PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University football team is back in the NCAA Division I FCS Championship for the third time in program history, and first since 2018, after claiming its sixth Northeast Conference (NEC) championship. The Dukes open postseason play with a first round matchup at No. 21/23 Youngstown State on Saturday at 5 pm.
THE BASICSÂ
November 25, 2023 | 5:00 PM | Stambaugh Stadium (Youngstown, Ohio)
(RV) Duquesne Dukes (7-4, 6-1Â NEC)Â
(No. 21/23) Youngstown State Penguins (7-4, 5-3 MVFC)Â
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Duquesne Game Notes |Â Â YSU Game NotesÂ
BY THE NUMBERS
OPENING KICKOFF
- Duquesne is in the FCS playoffs for the third time in program history - first appearance since 2018 ... The Dukes are 1-2 all-time in FCS playoff games, with a first round victory at Towson (31-10) their last time in the field ... Duquesne is one of two NEC programs to win an FCS playoff game (Wagner in 2012).
- The Dukes won their sixth Northeast Conference (NEC) title this season and clinched the AQ to the playoffs with a 26-14 victory at Merrimack last weekend - DU's second outright NEC title.
- Duquesne has now won nine conference championships in the 19 seasons under Coach Jerry Schmitt (MAAC and NEC) ... DU has earned a conference title 17 times since 1995 (29 seasons) ... DU joined the FCS level in 1993 and became a member of a conference (MAAC) in 1994.
- Duquesne earned national recognition this week, landing in the receiving votes section of both the Stats Perform and AFCA Top-25 - its first appearance in the polls since 2021 ... The Dukes have been ranked in the top-25 three times in program history.
- Junior quarterback Darius Perrantes was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award - which is given to the national offensive player of the year in the FCS - and head coach Jerry Schmitt was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award - which is given to the FCS national coach of the year, while also earning NEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
- Youngstown State is in the playoffs for the first time in seven years ... After winning four of their final five games to stay in consideration, the Penguins earned an at-large bid out of the Missouri Valley Conference ... The last time YSU was in the playoffs, the Penguins won four games and made the 2016 national title game ... YSU has won 16 straight playoff games at home and is 5-1 at home this season.
- The winner of the game will move on to face the No. 8 seed Villanova next Saturday at noon.
THE SERIES
- A familiar foe, Duquesne and Youngstown State have played five times since the 2013 season ... YSU is 5-0 in the meetings and all five have been in Youngstown.
- In five matchups, the Dukes average 15.6 points, while YSU averages 40.6.
- Last season when the sides met, DU got out in front 7-0 early and trailed by just three points (17-14) after three quarters, but ultimately fell 31-14Â ... Duquesne quarterback Joe Mischler was intercepted twice and YSU All-American running back Jaleel McLaughlin ran for over 200 yards ... The Dukes were able to get two receivers over 100 yards and out-passed the Penguins 274-154, but were held to 51 yards rushing.
THE COACHES
Duquesne: Jerry Schmitt (19th season / 120-82 at DU) Â
- Head coach Jerry Schmitt is in his 19th season at the helm of the Duquesne program. He was was announced as a finalist for FCS Coach of the Year (Eddie Robinson Award), his third time being a finalist, and was recognized as NEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career this season. It was his fourth Coach of the Year as the Dukes leader between the MAAC and NEC.
- Schmitt became the Dukes' all-time winningest coach in 2019 with his 98th win as Duquesne head coach, passing Greg Gattuso (1993-2004) for the most wins in program history. He is one of 12 active coaches with 100+ FCS wins at their current school.
- Schmitt, who recently coached his 200th career game at Duquesne, is the longest tenured coach in the NEC and amongst any of the collegiate or professional football teams in Pittsburgh.
Youngstown State: Doug Phillips (4th season / 18-21 at YSU)
- Doug Phillips is an Ohio native and former YSU graduate assistant coach ... He returned to the program to lead it as the eighth coach in school history starting in the fall of 2021 ... Phillips is a 1991 graduate of Toledo ... He is leading the Penguins in the playoffs for the first time under his tenure this season ... YSU has now posted back-to-back seven win seasons, last year's seven were the most by the Penguins since 2016.
DUKES REIGN SUPREME IN NEC
- The Dukes have enjoyed a great deal of success in NEC play, claiming six conference titles since 2011. Duquesne won its sixth title and second outright this season. The Dukes also won in 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018 while capturing the outright title in 2015. Duquesne has now earned the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs three times (2015, 2018, and 2023).
