LORETTO, Pa. – The Dukes were dealt a 51-14 loss by league-leading Saint Francis on a rainy day at DeGol Field in Northeast Conference (NEC) play.
 
Running back Billy Lucas led the Dukes (3-7, 2-4 NEC) with 41 yards on the ground on 16 carries. Dwayne Menders, Jr. was the team's top wide receiver with a trio of catches for 41 yards. Keshawn Brown added three receptions for 33 yards.
 
Safeties CJ Barnes and Jon Muehlbauer led the Dukes on defense with seven tackles and a tackle for loss apiece.
 
After each team traded possessions to start the game, a muffed punt by the Dukes gave Saint Francis (8-2, 6-0 NEC) the ball deep in Duquesne territory. The defense made a stop and forced a 42-yard field goal that made the score 3-0 with eight minutes to play in the first quarter.
 
Saint Francis went on to score four-unanswered touchdowns over the final 22 minutes of the first half to carry a 30-0 lead into halftime.
 
The Dukes got on the board early in the second half after a mishandled snap on a punt gave Duquesne the ball on the SFU one-yard line. Reserve quarterback Jordan Heisey called his own number on the next play and got into the end zone to make the score 30-7 with 11:41 to play in the third quarter.
 
Duquesne's defense got another three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense, but an interception returned for a touchdown rebuilt Saint Francis's lead to 37-7 with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Dukes defense continued to get stops, leading to a fourth down deep in Saint Francis territory. Defensive back Ryan Webb broke through the Red Flash punt protection and blocked a punt and Luke Harris took it in from five yards out for a touchdown that made the score 37-14 with 5:15 to play in the third quarter.
 
Saint Francis notched two more touchdowns before the game came to its conclusion.
 
SFU quarterback Cole Doyle earned the start and completed 15 of 27 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
 
The Dukes will conclude the 2022 season next Saturday, Nov. 19 when they welcome Wagner for Senior Day at Rooney Field.
 
Duquesne has won 12 of the 17 all-time meetings with the Seahawks, including each of the past seven games. The Dukes have shutout Wagner in each of the previous two meetings.
 
GAME NOTES: Saint Francis established series records for points scored (51) and largest margin of victory (37) … Entering the game, Saint Francis' 17-point win in 2009 was the largest margin of victory against the Dukes in the history of the series, which dates back to 1913 … Harris' punt block for a touchdown was the first by a Duke since 2005 when Steve Mougis returned a blocked punt for a touchdown versus La Salle (11/5/05) … It was also the first blocked punt since a Nick Leopold blocked punt versus Sacred Heart last season (10/23/21) … The Dukes were held to under 100 yards passing (92) for the first time since Week Zero at Florida State when they were limited to 71 yards through the air … it was also the first time the Dukes were held to under 200 yards of total offense (196) since the game at Florida State when they had 164 against the Seminoles ... It is the first time since 1991 & 1992 that Duquesne has lost two-straight games to Saint Francis ... The Dukes, who lead the all-time series 38-10, have never lost three-straight games to the Red Flash.

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