G6 | DUQUESNE at SACRED HEART*
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 23  
TIME: 12:00 pm ET
LOCATION: Fairfield, Conn. • Campus Field
TELEVISION: ESPN3 with Pauk Dottino (pxp), Kevin Gilbride (analyst) and John Schmeelk (sideline)
RADIO: BIG 104.7 FM HD2 / ESPN 970 AM / iHeart Radio with Alex Panormios (pxp) and Tad Maurey (analyst)

OPENING KICKOFF
- Winners of four-straight games, Duquesne comes off a bye week with a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Northeast Conference play. The Dukes are the lone remaining unbeaten team in NEC action after both Central Connecticut State and Saint Francis fell this past weekend.

- Following the thrilling 39-34 win over Bryant at Rooney Field on October 9th, Duquesne has now put together a four-game winning streak in eight-straight seasons. The Dukes are 2-0 in NEC play for the seventh time since joining the league in 2008.

- Quarterback Darius Perrantes was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season for his performance in the victory over Bryant. He completed 29-of-41 passes for a career-high 316 yards and a trio of touchdowns to help the Dukes secure the win over the Bulldogs. Perrantes added seven rushes for 38 yards and a score, as well.  

- Duquesne and Sacred Heart will meet for the 18th time on Saturday in Fairfield, with the Dukes holding a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to the 2001 campaign.

- The Dukes are receiving votes in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 as well as the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. 

- Duquesne, led by 17th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, returns all 22 starters from the spring season including 17 All- NEC selections. The Dukes have enjoyed a great deal of success in NEC play, claiming five conference titles since 2011. Duquesne won a share of the league crown in 2011, '13, '16 and '18 while capturing the outright title in 2015. Duquesne earned the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in both 2015 and '18. Over the past 10 seasons, the Dukes have won 45 conference games and 73 overall games, both figures representing league highs.

DUQUESNE NOTABLES
- The Dukes are tied for the national lead in red zone offense, scoring on all 24 trips inside the red zone this season. In addition, Duquesne has limited opponents to score on just 15 of 20 trips inside the red zone. 

- The Dukes lead the NEC and sit 25th in the FCS in scoring, averaging 32.6 points per game. 

- Duquesne also sits sixth in the country in sacks allowed (0.8 sack per game). The Dukes have limited opponents to one sack-or-fewer in all five games this season.  

- The Dukes are 21st in the FCS in rushing defense (110.2 yards per game) 25th in the nation in total defense (323.4 yards per game), and 16th in the country with seven 
interceptions. 

- DU running backs Garrett Owens and Billy Lucas have combined for 600 yards on the ground with five rushing touchdowns on the year. Owens paces Duquesne with 75 carries for 323 yards and four total touchdowns while Lucas has tallied 55 rushes for 277 yards and three scores. 

- Quarterback Darius Perrantes has completed 73-of-113 pass attempts for 790 yards with eight touchdowns compared to two interceptions for the Dukes. 

- Eleven different receivers have caught a pass for Duquesne in the first five games of the year. Cyrus Holder has registered 15 receptions for a team-high 243 yards and two touchdowns while Owens has hauled in 14 receptions for 176 yards and two receiving scores. 

- Holder eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the sixth time in his career and third occasion in his Duquesne caree with a seven-catch, 103-yard performance vs. Bryant. 

- Wykeen Gill hauled in a career-high seven receptions in the victory over the Bulldogs and finished with 179 all-purpose yards. 

- Defensive back Leandro DeBrito has been Duquesne's leading tackler with 26 stops (21 solo) on the year to go with two interceptions. 

- Fellow defensive back Jeremiah Josephs has also posted two picks on the season for Duquesne with 22 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

- Defensive lineman Kevin Kurzinger has recorded a team-high 2.5 sacks while linebacker Todd Hill has registered four tackles for loss for the Dukes. 

- Brian Bruzdewicz is a perfect 9-of-9 on field goals on the season while connecting on 10-of-12 PATs. Michael Berarducci is averaging 45.0 yards per punt, currently the top mark in the NEC. 

THE COACH
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (17th season / 106-69)  
- Head coach Jerry Schmitt is in his 17th season at the helm of the Duquesne program. He became the Dukes' all-time winningest coach in 2019 with a 30-21 victory over Saint Francis U for his 98th win as Duquesne's head coach. Schmitt passed Greg Gattuso (1993-2004) for the most wins in program history.

- Schmitt posted his 100th win at Duquesne with the Dukes' victory at Wagner last season. He became one of nine active coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current schools.

- Schmitt currently sits 15th among active FCS head coaches with 134 career wins, recently passing Gattuso who has posted 131 career victories between Duquesne and Albany. 

LAST TIME OUT 
Duquesne 39, Bryant 34 - 10/09/21
- After Duquesne took a 39-34 lead on a Davie Henderson touchdown reception from Darius Perrantes with just 31 seconds to play, the Dukes stopped Bryant receiver David Zorrilla inches from the end zone on a Hail Mary completion as time expired to secure the NEC victory over the Bulldogs.