- The Dukes got off to their best NEC start in program history this season (5-0) and the six conference wins are the second-most in a season since joining the NEC only behind a 7-1 record in 2011.
- Duquesne is the winningest program in the conference over the past 12 seasons with a league-leading 87 wins and 57 conference wins since 2011 ... DU holds a 66-41 all-time record in NEC contests.
- Duquesne's six NEC titles are tied with Albany, Robert Morris, and Central Connecticut State for the most in conference history ... Duquesne has claimed its six titles over 15 years, only Albany (12 years) won six in a shorter membership ... All six DU championships have come since 2011.
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
- Youngstown State was on the right side of the bubble after finishing the season winners in four of the final five games ... The Penguins downed Murray State, 34-17, behind four touchdowns from QB Mitch Davidson in the regular season finale last week.
- In their 10 games against FCS opponents this season the Penguins have scored at least 31 points in eight of them and registered 40 or more five times.
- 25 of their 44 offensive touchdowns this season have come on the ground ... Tyshon King ranks top-25 in the FCS in rushing yards with 894 (81.3 per game) and has scored nine times on the ground ... Dra Rushton is right behind with eight rushing scores, while QB Mitch Davidson has scampered in the endzone five times.
- Davidson ranks top-10 nationally in passing efficiency (159.7) and enters with 19 touchdown passes to four interceptions ... Davidson is 22nd in the FCS with 2,485 passing yards and averages 225.9 per game.
- Senior Devin Lee paces the defense with 5.0 sacks, as YSU ranks 11th in the FCS averaging 2.82 sacks per game ... Six Penguins have three or more sacks on the year.
- The Penguins lead the MVFC and are eighth nationally in third-down defense (31.2%).
- Youngstown State ranks in the top-10 in rushing defense (96.7 yards allowed per game), but is 12th in the MVFC allowing 252.5 passing yards per game.
- Offensively, YSU has coughed up an MVFC-low four fumbles this season.
-Â YSU is 29-8 all-time for a .783 winning percentage. The Guins won I-AA/FCS titles in 1997, 1994, 1993 and 1991. YSU also advanced to the title game in 2016, 1999 and 1992.Â
PUTTING UP POINTS
- Duquesne leads the conference in scoring offense averaging 28.9 points per game and posted 32.6 points per game in NEC action ... Duquesne scored 26 or more points in every conference game.
- The offense also leads the league in total yards (373.0) and passing yards (217.5) per game.
- The 44 points versus Central Connecticut were the most in a conference home opener for the Dukes since joining the NEC ... The 17-points at WVU were the most ever for DU in three games against a Power-Five opponent ... DU's 49 points in the home-opening win was the second-most in the past 12 home openers (56 in win over Virginia Lynchburg in 2021).
THIRTY-POINT TREND
- Duquesne is 5-0 when scoring more than 30 points and 6-0 when holding opponents under 30 points.
STARTING FAST
- Duquesne is 5-0 when leading after the first quarter ... The Dukes have scored first eight times, going 6-2 when doing so, and have tallied points on their first drive of the game four times (3-1).
10 DUKES ON ALL-CONFERENCE LIST
- Duquesne had 10 players represented on the All-NEC teams announced this week, four first teamers and six second-team selections ... 10 honorees are the most since 2021.
- Quarterback Darius Perrantes and wide receiver DJ Powell headlined the offense on first team, while (DL) Noah Palmer and (DB) Ayden Garnes made the first team defense list.
- Michael Dorundo (center) earned his second all-conference selection appearing on the second team honors ... Freshman running back Edward Robinson and wide receiver Keshawn Brown also represented the Dukes on the offensive second team ... Ryan Lopez (DL), Gianni Rizzo (LB), and Dayvia Gbor (DB) were second team defense
IN THE RECORD BOOK
- Junior quarterback Darius Perrantes, who was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the FCS national offensive player of the year, is 209 yards away from becoming the fifth player in program history to eclipse 2,500 passing yards in a season ... His 21 touchdown passes are the most since Tommy Stuart's 27 in 2017.
TOUCHDOWNS THROUGH THE AIR
- 23 of the 39 offensive touchdowns this season have come through the air (Perrantes - 21 and Robinson - 2), which is the most passing TDs by any NEC team this season.
