PITTSBURGH – Darius Perrantes threw four touchdowns, including three to John Erby in the first half, as the No. 25/24 Duquesne University football team defeated Robert Morris, 31-6, on Saturday at Rooney Field, taking control of first place in the Northeast Conference standings. It was the first matchup between the Dukes and Colonials since 2019.

Duquesne (7-2, 4-0 NEC) extended its win streak to seven games, the program's longest since 2017, and improved to 4-0 in conference play for the second straight season.

Perrantes finished with 231 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-26 passing. Erby's three touchdown receptions set a career high and marked the most by a Duke since 2016. He also recorded a career-best 126 receiving yards. JaMario Clements rounded out the offensive attack with 105 rushing yards, his third consecutive 100-yard game.

Duquesne built a 21-0 halftime lead and continued to pull away, adding a 25-yard field goal by Brian Bruzdewicz and a 44-yard touchdown reception by Joey Isabella in the fourth quarter. Isabella has now scored in six straight games.

The Dukes' defense posted a season-high seven sacks and held RMU to 1-for-11 on third-down conversions. Jack Dunkley led the defense with a career-best 3.0 sacks, including two on the first defensive drive. Ty Howard recorded a red-zone interception for the second consecutive week, extending his takeaway streak to four games.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Duquesne chose to receive the opening kickoff and drove 71 yards in 11 plays to the end zone, snapping an eight-quarter scoreless streak for the Robert Morris defense. Tedy Afful's 26-yard reception on a fourth-and-7 kept the drive alive, and John Erby capped it with a contested 13-yard touchdown catch on third down.

Erby struck again with a 45-yard touchdown reception to start the second quarter, putting the Dukes up 14-0. He extended the lead to three scores with an 18-yard touchdown grab 29 seconds before halftime.

Duquesne kept Robert Morris from crossing midfield in the first half until the Colonials' final drive, which stalled at the Duquesne 42-yard line.

Robert Morris entered the red zone for the first time on its opening drive of the second half, but Ty Howard intercepted a tipped pass by Khatavian Franks to end the threat.

Defenses held strong in the third quarter until JaMario Clements' 22-yard run set up the Dukes for a score. Brian Bruzdewicz finished the drive with a 25-yard field goal less than a minute into the fourth quarter, making it 24-0.

RMU ended the shutout on the next possession but missed a two-point conversion. The Dukes responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive, sealed by Joey Isabella's 44-yard touchdown catch.

NOTES

• The Dukes have won seven in a row for the first time since 2017 and the third time in the 2000s.
• Darius Perrantes moved into fourth place on Duquesne's all-time list for career touchdown passes, now with 65, passing Sean Patterson (63 from 2009-'12) … Perrantes has thrown for multiple touchdowns in six straight games and logged his fourth career outing with four or more touchdown passes.
• John Erby became the 12^th receiver in program history with a three-touchdown game and totaled a career-high 126 yards … It is his second outing above 120 yards in the last three games … Three receiving touchdowns is the most by a Duke since Blair Roberts had four vs. Bryant on Oct. 29, 2016.
• Third straight and fifth 100-yard game of the season for JaMario Clements, who finished with a game-high 105 yards on 21 carries which tied a career high.
• Howard led the team in tackles for the third time in the last five games with eights, which tied a career-best, and one sack to go along with the interception – his third INT of the season and fourth straight game with a takeaway … Luke Miller added five stops, as 21 Dukes recorded tackles.
• Kyle Romenick tied a program record with a career-long 73-yard punt in the second quarter … Romenick punted six times with a pair of 50-plus yard boots and an average of 48.7 on the day.
• Brian Bruzdewicz totaled seven points (4 -for-4 PAT and 1-for-1 FG) to pass Mark Troyan (2005-'08) for second all-time at Duquesne in career points by a kicker, now with 237.