- Bryant gained a 34-33 advantage with under two minutes remaining with a Daniel Adeboboye two-yard touchdown rush to cap a 73-yard scoring drive. 

- Duquesne answered when Perrantes found Henderson in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown strike, after marching down the field in just a minute and 23 seconds. Duquesne held the 39-34 edge after the Dukes' two-point attempt was no good.

- Perrantes completed 29-of-41 passes for 316 yards and a trio of touchdowns on the day compared to just one interception. The sophomore added seven rushes for 38 yards and a score. 

- Cyrus Holder finished with seven receptions for a team-high 103 yards and a touchdown while Henderson posted six receptions for 42 yards and a pair of touchdown grabs. 

- Wykeen Gill registered 179 all-purpose yards (69 kick return, 59 receiving and 51 punt return) in the win. He had a career-high seven receptions for 59 yards and added a big 30-yard completion on a trick play. 

- Garrett Owens tallied five receptions for 70 yards to go with 15 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown on the day. 

- Billy Lucas paced the Duquesne ground game with 11 rushes for 50 yards. Dominic Thieman chipped in three catches for 45 yards while Bill O'Malley had two receptions for 27 yards for the Dukes. 

- On defense, Leandro DeBrito registered a team-high seven tackles (six solo) with a pass breakup. Temitipe Agoro recorded six tackles (four solo) with a tackle for loss while Kevin Kurzinger had six tackles (two solo) with 1.5 TFL and a half sack. 

- Todd Hill finished with six tackles (two solo) with a half tackle for loss for Duquesne. Jahan Worth tallied five tackles (two solo) with a team-high three pass breakups while reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Week Jeremiah Josephs had five tackles (three solo) in the win.

- Brian Bruzdewicz connected on field goals from 28 and 20 yards out in the game. He is now 9-of-9 on field goal attempts on the season for the Dukes. 

LAST MEETING
Sacred Heart 34, No. 25 Duquesne 27 (OT) - 04/11/21
- No. 25 Duquesne erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime in the NEC Championship game, but Sacred Heart struck first in the bonus period before forcing a Dukes fumble to collect a 34-27 victory at Arthur J. Rooney Field. 

- Trailing 27-13 late in the third quarter, Duquesne cut the Pioneers' lead in half when Joe Mischler found Cyrus Holder on a 12-yard touchdown pass with just under 12 minutes remaining in the fourth stanza. 

- The Dukes forced a pair of punts on Sacred Heart's next two series, when Mischler hit Joey Isabella on a 35-yard touchdown strike to even it up at 27-27 with 4:18 to go in the quarter. Mischler and the Dukes marched 98 yards on the scoring drive in just five plays.

- The two teams traded punts on the last drives of regulation, sending the contest to overtime. 

- Duquesne, playing its first overtime game since 2009, won the toss and elected to play defense first. Todd Hill recorded a tackle on first down before an incomplete pass by Sacred Heart on second down. AJ Garson and A.J. Ackerman's sack on third down pushed the Pioneers back to the Dukes' 29-yard line, forcing a 4th-and-14 for Sacred Heart. Marquez McCray would find Naseim Brantley in stride for the Pioneer 29-yard touchdown. 

- The Dukes recorded two first downs on their first possession, moving the ball inside the Pioneer five-yard line. On first-and-goal, Mischler kept it himself through the left side of the line, when Omar Fraser popped the ball loose into the end zone where it was recovered by Sacred Heart's Frank Alfano. 

- Mischler finished 23-of-40 for 335 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. 

- Billy Lucas rushed for 110 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. 

- Cyrus Holder tallied eight receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Joey Isabella registered six catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Isabella also had a 72-yard punter return for a touchdown called back. 

- Garson paced the Duquesne defense with a career-high 10 tackles (nine solo) including 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss to go with a pair of quarterback hurries. 

THE SERIES
- The Dukes and Pioneers will meet for the 18th time Saturday, with Duquesne holding a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to the 2001 campaign. 

- The Dukes' loss to Sacred Heart in the NEC Championship game snapped a six-game winning streak for Duquesne against Sacred Heart, the longest streak by either team in the all-time series. 

- Since 2011, the Dukes have won a conference-high five NEC Championships while the Pioneers are second in that span with four conference titles. 

- Duquesne is 6-1 against Sacred Heart in games in Fairfield, capturing a win in three straight trips to the Pioneers' Campus Field. 

- The Dukes are also 10-3 against Sacred Heart in NEC contests, defeating the Pioneers 30-27 in the spring season opener this past March. Duquesne is also 5-2 against Sacred Heart in games decided by seven points or less. 

PERRANTES NAMED NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Duquesne quarterback Darius Perrantes garnered NEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors following his performance in the Dukes' 39-34 victory over Bryant. 

