PITTSBURGH – Duquesne hits the road Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. matchup at Mercyhurst in a battle of 2-0 NEC squads.
THE MATCHUP
October 18, 2025 • 6:00 PM • Rooney Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Duquesne Dukes (4-3, 2-0 NEC)
Mercyhust Lakers (3-4, 2-0 NEC)
ADDITIONAL INFO / GAMEDAY LINKS
- FOLLOW LIVE
- GAME NOTES
- Duquesne Notes | Mercyhurst Notes | NEC Notes
- COACH'S SHOW
OPENING KICKOFF
Pack Your Bags: Duquesne (4-3, 2-0 NEC) travels to Mercyhurst (3-4, 2-0) for its first road game in nearly a month (Sept. 20 at Akron). The matchup begins a three-game road swing, with the Dukes closing the season with four of their final five games away from home — their longest season-ending road stretch since 1990. Duquesne enters on a three-game win streak after completing a 3-0 homestand, outscoring opponents 130-39, including 86-21 in consecutive NEC wins. The Dukes have posted a four-game win streak or longer in all but two seasons since 2011. Duquesne is 2-0 in NEC play for the sixth time in the last seven years and looks to start 3-0 for the third straight season and sixth time overall since joining the league in 2008.
NEC Honors: Four Dukes earned weekly league recognition following the win over Saint Francis.
Joel Kpassou was named Defensive Player of the Week after a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the game's opening play.
Ryan Petras repeated as Rookie of the Week, becoming just the third Duke to go back-to-back as an NEC member (2 rec., 23 yds, 1 TD).
Tyler Riddell (12-24, 185 yds, 4 TDs — all in the first half) and
Tyson Meiguez (3 tackles, 1 sack, 40-yd fumble return TD) were each selected as Prime Performers.
Last Time Out: Duquesne rolled past Saint Francis, 52-7, on Homecoming.
Joel Kpassou's kickoff return was the Dukes' first since 2016 and first to open a game since 2014. The 28-point first quarter tied the program's FCS-era record (28 vs. Marist, 2000), and the 45-0 halftime lead was its largest since joining the FCS in 1993.
Tyler Riddell threw four touchdowns to four different receivers —
Joey Isabella,
Ryan Petras,
Jermaine Johnson and
B.J. Alexander — before
Logan Kushner connected with
Alex Gochis for both players' first career scores. Defensively, the Dukes had 9.0 tackles for loss, five sacks and two takeaways.
TJ Jones had an interception, and
DJ Cerisier forced a fumble recovered and returned 40 yards by
Tyson Meiguez. The Red Flash went three-and-out seven times, crossed midfield just three times in 14 drives and were 1-for-13 on third down.
Mercyhurst Scout: Mercyhurst is one of three unbeaten NEC teams through two weeks, opening its inaugural conference season with wins over LIU (22-13) and Wagner (19-7). The Lakers transitioned to Division I FCS last year but did not play a full league slate. Per NCAA policy, they are ineligible for the NEC's FCS playoff bid this season during reclassification. The Lakers faced a demanding early schedule, taking on three straight ranked opponents — No. 21 Sacramento State, No. 4/5 Montana State, and No. 2 South Dakota State — and a season-opening 24-15 loss at Youngstown State (RV). They earned their first win in their home debut, 48-14 over New Haven. Mercyhurst ranks second in the NEC behind Duquesne in total offense (353.6 ypg) but averages just under 20 points per game. The Lakers lead the league in passing (238.6 ypg) behind QB Adam Urena, the Phil Steele NEC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year (1,440 yds, 8 TD). RB Brian Trobel, the reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Week, accounted for all three touchdowns (2 rush, 1 pass) in the Wagner win. He ranks third in the NEC with 457 rushing yards and leads with seven scores, while Jonny Askew tops the conference with 103 carries for 715 yards.
SERIES HISTORY
Mercyhurst leads the
all-time series, 7-2-1. The teams played regularly in the 1980s at the Division III level. After a 19-6 Duquesne win in 1981 and a 10-10 tie in 1983, Mercyhurst won seven straight meetings. In last season's first Division I matchup, Duquesne prevailed 31-24. This will be the first game between the sides that officially counts toward NEC standings.
Last Season: Duquesne scored back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break open a 17-17 tie. The Dukes trailed 10-7 at halftime, and the second half featured three lead changes.
Joey Isabella recorded a then-career-high 124 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown to open the second half.
BLUFF BITES
High-Scoring Dukes: Duquesne leads the NEC in scoring at 31.7 points per game with 31 total touchdowns. Against FCS opponents, the Dukes average 37.8 points per game with a 3-1 record.
Offensive Outburst: Duquesne is averaging 416 yards of total offense over its three-game win streak and leads NEC competing members at 355.4 yards per game overall.
