BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - After a pair of fumble recoveries and a special teams touchdown, Duquesne defensive back Tim Lowery has been selected as the Northeast Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Lowery was also named to the Week 8 Prime Perfomers list by the NEC alongside teammates Darius Perrantes and Joey Isabella after the Dukes improved to 3-0 in conference play with a 38-35 win over reigning champion Saint Francis on Saturday.

Lowery took advantage of a botched punt attempt in the final seconds of the first half, scooping up the wild snap and ran it back for a 15-yard touchdown return to put Duquesne by its largest margin of the game (24 points) at the break. It was the first fumble return for a touchdown for the Dukes since Christian Kuntz, an active member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, scooped and scored versus Sacred Heart on November 12, 2016. A graduate student from Winter Haven, Fla., Lowery also recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half becoming just the third player in the NEC to have multiple fumble recoveries in a game this season and first to do so in league play.

Lowery, who is a first-time NEC Special Teams Player of the Week winner, joins kicker Brian Bruzdewicz as the second Special Teams Player of the Week for DU this season, the first time Duquesne has had two players earn the honor since 2016 (Austin Krimmins / Xavier Nelson).  

Perrantes threw for three touchdowns for the third time this season, while charting his second straight, fourth of the season and ninth career 200+ yard passing game with 227 yards on 13-of-24 passing. The junior quarterback extended his NEC-lead to 14 touchdown passes on the season and had a league-best 166.53 pass efficiency rating last week. Perrantes averaged 17.46 yards per completion and connected with Isabella for a 69-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for the longest play and touchdown of the season for Duquesne. Now a Prime Performer in back-to-back weeks, Perrantes has earned the recognition four times this season.

Isabella, a preseason all-conference selection, posted a game and career-high 116 yards on four catches with his first TD of the year in the win over Saint Francis. The junior from Mayfield, Ohio outran the SFU secondary for a pair of big plays including the 69-yard score and a 41-yard, fourth quarter catch to get the Dukes inside the red-zone on a scoring drive. Isabella's 116 yards ranks fifth-most by an NEC receiver in a game and the 69-yard catch was the fourth-longest in the conference this season. The honor is the first of the season for Isabella, who has now had a reception in four straight games.

Duquesne is back on the road the next two weeks beginning with a matchup at Sacred Heart this Saturday at 12 pm, which will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The Dukes final home game of the season is scheduled for November 11 at 12 pm against Stonehill. TICKETS

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