- Perrantes collects his second NEC Offensive Player of the Week accolade in four starts for Duquesne, becoming the first Duke to earn two NEC Offensive Player of the Week awards in the same season since A.J. Hines was a four-time honoree in 2018. He is the first Duquesne quarterback to garner two NEC Player of the Week honors in the same year since Sean Patterson in 2010. 

- The Golden State native completed 29-of-41 passes for a career-high 316 yards and a trio of touchdowns to help the Dukes post the thrilling triumph over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Rooney Field. He added seven rushes for 38 yards and a score, as well. 

- Perrantes' 29 completions are tied for the fourth-most in a single game in school history and were the most by a Duquesne quarterback since Dillon Buechel completed 33 passes in the Dukes' FCS Playoff game at William & Mary on Nov. 28, 2015.

DUKES IN THE NEC 
- Duquesne has won a league-high five NEC titles since 2011, earning the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs twice: in 2015 and again in 2018. 

- The Dukes have tallied more overall wins (73) and conference victories (45) than any other team during that span.

SCOUTING THE DUKES
- Duquesne welcomes back all 22 starters from the spring 2021 season including 17 All-NEC selections. 

- Darius Perrantes entered the TCU game when First Team All-NEC quarterback Joe Mischler left the contest in the first quarter with an injury. Perrantes - a Rhode Island transfer in his second season with the Dukes - made his Duquesne debut against the Horned Frogs, completing three passes. He started two games as a freshman at Rhode Island and appeared in three games total, completing 25-of-47 passes for 287 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. 

- In the backfield, the Dukes return their top two rushers from the spring in Second Team All-NEC selection Garrett Owens and NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year Billy Lucas. 

- Owens averaged 102.8 yards from scrimmage last season with six total touchdowns, finishing with three 100-yard rushing performances during the five-game season. Lucas closed the year with consecutive 110-yard rushing showings for Duquesne, finding the end zone in both of those contests. 

- Duquesne welcomes back its top five receivers from the spring led by First Team All-NEC selection Cyrus Holder, who paced the conference with 23 receptions for 491 yards and five touchdowns last season. Second Team All-NEC honoree Davie Henderson registered 22 catches for 282 yards while Joey Isabella recorded 17 receptions for 194 yards and a pair of scores. Freshman Joey Isabella had 17 receptions for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Dukes while veteran Dominic Thieman also returns for the Duquesne wideouts after his spring season was cut short due to injury. 

- On the offensive line, AFCA Second Team All-American Jake Dixon highlights a group of four all-conference returners including Michael Dorundo, Vincent Lumia and Roman Macek. 

- The DU o-line paved the way for five 100-yard individual rushing performances in the five-game season in addition to a pair of 300-yard passing games. They limited opponents to one-or-fewer sacks in three contests on the year while helping Duquesne scored at least 17 points in each game during spring season, including a pair of 30-point performances. Eric Neill also returns for the Dukes while Duquesne added Lehigh transfer Matt Fest to the offensive front, as well. 

- On the defensive side, the Dukes return five All-NEC selections, keyed in the defensive backfield by a pair of veterans in Spencer DeMedal and Leandro DeBrito. The two safeties both garnered First Team All-NEC accolades in the spring, as DeBrito tallied a team-high 37 tackles with an interception and a pair of pass breakups while DeMedal recorded 32 tackles with 3.5 TFL, two interceptions and two pass breakups for the Dukes. Temitope Agoro (21 tackles), Ezekiel Daure (16 tackles) and Ryan Webb (four pass breakups, interception) also return at defensive back for Duquesne, which also added Pittsburgh native Jeremiah Josephs in the offseason. 

- The Dukes also have a pair of All-NEC honorees returning at linebacker in Jahan Worth and Todd Hill. Worth finished third on the team with 27 tackles with two TFL while Hill posted 25 tackles with two TFL including a sack. 

- Up front, First Team All-NEC defensive lineman Maxi Hradecny returns for Duquesne after registering 15 tackles and two TFL during the spring season. The Dukes also welcome back AJ Garson (17 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and Nathan Proctor Jr. (11 tackles) to the defensive line. 

- All-NEC kicker Brian Bruzdewicz (placekicker) is back for Duquesne, as well. Bruzdewicz led all kickers in the conference in scoring with 27 points on the season.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS 
- Sacred Heart comes into Saturday's game with a 4-3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in NEC play following a 27-17 win over intrastate rival Central Connecticut last week. 

- The Pioneers feature the nation's leading rusher in Malik Grant, who has tallied 853 yards on the season with five rushing touchdowns. Grant is playing in place of the injured Julius Chestnut, a Walter Payton Award finalist and the NEC Offensive Player of the Year this past spring. 

- Sacred Heart paces the country in passing defense, limiting  opponents to 126.6 yards per game through the air. The Pioneers also lead the NEC and rank 12th in the FCS in scoring defense, holding opposing teams to 16.3 points per game. 

NEXT UP
Duquesne welcomes intrastate foe Saint Francis U to Rooney Field on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. The game is set to air live on ESPN3.