PITTSBURGH - Playing their first game in 470 days, the Duquesne Dukes kicked off the 2021 spring football season on a high note on Sunday afternoon, defeating visiting Sacred Heart by a score of 30-27 in a Northeast Conference (NEC) contest at Arthur J. Rooney Field.
Both quarterback
Joe Mischler and running back
Garrett Owens impressed in their debuts on The Bluff, as Mischler finished with 294 yards of total offense and three touchdowns while Owens registered 172 yards from scrimmage and a score on the day.
Despite playing with just one returning starter from the 2019 season, the Dukes' offense looked to be in tune from the beginning, jumping out to a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game when Mischler found
Cyrus Holder on a 32-yard touchdown strike.
After the Pioneers cut the advantage to 7-6 on a Julius Chestnut rushing touchdown, later in the quarter Mischler kept it himself on a play-action fake and scampered 34 yards for the Duquesne touchdown, putting the Dukes ahead 14-6.
Duquesne forced a Sacred Heart three-and-out before extending its lead to 17-6 on a 20-yard field goal by
Brian Bruzdewicz.
Sacred Heart would counter as Chestnut broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run, minimizing the Dukes' lead to 17-12 heading into halftime.
Bruzdewicz pushed the Duquesne lead to 20-12 with his second field goal of the day on the Dukes' first march of the second half, connecting from 33 yards out.
With the Pioneers threatening inside Duquesne territory,
Spencer DeMedal's diving interception gave the Dukes the ball back at their own 25-yard line.
This ignited a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Mischler to Owens to give Duquesne a 27-12 edge.
Billy Lucas rushed four times for 30 yards on the drive while Mischler connected with
Davie Henderson on a 27-yard completion to set up the score.
Chestnut found the end zone for the third time on Sacred Heart's next drive on a nine-yard reception from quarterback Marquez McCray to shrink the deficit to 27-19 early in the fourth quarter.
Duquesne would drive 60 yards in nine plays before Bruzdewicz's 31-yard field goal sailed through the uprights to once again make it a two-score game at 30-19 with just under seven minutes to play.
The Pioneers and Chestnut once again answered when the junior running back hauled in a 32-yard touchdown reception from McCray before converting the two-point attempt himself, cutting the Dukes' lead to 30-27.
However,
Leandro DeBrito would handle the Sacred Heart offside kick attempt to seal the Duquesne victory.
Mischler completed 18-of-26 passes for 231 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. He added 63 yards on the ground and a rushing score.
Owens rushed 26 times for 105 yards while recording four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Henderson caught four passes for 67 yards and Holder finished with three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown catch.
DeBrito paced the Duquesne defense with nine tackles (seven solo) while
Todd Hill tallied eight tackles (four solo) including a sack. DeMedal finished with six tackles (four solo) and the interception.
Vaughn Jennings and
Maxi Hradecny chipped in five tackles apiece for the Dukes.
Chestnut recorded four touchdowns, tallying 168 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards for the Pioneers.
Duquesne outgained the Pioneers 434 to 401 in total yards and held a 32:29-27:31 advantage in time of possession. The Dukes were 9-of-14 on third downs compared to Sacred Heart's 2-of-9.
Duquesne committed seven penalties for a total of 60 yards, less than half as many penalty yards as the Pioneers (11-125).
NEXT UP
Duquesne hits the road to take on Wagner next Sunday, March 14 at noon in Staten Island, N.Y. The game is slated to air on NEC Front Row.
NOTES
- Duquesne has now won six straight over Sacred Heart. The Dukes own a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series.
- Joe Mischler's 34-yd touchdown rush was the longest run by a Duquesne quarterback since Sean Patterson recorded a 44-yard touchdown run vs. Sacred Heart on Oct. 12, 2012.
- Mischler's 63 rushing yards were the most by a quarterback since Tommy Stuart had 72 yards on 12 attempts against Central Connecticut on Nov. 11, 2017.
- Tallying 105 yards on the ground on 26 carries, Garrett Owens now has 12 career 100-yard rushing performances.
- Brian Bruzdewicz, who made his Duquesne football debut after competing for the Dukes' soccer team last season, was 3-for-3 on field goals (20, 33, 31) and 3-for-3 on PATs.
- The Dukes are now 24-8 in NEC action since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, including a 14-3 mark at Rooney Field.
- Duquesne has won 12 home openers in a row following Sunday's victory.
- Head coach Jerry Schmitt now has 99 wins in 16 seasons at Duquesne. He is 99-67 at Duquesne and 127-88 in 21 overall seasons as a head coach.
Gallery: (3-7-2021) @DuqFB 30, Sacred Heart 27
