PITTSBURGH – Duquesne was defeated 28-21 by Merrimack in a Northeast Conference (NEC) contest at Rooney Field Saturday afternoon on Homecoming.
Starting quarterback
Joe Mischler was 8-of-15 for 98 yards and a touchdown. Mischler was relieved late in the third quarter by
Darius Perrantes, who completed 5-of-12 for 105 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver
Dwayne Menders, Jr. led the Dukes with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also chipped in 31 yards rushing on three carries and had a 19-yard punt return (143 all-purpose).
Fellow wide out
Abdul Janneh added 73 yards on four receptions with a touchdown. He has scored a touchdown in four of the team's six games this season.
Gallery: (10-8-2022) Merrimack 28, Duquesne 21
Duquesne (1-5, 0-2 NEC) took the opening possession and drove the ball 70 yards on 12 plays, before running back
Billy Lucas cashed in on a one-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0 six minutes into the game.
Merrimack (4-2, 2-0 NEC) answered with a 18-play, 75-yard drive of its own to even the score up less than a minute into the second quarter.
The Dukes punted on their next possession, but safety
Jeremiah Josephs got the ball back for the offense. Josephs laid out and made a diving interception at the Duquesne 32-yard line. Three plays later Mischler found Menders down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown that pushed the Dukes in front 14-7 with 8:23 left in the first half.
The Warriors answered once again with another long drive that lasted 14 plays, before Victor Dawson scored from nine yards out to tie the game up at 14-14 heading into halftime.
Both teams started slowly out of the gates in the second half, before 14 Merrimack points in just over a minute put the Warriors in front 28-14. Gavin McCusker found Hayden Fisher for a 20-yard score at the 4:45-mark. Mischler fumbled the ball deep in Duquesne territory, leading to an 18-yard Dawson touchdown 61 seconds later.
The Dukes turned to Perrantes under center and he led the Dukes on a six-play scoring drive that was capped off by an incredible one-handed 48-yard touchdown reception by Janneh. Janneh fought off his defender for the catch-and-run touchdown that made the score 28-21 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter.
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