- The Dukes have had at least one passing TD in every game this season and multiple seven times.
- Graduate transfer DJ Powell leads the NEC and is tied for sixth in the FCS with nine touchdown catches ... He leads all NEC receivers by at least two TD catches and all non-Dukes by at least four ... Powell's touchdowns have come in seven different games and he has two games with two touchdowns, his first two career multi-score games.
- Redshirt sophomore Keshawn Brown had his first career multi-score game last week with two and is second in the NEC with seven TDs ... Brown broke free for an 89-yard catch-and-run touchdown in Game 10 vs. Stonehill for the longest touchdown of the season by the Dukes and longest pass of the season in the NEC.
- Junior transfer Tedy Afful is tied for third in the NEC with five touchdown grabs ... Of the seven receivers in the conference with 5+ TDs, Duquesne has three of them.
- Powell and Brown each caught five TDs in conference play, tied for the most in the NEC, while Afful snagged four of his five in NEC action, tied for second-most in the league.
- Afful (at LIU) and Powell (vs. Edinboro / at Sacred Heart) are two of seven receivers in the NEC to record multiple touchdown catches in a game this season ... Powell and Merrimack's Donovan Wadley are the only receivers in the league to have multiple TD grabs in multiple games this season.
- Junior quarterback Darius Perrantes leads the NEC with 21 touchdown passes and 2291 passing yards (208.27 per game) ... Perrantes has thrown a TD in eight straight games and 10 of the 11 this season, including multiple scores seven times and three, four times - the most by an NEC QB this season ... He has 14 career games with multiple passing TDs.
LONGBALL SUCCESS
- The Dukes tied a season-high with seven passes for over 15-yards last week at Merrimack (tied with Wagner game) ... On the season, DU has completed 58 passes for 15-plus yards with multiple in every game so far including six five times ... 16 of the 23 passing touchdowns have been for 15+ yards ... Keshawn Brown scored the longest touchdown of the year for the Dukes with the longest reception in the NEC this week (89 yards) vs. Stonehill in game 10.
- Duquesne has had a touchdown pass of 38 yards or more in five straight games and completed a pass for over 35 yards in every game, including 50+ in six outings.
- DU leads the FCS in passing yards per completion (17.33) ... The Dukes average the most passing yards per game in the NEC (217.5) ... Duquesne racked up 200+ passing yards in every conference game and a league-best eight times this season.
- Darius Perrantes is atop the FCS in yards per completion at 17.90 ... He also leads the NEC in yards per attempt (9.13) - 4th in the FCS - and passing yards (2291 / 208.3) per game).
- Duquesne has three of the top four receivers on the NEC's yards per reception leaderboard, all above 18 yards per catch which ranks top-15 in the FCS ... Â DJ Powell (21.27) paces the NEC and is sixth in the FCS, Keshawn Brown (18.86) is second in the league and 10th in the FCS, Tedy Afful (18.5) is third in the conference and 14th nationally.
- The trio is also top-10 in receiving yards in the league, all with over 400 yards on the season ... Powell is second the NEC with 702 yards and 63.8 per game, Brown is right behind third in the league with 660 yards (60.0 / game), and Afful holds the ninth spot at 444 yards (40.4 / game).
- Brown (vs. Stonehill), Powell (vs. Wagner), Afful (vs. CCSU), and Joey Isabella (vs. SFU) all have 100+ yard games this season ... Brown, Powell, and Afful all have had a two-touchdown game this season as well - Powell has done so twice.
WE'LL TAKE THAT
- The Dukes defense has created the most turnovers in the NEC with 19, which is top-25 in the country, and has scored four D/ST touchdowns this season, the most since 2016.
- DU dominated in the season opener with five takeaways (3 INTs and 2 fumbles), the most in a game in recorded program history, four of which in the first quarter.
- Ryan Lopez (scoop and score at Wagner), Tim Lowery (special teams fumble on a punt vs. SFU), and a pair of pick sixes (Khatavian Franks at Wagner and Ayden Garnes vs. Edinboro) account for the four scores ... Garnes' was the quickest touchdown to start a DU season in recorded history and the fastest score for the Dukes to begin a season since Aaron Reed recorded a 13-yard safety on the first play from scrimmage in the 2013 season opener versus Albany at Rooney Field.
- Three takeaways have come in the redzone (both at LIU and an interception by Garnes at Delaware).