Second Quarter Surge: The Dukes are averaging 16 points per game in the second quarter, their highest-scoring frame of the year, and have scored 20+ three times as well as 17 last week.
Run Game Rulers: The Dukes lead all NEC competing members in both rushing offense (154.1 ypg) and rushing defense (128.1 ypg).
DU has topped 175 rushing yards in four games, including a season-high 298 vs. New Haven. Four backs have 30+ carries:
Ness Davis leads with 374 yards on 58 attempts (6.4 avg.), ranking fourth in the NEC in both yards and per-carry average.
Taj Butts ranks ninth (252 yards), while
Shawn Solomon, Jr. (183) and
Dazhaun Hopkins (172) round out the rotation. All four have one rushing TD, joined by QBs
Tyler Riddell and
Logan Kushner (two each) and WR
Ryan Petras (one).
Defensively, DU held Saint Francis to just 45 rushing yards last week — its second straight opponent and third this season held under 100.
Riddell Rocket: Graduate transfer QB
Tyler Riddell ranks second in the FCS and leads the NEC with 18 passing touchdowns. He's one of two active FCS quarterbacks with over 9,000 career passing yards (reached vs. Stonehill) and stands second among active QBs with 73 career TD passes. Riddell also leads the NEC in efficiency (153.8, 22nd FCS) and ranks third nationally in points responsible for (120). He needs 139.6 yards per game over the final five regular-season contests to reach 10,000 career yards.
Though he won't appear in Duquesne's career record book as a graduate transfer, only two Dukes have ever hit the 10,000 yard and 75 touchdown marks — Dillon Buechel (10,320 yd - 75 td, 2013–16) and Niel Loebig (10,254 yd - 103 td, 2001–04).
Catching History: Graduate WR
Joey Isabella ranks tied for first in the FCS and leads the NEC with eight receiving touchdowns. He has a receiving touchdown in three straight games and five of the last six. His eight scores are at least four more than any other NEC receiver.
Isabella surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards vs. Stonehill, now totaling 2,114 yards. In Duquesne's record book, which lists the top seven in program history, Reggie Harris (1997–2000) is seventh with 2,423 career yards. Isabella's 140 career receptions are three shy of the top seven, with Jeremy Conley (143, 1998–2002) in seventh and Randy Vulakovich (154, 2000–03) fifth. Nehari Crawford owns the program record with 2,719 career receiving yards and 190 receptions (2015–18). To break the program record this regular season, Isabella would need to average 10.0 receptions and 121.0 yards per game.
Isabella is also tied for sixth in program history with 25 career touchdown receptions, matching Connor Dixon (2008–11). Michel Warfield (2002–04) ranks fifth with 29, while Reggie Harris (1997-2000) holds the all-time record with 34 career touchdown receptions.
This season, Isabella leads the league with 542 receiving yards, ranking 13th in the FCS, and averages 77.4 yards per game. He has tied a career high with eight receptions three times this season and currently averages 5.71 catches per game, which ranks 16th in the FCS.
Freshman Force: True freshman
Ryan Petras (Bethel Park, Pa.) caught another touchdown last week to earn back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week honors — becoming just the third Duke ever to do so. He's totaled four receiving TDs on six catches this season, plus one rushing score on two carries.
Spreading the Wealth: A season-high 11 Dukes had receptions last week, including five TDs by five different receivers. On the season six Dukes have receiving scores;
Joey Isabella (8 – tied for the FCS lead),
Ryan Petras (4),
B.J. Alexander (3),
Daniel Tarabrella (2),
Jermaine Johnson (1) and
Alex Gochis (1 - first career).
Veteran Trenches: Duquesne's offensive and defensive lines feature projected starters with nearly 200 combined career games played. Every offensive lineman has at least four years of college experience and the o-line has allowed just 1.57 sacks per game — fewest among NEC competing members. Center
Cameron McLaurin owns a team-best 20-game start streak, along with defensive linemen
A.J. Ackerman and
Jack Dunkley (18) and
Kevin Kurzinger (17 of the last 18).
We'll Take That: Duquesne's six interceptions rank second in the NEC.
Jabari Odoemenem and
Dallas Harper each have two, while
Avery Morris added a pick-six vs. New Haven and
TJ Jones snagged an interception last week — marking four straight games with an INT. The Dukes have a takeaway in six of seven games, including two red-zone picks (most in the NEC). Morris' pick-six extended DU's streak to five straight seasons with a defensive TD, and
Tyson Meiguez's 40-yard scoop-and-score (forced by
DJ Cerisier) last week made Duquesne one of 22 FCS teams with multiple defensive touchdowns this season.
