TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A trio of 100-yard rushers helped propel Florida State past Duquesne 47-7 Saturday evening in a Week Zero matchup at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
 
The Seminoles scored 33-unanswered points to open the game and cruised past the Dukes in the season opener for both teams.
 
Duquesne quarterback Joe Mischler, who was playing for the first time since a season-ending knee injury in last season's opener at TCU, was 7-of-17 for 71 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Abdul Janneh was his favorite target, hauling in three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
 
Running back Demarcus Ware led the backfield with 30 yards on 11 carries, while Preseason All-NEC tailback Billy Lucas was limited to 13 yards on seven totes.
 
Florida State received the opening kick and went with an up-tempo offense. The Noles went on a 12-play, 82-yard drive that took just under five minutes and was capped off with a Jordan Travis five-yard quarterback-keeper that made the score 6-0 (two-point attempt failed).
 
Duquesne moved the ball near midfield on its first possession of the game following a 11-yard Abdul Janneh reception that also ended with a Florida State personal foul. Unfortunatly, the Dukes were limited to only three more yards on the next three plays and punted back to the Seminoles.
 
Florida State converted each of its next two possessions for points and secured a 20-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Dukes had their best drive of the first half to open the second quarter. Consecutive rushes of 20 and seven yards by Ware, followed by another 11-yard reception by Janneh put Duquesne at the Florida State 31-yard line. The Seminoles did not allow the Dukes to advance any further and a 48-yard attempt by Brian Bruzdewicz had the distance, but went wide right to keep the score at 20-0 with 11:19 to play in the first half.
 
Florida State pushed the ball into the red zone on each of its next two possessions, but the Duquesne defense made defensive stands each time and limited the Noles to a pair of field goals to enter halftime trailing 26-0.
 
Florida State extended its lead to 33-0 on the opening possession of the second half and was knocking on the red zone on its next possession. Defensive back Ryan Webb halted the drive when he stepped in front of a Tate Rodemaker pass and took it 50 yards back to the Florida State 30-yard line.
 
After an eight-yard pass to Dwayne Menders, Jr., Mischler found Jenneh over the middle near the goal line for a 22-yard touchdown pass that cut the deficit to 33-7 with 4:37 to play in the third quarter.
 
Florida State tacked on touchdown runs of 43 and eight yards to close out the scoring on the evening and secure the win.
 
Tim Lowery led the Dukes defense with eight tackles (six solo), while both Jeremiah Josephs and CJ Barnes each had seven (four solo). Preseason All-NEC linebacker Todd Hill finished with the team's lone sack.
 
Webb, like Mischler, was making his first appearance since suffering a season-ending injury in the 2021 opener at TCU. He added three tackles to his final line.
 
The Dukes snapped Florida State's eight-game streak of at least one interception. It was the longest such streak in the FBS entering the 2022 season.
 
Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis finished and efficient 11 of 15 for 207 yards. Running backs Treshaun Ward (127 yards), Trey Benson (105) and Lawrance Toafili all eclipsed the century mark on the ground for the Seminoles.
 
The Dukes will make the short one hour drive up I-76 into Ohio to take on Youngstown State on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Stambaugh Stadium. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game will broadcast on ESPN+.
 
GAME NOTES: Duquesne did not commit a turnover in the contest … The Dukes offensive line allowed only one sack in the game ... Florida State out-gained the Dukes 638 to 164 in total offense … Florida State averaged 7.5 yards per rush … The Seminoles converted all seven of its red zone chances for points ... Duquesne Preseason All-NEC punter Michael Berarducci averaged 38.1 yards on seven punts with two inside the 20-yard line ... The contest went into an hour-and-a-half delay due to lightening. Players from both sides were forced into the locker rooms until 5:45 p.m. prior to kickoff, which was re-scheduled for 6:30 p.m. … The Dukes are now 1-5 all-time against FBS opponents. Duquesne is the only NEC member to ever beat a FBS opponent (28-26 at Ohio on Sept. 11, 2021) … The Dukes are now 3-3 when playing in the state of Florida, including a 13-12 victory over Mississippi State in the 1937 Orange Bowl.