MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – In a showdown of teams unbeaten in Northeast Conference (NEC) play, Robert Morris picked up a 41-21 victory over visiting Duquesne on Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium.
The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Dukes (6-3, 4-1), who had also won six straight over the Colonials (6-4, 5-0) coming into Saturday's matchup. The defeat also ended a nine-game NEC winning streak for Duquesne dating back to last season.
Seven turnovers plagued the Dukes in the loss, as Robert Morris turned those takeaways into 21 points including a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns.
The Colonials jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead, limiting Duquesne to 64 total yards and two first downs in the first two quarters.
The Dukes got on the board in the third quarter when
Brett Brumbaugh (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) found
Dominic Thieman (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas / Illinois) for a 13-yard touchdown connection, cutting the Robert Morris advantage to 20-7.
After the Duquesne defense forced its second three-and-out in a row to start the second half, a Mason Gray 36-yard interception return for a score swung the momentum back in the Colonials' favor, as Robert Morris took a 27-7 lead.
The Dukes held the Colonials to just 18 total yards in the third quarter and were driving deep into Robert Morris territory to start the fourth stanza, when Aniello Buzzacco forced a Duquesne fumble at the Colonials' one-yard line to stop the Dukes' scoring threat.
Following another Robert Morris three-and-out,
A.J. Hines' (Wilson, N.C. / Fike) one-yard touchdown rush minimized the deficit to 27-14 with 7:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. A 20-yard completion from Brumbaugh to
Kareem Coles Jr. (San Diego, Calif. / Madison / Idaho) to the Colonials' one-yard let set up the Duquesne score.
The Dukes' defense came up with another stop on Robert Morris' next drive, giving Duquesne a chance to cut into the Colonials' lead. With the Dukes driving into Robert Morris territory, Mason Gray picked off a Duquesne pass and returned it 81 yards for the touchdown, his second pick-six of the afternoon to put the Colonials on top 34-14.
Duquesne countered with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brumbaugh to
Kellon Taylor (Landover, Md. / DeMatha Catholic) to shrink the Robert Morris advantage to 34-21.
After the Colonials recovered the onside kick, Terence Stephens took the handoff 47 yards to the end zone on the first play of the march and extending the Robert Morris edge to the final margin, 41-21.
Making his first career start, Brumbaugh completed 24-of-50 pass attempts for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Dukes. Brumbaugh's 302 passing yards were the most for Duquesne since
Daniel Parr (Jupiter, Fla. / William T. Dwyer / FAU) threw for 333 in a win over Dayton on Sept. 15, 2018.
Taylor tallied a career-high 113 yards on six receptions and a touchdown for his second-consecutive 100-yard receiving game. Coles Jr. finished with career highs of 10 catches for 100 yards for the Dukes. It marked the first time Duquesne had two 100-yard receivers in the same contest since Chris King (9-111-TD) and Wayne Capers (6-144) on Nov. 7, 2015 at Sacred Heart.
Spencer DeMedal (New Wilmington, Pa. / Wilmington Area) recorded a team-high 10 tackles (four solo) while
Daivon Ellison (Linden, N.J. / Don Bosco Prep / Syracuse) and
Brendan Thompson (Germantown, Md. / Northwest / Millersville) added nine tackles apiece for the Dukes. Ellison recorded four solo stops while Thompson had a pair of tackles for loss and a sack for Duquesne.
The Dukes outgained the Colonials 374-280 in the contest, including 310-72 in the second half.
NEXT UP
Duquesne travels to Bryant next Saturday, Nov. 16 for a 1 p.m. matchup in Smithfield, R.I. The Bulldogs come into the game with a 2-8 overall mark and a 1-4 ledger in NEC play.
