Skip To Main Content

Duquesne University Athletics

NEC FB Champs 2023
Dylan Kickler
26
Winner Duquesne DUQ 7-4 , 6-1
14
Merrimack MER 5-6 , 4-3
Winner
Duquesne DUQ
7-4 , 6-1
26
Final
14
Merrimack MER
5-6 , 4-3
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DUQ Duquesne 7 7 6 6 26
MER Merrimack 0 14 0 0 14

Game Recap: Football |

Dukes Secure NEC Title and Bid to FCS Playoffs

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The Duquesne University football team secured a trip to the NCAA Division I FCS Championship and the outright Northeast Conference title with a 26-14 win over Merrimack Saturday afternoon at Duane Stadium. 

Junior quarterback Darius Perrantes threw for three touchdowns and the Dukes defense shutout Merrimack in the second half, holding the Warriors to 61 yards of total offense, to lead the way. Duquesne did not allow a first down in six of the seven second-half drives.

With a narrow six-point lead in the fourth quarter, freshman Jack Dunkley had a strip sack deep in Merrimack territory and DU jumped on it to take over in prime position. Fellow freshman Edward Robinson capitalized four plays later with a 10-yard touchdown run putting the Dukes up by two scores at the 6:25 mark and they held on for the win. 

Keshawn Brown caught a pair of touchdown passes in the first half as the Dukes built leads of 7-0 and 14-7, but the Warriors were right there to answer both times and send the game to the half knotted at 14. 

Earlier in the second half, DJ Powell snagged a one-yard touchdown capping off an 8-play, 83-yard drive to take the lead at the 3:43 mark in the third quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
After a pair of quiet opening drives by both sides, Duquesne went 88 yards for the first score of the afternoon at the 6:25 mark of the first quarter. Darius Perrantes found Keshawn Brown, who juked out a defender and raced into the endzone, for a 38-yard score. Quan Easterling help kickstart the scoring drive with an 18-yard grab, his third straight game with a catch for 15+ yards. 

The Warriors took advantage of good field position and tied things up at seven after an eight-play drive was finished off by a 20-yard quarterback keeper. 

Duquesne punched right back with a 43-yard catch by Joey Isabella on the first play after the MC touchdown, then Brown found the endzone once again – this time from 16 yards out. 

The Dukes forced a three-and-out following the second Brown touchdown, but a tipped punt on the fourth-down attempt deflected off a Duke and Merrimack recovered to get the ball back. The Warriors went down and evened the game at 14 less than 30 seconds before the half. 

A 39-yard Edward Robinson run sparked the third-quarter touchdown drive for Duquesne to get back in front, as Perrantes and Powell hooked up for a short yardage pass to finish it off and go up 20-14. 

After the Dunkley forced fumble, Robinson took the ball four straight times and bounced outside for a 10-yard score to push the DU cushion up to 12 points with 6:25 to play. 

Merrimack got their first, first down of the second half on their final drive, but Jaelen Carson brought it to a halt with an interception in the endzone to seal the deal with 1:14 to play. 

NOTES 

  • The Dukes are NEC outright champions for the second time in program history and will be in the FCS playoffs for the third time next week. 

  • Duquesne has won six NEC titles all since 2011 … The Dukes have won nine conference championships under the direction of Jerry Schmitt (19 seasons) and are 17-time conference champions since joining the FCS level in 1993. 

  • Darius Perrantes finished the game 11-of-18 passing for three touchdowns and 218 yards … Perrantes has thrown for 200+ yards in every NEC game this season and it was his fourth three-touchdown game of the season ... Perrantes now has 21 touchdowns on the season, which leads the NEC and is the most by a DU quarterback in a season since Tommy Stuart's 27 in 2017.

  • Edward Robinson led the Dukes with 89 yards on the ground, his fifth game above 80 this year, and scored his seventh touchdown of his freshman campaign … Taj Butts added 46 yards on a team-high 13 carries.

  • Six players recorded receptions with five snagging a pair … Keshawn Brown led the way with 54 yards and two touchdowns, his sixth and seventh of the season … DJ Powell extended his NEC lead to nine touchdowns with his third-quarter grab. 

  • Gianni Rizzo posted a game-high 10 tackles, nine of which solos, and had 1.5 TFLs … Rizzo has recorded a TFL in six of the seven NEC matchups this season … CJ Barnes and Ayden Garnes had six tackles apiece, while Jack Dunkley had the lone sack on the strip sack in the fourth quarter ... The late-game interception by Jaelen Carson was his first of the season.

  • The Dukes secondary held the Warriors to 68 passing yards, while the DU offense racked up 218 over 11 receptions for an average of 19.8 yards per catch. 

  • Duquesne's 6-1 conference record is its second-most NEC wins in a season and most since going 7-1 in 2011, when the Dukes won their first NEC title.

  • Duquesne improves to 2-1 all-time against Merrimack and 2-0 in North Andover. 

UP NEXT 
Duquesne advances to its third NCAA Division I FCS Championship. The selection show will air on Sunday, November 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET live on ESPNU. 
 

FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne football online all season at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqFB).

Print Friendly Version

Sponsors