SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Billy Lucas and
Garrett Owens combined for 215 rushing yards with two touchdowns while the Duquesne defense held Bryant to just three points in the final three quarters in a 20-10 Dukes victory on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Beirne Stadium.
Duquesne caps the regular season with a perfect 4-0 record, earning home-field advantage for the NEC Championship game in April. The Dukes' opponent for that contest at Arthur J. Rooney Field is still to be determined. The Bulldogs fall to 2-2 with the loss.
Bryant struck first on its first march of the game when Daniel Adeboboye ran 38 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown.
Later in the quarter, the Dukes got on the board on a 13-yard touchdown scamper by
Garrett Owens to knot the contest at 7-7 after an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive for Duquesne. Owens and Lucas combined to run for all 80 yards on the Dukes' series.
After the Dukes forced a turnover on downs deep in their own territory, Duquesne's rushing attack of Owens, Lucas and
Ky'ren Cunningham pushed the offense down the field before
Joe Mischler connected with
Cyrus Holder for a two-yard touchdown pass to give the Dukes the lead. Duquesne marched 76 yards on the scoring drive using 15 plays, as Mischler completed his first pass of the day on the score. The Dukes' point after attempt was off the mark, giving DU a 13-7 advantage.
Duquesne held that 13-7 edge heading into the locker room after a Bryant field goal attempt late in the second quarter was wide left.
Early in the second half, Bulldog kicker Luke Samperi redeemed himself on the second-quarter miss with a 22-yard field goal to cut the Dukes' lead to 13-10.
On Duquesne's first play on its opening drive of the fourth quarter, Mischler hit Holder for a 41-yard gain down the middle of the field to put the Dukes into Bryant territory. This set up Lucas' first career touchdown on a two-yard rush just five plays later, extending the Duquesne lead to 20-10.
The Dukes forced a turnover on downs on the Bulldogs' next drive, before a pair of interceptions by Duquesne defensive backs
Spencer DeMedal and
Ryan Webb on Bryant's final two possessions sealed the Dukes' road victory.
Lucas paced the Duquesne ground game with 110 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown, while Owens averaged 7.5 yards per carry with 105 yards on 14 carries with a score. The last time Duquesne had two running backs eclipse 100 yards apiece was the last time the Dukes traveled to Bryant, when Mark Allen tallied 119 yards and A.J. Hines recorded 106 yards on the ground.
With the wet and windy conditions, Mischler attempted just 10 passes on the day, completing four of those attempts for 70 yards and a touchdown. Holder led the Duquesne receiving corps with three receptions for 64 yards and a score.
Jahan Worth paced the Dukes' defense with eight tackles (five solo) on the day.
Leandro DeBrito finished with seven solo stops, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in his home state of Rhode Island.
DeMedal finished with seven tackles (six solo) including a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss to go with his second interception of the season. Webb notched his first interception at Duquesne to go with a pass breakup in the victory.
Mike Smigley averaged 46.3 yards on three punts on the day for the Dukes, two of which went for over 50 yards including a 57-yarder downed at the Bryant five-yard line late in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs finished with a slim 307-295 advantage in total yards. The Dukes were 3-for-3 on trips inside the red zone, while Bryant was 1-for-3.
Duquesne snapped a three-game skid against Bryant with the win and picked up their first victory in Smithfield since 2012.
