PITTSBURGH - No. 25 Duquesne erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship game, but Sacred Heart struck first in the bonus period before forcing a Dukes fumble to collect a 34-27 victory on Sunday afternoon 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. Jahan Worth and Spencer DeMedal each added six solo tackles. Ackerman, who switched to the defensive line from the offensive side of the ball just prior to the Dukes' last game at Bryant, totaled five tackles (four solo) with 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack and a hurry. 

Duquesne outgained the Pioneers 467-376 including a 335-186 advantage in passing yards. Turnovers proved to be crucial as Sacred Heart had two takeaways, both coming in the red zone, while not turning it over at all in the win. The Dukes scored three times in six trips inside the red zone, while the Pioneers capitalized on all four red zone chances. 

Sacred Heart struck first when Naseim Brantley took the pitch on a reverse play and hit Garrett Lynn in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt was off the mark, giving the Pioneers a 6-0 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the first quarter. 

Duquesne answered on its next drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Lucas which put the Dukes ahead 7-6 after a Brian Bruzdewicz point after. 

Sacred Heart responded in the second quarter with a seven-yard touchdown pass from McCray to Rob DiNota. The Pioneers would attempt a two-point conversion, but the Dukes kept Sacred Heart out of the end zone to limit the Pioneer lead to 12-7 at the 4:28 mark of the second period. 

Duquesne drove down into Sacred Heart territory to the Pioneers' 19-yard line on its next march, but a Randy Brito interception with under a minute to play gave Sacred Heart the lead into halftime. 

On the Dukes' first series of the second half, Mischler connected with Isabella for his first career touchdown on an 11-yard pass to the right side of the end zone. Duquesne would attempt the two-point conversion but the Pioneers broke up a pass attempt, as the Dukes held a 13-12 edge. 

Sacred Heart countered with a Malik Grant one-yard touchdown rush followed by a two-point conversion pass from McCray to Liam Cabri, putting the Pioneers on top 20-13 with 7:57 remaining in the third stanza. 

Sacred Heart forced two Duquesne three-and-outs in a row before extending its lead to 27-13 with a six-yard touchdown rush by Julius Chestnut with 2:35 showing on the third quarter clock. 

McCray was 15-of-23 for 180 yards and two touchdowns for the Pioneers. Chestnut toted the ball 25 times for 173 yards and a touchdown while Brantley finished with four receptions for 74 yards and a score. 

With the win, Sacred Heart earns the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs which begin on Saturday, April 24. 

GAME NOTES

• The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Dukes against the Pioneers. 
• Mischler now has a pair of 300-yard passing games on the season after tallying 385 pass yards in a 35-17 win over LIU (3.21.21). 
• Lucas rushed for over 100 yards for the second consecutive game. 
• Holder posted his fifth career 100-yard receiving game and second this season after recording a career-best 211 yards against LIU (3.21.21). 
• Duquesne was playing in its first overtime game since a 23-17 double-overtime loss to Wagner on Oct. 31, 2009.