Getting Off the Field: The Dukes defense held SFU to 1-for-13 on third down last week and now leads all NEC competing members with an opponent 3rd down conversion rate of 36.6%. Duquesne also allows the fewest first downs in the league at 17.6 per game.
Disruptive Dukes: Duquesne recorded a season-high 5.0 sacks and added 9.0 tackles for loss last week. Eight Dukes have combined for 11 sacks, led by
Jack Dunkley with 5.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.
Carter Lance and
Zion Patillo each have 2.0 sacks, while five players have four or more tackles for loss:
Jabari Odoemenem (4.5), Lance,
Kevin Kurzinger and
Avery Morris (4.0 each).
Historic Pick-Two: DJ Cerisier's 100-yard interception return of a two-point conversion vs. New Haven was just the third recorded 100-yard defensive extra point return in FCS history, the first since 1992, and the first at any NCAA level since 2002.
WIN 160 FOR SCHMITT
Head Coach
Jerry Schmitt earned career win No. 160 last week, becoming one of five active FCS coaches to reach the mark. His 132 FCS wins at Duquesne rank third among active FCS coaches.
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS IN THE FCS
Graduate transfer quarterback
Tyler Riddell became just the second active FCS quarterback to surpass 9,000 career passing yards in Week 6 vs. Stonehill. He currently ranks second among active FCS passers with 9,302 yards, trailing only Monmouth's Derek Robertson (10,675). Riddell is also one of just 12 active quarterbacks across all NCAA levels to eclipse the 9,000-yard milestone.
Riddell is second among active FCS quarterbacks in completions (765) and attempts (1,292), making him one of only two quarterbacks above 700 completions and 1,000 attempts. He is also second in career touchdown passes (73) and total touchdowns responsible for (78).
Graduate wide receiver
Joey Isabella ranks second among active FCS players with 25 career receiving touchdowns and fourth with 15.1 yards per catch average. His receiving yards (2,114) ranks eighth among active FCS wideouts.
Junior defensive lineman
Jack Dunkley is tied for fifth among all active FCS players in forced fumbles per game, averaging 0.17 over his career. He has recorded four forced fumbles in 23 career games for the Dukes.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Duquesne's roster is anchored by experience, with 12 players having appeared in 40 or more career games, and one more set to reach that milestone this week. Six of these players have competed in all 40+ games at Duquesne.
Tyler Riddell (53 career games, tied for third-most among active FCS players),
Avery Morris (52),
A.J. Ackerman (48 - all at DU),
Joey Isabella (47 - all at DU),
Jermaine Johnson (44),
Tyson Meiguez (44),
TJ Jones (43),
Michael Berarducci (43 - all at DU),
Michael Fallah (43 - all at DU),
B.J. Alexander (41),
Kevin Kurzinger (41 - all at DU), and
Jaelen Carson (40 - all at DU).
This Saturday,
Gary Satterwhite III is set to play in his 40th career game, all as a Duke.
Overall, 42 of the 110 rostered Dukes are in their fourth season of collegiate football or longer.
STREAK SPOTLIGHT
WR
Joey Isabella – Multiple receptions in 16 straight; 2 last week … TD catch in 3 straight and 5 of last 6.
WR
Ryan Petras – TD catch in back-to-back games.
WR
Khiryn Boyd – 30+ yard reception in 3 straight games.
QB
Tyler Riddell – 3+ TD passes in 3 straight games; 4 last week (all in first half) ... 50+ yard completion in 6 of 7 games.
DL
Adrian Ramirez – TFL in 4 straight and 5 of last 6.
DL
Jack Dunkley – TFL in 3 straight and 6 of 7 this season.
DL
Kevin Kurzinger – TFL in back-to-back games.
LB
Tyson Meiguez – TFL in back-to-back games.
TRENDS TO NOTE
Duquesne is 16-0 since 2023 when scoring more than 30 points (4-0 in 2025: 55-14 vs. Lincoln, 44-18 vs. New Haven, 34-14 vs. Stonehill, 52-7 vs. Saint Francis).
The Dukes are 13-0 when leading after the first quarter (2-0 in 2025 after a 14-0 first-quarter lead vs. Lincoln, 28-0 first-quarter lead vs. Saint Francis).
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues its road stretch next Saturday (Oct. 25) at Wagner with a noon kickoff. The game will stream on ESPN+ and air on SportsNet Pittsburgh and YES Network.
MORE ON THE DUKES
View full game notes, interviews, local features and more from the entire season in the
Media Center.
THIS WEEK ON THE JERRY SCHMITT COACH'S SHOW
The latest episode of the
Jerry Schmitt Coach's Show premiers on SportsNet Pittsburgh on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Three-year captain
Kevin Kurzinger is the player guest. Visit
sportsnetpittsburgh.com for viewing information, or view the replay on the GoDuquesne YouTube page.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
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