- DU has two fumble returns for touchdown this season, prior to Lowery's against SFU the Dukes did not have one since Christian Kuntz, an active member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, scooped and scored versus Sacred Heart on November 12, 2016
FUMBLE FRONT-RUNNERS
- Duquesne leads the NEC and is top-15 in the FCS with 10 fumbles recovered ... DU has recovered two fumbles in three separate games.
- Ryan Lopez leads the NEC with three fumble recoveries, which is the second-most in the FCS.
SECONDARY SUCCESS
- The Dukes secondary ranks top-20 in the FCS in passing yards allowed per game (177.4) ... Duquesne has nine INTs, paced by Dayvia Gbor's three ... Ayden Garnes leads the NEC with 11 pass breakups and also has two interceptions.
SACK PARTY
- Duquesne has had 16 different players account for its 25 sacks this season ... Noah Palmer (4.5), Gianni Rizzo (3.5), Ryan Lopez (2.5), Khatavian Franks (2.0) and Jack Dunkley (2.0) lead the unit.
- All 4.5 for Palmer have come in NEC play, tied for the most by any player in the league.
- 25 sacks are second-most in the NEC, a league-best 16 of them came in conference play ... Duquesne has had at least one sack in all but one game (at Coastal).
- The 2022 Dukes totaled 29 sacks, tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history
- Duquesne's offensive line is top-25 in the FCS allowing just 1.36 sacks per game. The Dukes did not allow a sack in the Coastal Carolina nor Sacred Heart games.
NEC WEEKLY HONORS FOR THE DUKES
- Duquesne won NEC Offensive Player, Defensive Player, and Rookie of the Week this past week - the first time in program history that DU had all three in the same week ... Darius Perrantes took home offense, Gianni Rizzo won defensive, and Edward Robinson got his third rookie honor.
- Perrantes threw for three TDs, Rizzo racked up 10 tackles (9 solos), and Robinson paced the run game while scoring a touchdown to go up two scores in the fourth quarter in the championship-clinching win at Merrimack.
- The Dukes garnered a major weekly award in four straight weeks (Week 5-8) ... Tim Lowery earned special teams after recovering two fumbles and scoring a TD against Saint Francis, the second SPTOW for DU after Brian Bruzdewicz got the honor in Week Five after the game-winning field goal ... Duquesne running backs grabbed awards in Weeks Five, Six, and Seven.
- Taj Butts was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Week after posting a career-high 118 yards on the ground with three touchdown (two rushing and one receiving) in the win over CCSU ... The three scores are tied for the most of any player in the NEC in a game this season and was the first time a Duke recorded three in a game since A.J. Hines did so in October of 2018.
- Edward Robinson, a freshman running back from Maple Heights, Ohio, was named the NEC Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks five and six, then again in the final week of the regular season ... He is the first Duke to earn back-to-back ROW awards since AJ Hines won six in a row in 2016 ... Hines went on to win a league record 10 times in his freshman campaign ... Robinson ties Dillon Buechel (QB - 2013) for second-most ROW honors as a Duke.
PLAYER OF THE WEEKS
- Week 5: Special Teams POW - Brian Bruzdewicz / Rookie of the Week - Edward Robinson
- Week 6: Rookie of the Week - Edward Robinson
- Week 7: Offensive Player of the Week - Taj Butts
- Week 8: Special Teams POW - Tim Lowery
- Week 12: Offensive POW - Darius Perrantes / Defensive POW - Gianni Rizzo / Rookie of the Week - Edward Robinson
PRIME PERFORMERS
- Week 1: DB - Ayden Garnes ... Week 2: QB - Darius Perrantes ... Week 5: QB - Darius Perrantes, WR - Tedy Afful, K - Brian Bruzdewicz ... Week 7: RB - Taj Butts, QB - Darius Perrantes, WR - Tedy Afful ... Week 8: DB - Tim Lowery, QB - Darius Perrantes, WR - Joey Isabella ... Week 9: Edward Robinson ... Week 10: WR - DJ Powell, LB - Khatavian Franks ... Week 11: QB - Darius Perrantes, LB - Gianni Rizzo ... Week 12: QB - Darius Perrantes, LB - Gianni Rizzo.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
- Follow Duquesne football online all season at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqFB).
- Dukes Football can be heard live all season on 104.7 HD2, on the iHeart Radio App, or on ESPNpgh.com by searching Duquesne.
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