PITTSBURGH – Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Central Connecticut scored 24 unanswered second-half points to pull away for a 43-10 victory over Duquesne on Saturday afternoon at Rooney Field.
The Dukes, who honored their 31 seniors prior to the contest, close the season with at 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the conference while the 18
th-ranked Blue Devils improve to 11-1 on the year and 7-0 in league action.
Central Connecticut jumped out to a 12-0 lead before the Dukes got on the board early in the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal from
Mitch MacZura.
The Blue Devils responded with a 31-yard touchdown run by Enyce Walker to take a 19-3 advantage with 10:44 to play in the opening half.
Late in the second stanza,
Reid Harrison-Ducros' leaping interception off Central Connecticut quarterback Aaron Winchester gave the Dukes possession at the 50-yard line. Winchester had been picked off just three times in the Blue Devils' first 11 games.
This set up an 11-yard touchdown pass from
Brett Brumbaugh to
Kellon Taylor to shrink the Central Connecticut edge to 19-10 heading into the locker room.
The Blue Devils would score three touchdowns in addition to a field goal in the second half to pull away from Duquesne and secure their seventh NEC victory of the year.
Ky'ren Cunningham rushed for a career-high 96 yards to pace Duquesne on the ground. It was Cunningham's second career start and first since Sept. 22, 2018 at FBS member Hawaii.
Ricky Mellick – who appeared on offense, defense and special teams for the Dukes - added three carries for 43 yards.
Brumbaugh finished 11-of-30 for 111 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Kareem Coles Jr. tallied four receptions for 48 yards while Taylor recorded three catches for 46 yards.
Brendan Thompson and
Kam Carter each tallied seven tackles to lead the Duquesne defense.
Playing in his final game in a Duquesne uniform, running back
A.J. Hines finishes his career with program records of 4,629 rushing yards and 44 rushing touchdowns. He closes his career second in NEC history in rushing yards, as well.
Central Connecticut earned the NEC's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
