STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Duquesne held Wagner to just 44 second-half yards and Garrett Owens rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the Dukes blanked the Seahawks 17-0 on Sunday afternoon at Hameline Field.
 
Sixteenth-year head coach Jerry Schmitt collected his 100th win at Duquesne with the victory as the Dukes improved to 2-0 on the season.   Sunday's victory marks the Dukes' first shutout win since a 45-0 triumph over Lock Haven on Sept. 1, 2018 and Duquesne's first shutout in an NEC contest since a 38-0 win over Wagner on Oct. 7, 2017.
 
Schmitt, the all-time winningest coach in program history, becomes one of just nine active head coaches with 100 FCS wins at their current school.

On the Dukes' opening drive of the game, Garrett Owens bounced off a tackle to the right side for a seven-yard touchdown rush, putting Duquesne on the board.

A 24-yard pass from Joe Mischler to Davie Henderson and a 16-yard reception by Abdul Janneh set up the touchdown on the Dukes' nine-play, 61-yard scoring march.

The Seahawks moved inside Duquesne territory on their first drive, but the Dukes forced a turnover on downs to end the Wagner threat.

Despite committing two turnovers in the opening half, the Dukes limited the Seahawks to just 30 yards of offense the rest of the half, holding that 7-0 lead at the break.

Owens would again find the end zone on Duquesne's first drive of the third stanza, this time from three yards out to extend the Dukes' advantage to 14-0.

Owens rushed eight times for 37 yards while Henderson recorded four receptions for 30 yards on the drive for Duquesne.

On the ensuing kickoff, Donovan Stanley recovered a muffed kick return attempt for the Dukes, giving Duquesne possession at the Wagner 38-yard line.

This set up a 33-yard field goal by Brian Bruzdewicz to put the Dukes on top, 17-0.  

Duquesne would not allow the Seahawks past midfield for the remainder of the contest, sealing the shutout victory.

All told, the Dukes limited Wagner to just 136 total yards including 73 passing yards and 63 rushing yards.

Leandro DeBrito and Anthony Dellovade each tallied seven tackles to pace the Duquesne defense. Jahan Worth, Todd Hill and Nathan Proctor Jr. each registered six tackles with Worth and Hill notching a tackle for loss apiece, as well.

Spencer DeMedal chipped in five tackles (four solo) on the day with a team-high two tackles for loss. AJ Garson and Lucas D'Orazio also recorded tackles for loss in the win for the Dukes.

Mischler was 19-of-27 for 174 yards with an interception.

Owens rushed 20 times for 89 yards and the two rushing touchdowns. Ky'ren Cunningham toted the ball six times for 59 yards, including a game-long 48-yard rush deep into Wagner territory.

Henderson hauled in a career-high seven receptions for 64 yards. Joey Isabella finished with six catches for 49 yards for the Dukes.

The Dukes finished with 339 total yards, including a balanced 174 through the air and 165 on the ground.
Duquesne posted 21 first downs while the Seahawks moved the chains on just eight occasions.
 
The Dukes also held a 34:15 – 25:45 advantage in time of possession and committed just three penalties for 29 yards.
 
 
GAME NOTES
Duquesne has now won six consecutive matchups against Wagner. The Dukes own an 11-6 advantage in the all-time series.
 
This marks the third shutout in the history of the Duquesne-Wagner series. The Dukes also recorded shutout wins of 14-0 on Nov. 8, 2008 and 38-0 on Oct. 7, 2017.
 
Brian Bruzdewicz has now connected on 4-of-4 field goal attempts for the season. He added a pair of extra points on Sunday, giving him five points on the day and 17 through two games.
 
Garrett Owens finished with a pair of rushing touchdowns on Sunday for the first rushing scores of his Duquesne career. It marked the his 10th career game in which he tallied multiple rushing touchdowns.  
 
Joe Mischler becomes the first Dukes quarterback to win his first two starts at Duquesne since Kevin Rombach in 2005.
 
 
NEXT UP
Duquesne returns home to host LIU next Sunday, March 21 at 12 p.m. at Arthur J. Rooney Field on NEC Front Row.
 
The Sharks are 1-1 on the season after opening the season with a 24-19 win over Bryant before falling by a score of 35-7 at Sacred Heart today.
 
Through just two weeks of action in the Northeast Conference (NEC), the Dukes remain the only unbeaten team in league play at 2-0.