performance on Saturday, Crawford moves into fifth in school history with 26 career receiving touchdowns and sixth among the program's all-time leaders with 146 career receptions.
Parr completed 21-of-27 pass attempts for a career-high 333 yards and three touchdowns for Duquesne.
Hines rushed for a team-high 61 yards on 12 carries with a score while freshman Ky'ren Cunningham (West Bloomfield, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep) ran for 44 yards on 13 carries, including a big six-yard gain for a first down on the Dukes' final drive of the game.
Zanotto finished with a career-high 10 tackles (nine solo) with a pair of tackles for loss. Leandro DeBrito (Pawtucket, R.I./Shea/Monroe College) added seven stops (six solo) in the triumph.
Duquesne will make the long trek to Hawaii for next Saturday's matchup against the Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. HT/midnight ET. To find out how to follow the Dukes in Hawaii click HERE.
Game Notes
- Crawford is the first DU player to tally 200 receiving yards in a game since Wayne Capers finished with 235 yards on nine catches with four touchdowns at Jacksonville on Oct. 1, 2016.
- Crawford eclipsed the 2,000-yard receiving mark in the contest with 2,178 career receiving yards. He now has nine career 100-yard receiving games, as well.
- The Fort Pierce, Fla. native's 80-yard reception was the longest for Duquesne since Dillon Buechel's 88-yard touchdown pass to Chris King at Buffalo on Aug. 30, 2014.
- Parr is the first Duquesne quarterback to record a 300-yard game since Dillon Buechel threw for 304 yards on Nov. 16, 2016. He topped his previous career-high of 281 yards set against Navy while at FAU last season. His 21 completions and three touchdown passes also represent career bests.
- MacZura's 39-yard field goal represented a career long. He is now 3-of-3 on the season for the Dukes.
- Duquesne has now won three straight games over Dayton and six consecutive games over the Flyers at Rooney Field. The Dukes hold a 10-6 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1920.
- Duquesne is now 26-3 in home non-conference games under 14th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt. Schmitt is now 8-3 against Dayton.
