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noah canty on the run vs. ccsu 2025
Brandon Reed

GAME 12: Dukes at Robert Morris

11/20/2025 10:00:00 AM

PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University football team makes a short trip to Robert Morris on Saturday for its regular-season finale. With a Dukes win and a Central Connecticut State loss, Duquesne would clinch a third straight NEC title and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.

THE MATCHUP
November 22, 2025 • 2:00 PM • Rooney Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Duquesne Dukes (6-5, 4-2 NEC) Robert Morris Colonials (3-8, 2-4 NEC) ADDITIONAL INFO / GAMEDAY LINKS OPENING KICKOFF
Regular-Season Finale: Duquesne visits Joe Walton Stadium for the first time since 2019, playing a 12th regular-season game for the first time since 2014. It marks the eighth game in the Pittsburgh area this season after six home dates and the opener at Pitt. DU also closes its longest end of season road stretch since 1990 with four of its final five regular season games away from home. The Dukes are 9-4 in regular-season road finales under 21st-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, winning four of the last five. At 6-5 overall and 4-2 in the NEC, Duquesne has secured its 30th .500 or better season in 33 FCS years and its 10th winning conference record in the last 11 seasons.

In the Hunt: Duquesne, the two-time defending NEC champion, must win and have Mercyhurst defeat CCSU to clinch a share of the NEC title and secure the league's automatic FCS Playoff bid via tiebreaker.

Last Time Out: Duquesne outlasted CCSU 38-33 in a game with six lead changes. Taj Butts ran for a career-high 254 yards and three scores — the fifth-most single-game rushing yards in program history — and sealed the win with a 59-yard touchdown run. Antonio Epps ended the game with an interception near the end zone with 36 seconds left. Both teams accumulated over 500 yards of offense. DU totaled 526 yards (344 rushing, 182 passing) as Tyler Riddell threw three touchdowns, one to Ryan Petras and two to Joey Isabella. DJ Cerisier added a key late-first-half interception.

Weekly Honors: Taj Butts earned Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week and NEC Offensive Player of the Week after his 254-yard, three-touchdown performance, also landing an ESPN College Football Final "Helmet Sticker." Michael Berarducci won NEC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 50.7 yards on six punts, including a 67-yarder and four inside the 20. Antonio Epps took NEC Defensive Player of the Week with a career-high 12 tackles and the game-ending interception. Tyler Riddell was named an NEC Prime Performer.

Scouting RMU: Robert Morris has dropped two straight vs. Wagner (24-20) and at Mercyhurst (27-13). RMU owns NEC road wins at Saint Francis (24-14) and Stonehill (20-17). The Colonials are 1-3 at home and feature the NEC's No. 2 pass defense (165.1 ypg, top-10 FCS), but allow a league-high 207.2 rushing yards. Robert Dickerson leads the defense with 10 passes defended (top-20 FCS). Ethan Shine leads the offense with 692 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

SERIES HISTORY
The Dukes lead 14-8 all-time. The local rivalry resumed last season after RMU returned to the NEC following four years in the Big South/OVC. Duquesne rolled to a 31-6 win at home. The matchup was previously played annually from 2003–2019 (17 seasons).

Last Season: Duquesne cruised to a 31-6 victory at Rooney Field behind 231 passing yards. The Dukes jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. Defensively, Duquesne recorded a season-high seven sacks and held RMU to 1-for-11 on third downs. Key returners include Joey Isabella, who had three receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown, and Jack Dunkley, who posted 3.0 sacks.

Last Time at RMU: This will be Duquesne's first trip to Joe Walton Stadium since 2019, when RMU defeated the Dukes 41-21 in a clash of unbeaten NEC teams. Duquesne outgained the Colonials 374-280, including 310-72 in the second half, but a 20-0 halftime deficit was too much to overcome.

RUN GAME RULERS
  • Duquesne leads the NEC in rushing at 187.2 yards per game, nearly 25 yards more than any other team.
  • The Dukes rank 25th in the FCS in rushing offense.
  • In NEC play, DU is averaging more than 210 rushing yards per game.
  • Duquesne has two 300-yard rushing games in league play: 356 at Mercyhurst (most since 2018) and 344 last week.
  • The Dukes have topped 200 rushing yards four times and reached 170 or more in seven of 11 games.
  • Taj Butts leads the NEC with 7.8 yards per carry and averaged 18.1 last week with touchdown runs of 29, 57 and 59 yards.
  • Despite missing two league games, Butts is second in the NEC with 364 rushing yards and eighth overall with 546.
  • Ness Davis ranks fourth in the NEC with 748 rushing yards (6.3 per carry). Davis ranks 11th in the FCS in yards per carry among qualifiers.
  • Shawn Solomon, Jr. is 10th in the NEC with 354 rushing yards.
  • Duquesne is the only team with three backs in the NEC top 10 in rushing yards.
HIGH-SCORING DUKES
  • Duquesne leads the NEC in scoring at 29.2 points per game and 30.8 in league play.
  • The Dukes have scored a conference-best 44 touchdowns, including six last week.
  • 44 touchdowns are at least seven more than any other NEC team this season.
CATCHING HISTORY
  • WR Joey Isabella is tied for first in the FCS with 12 receiving touchdowns; a career-high season total and his second straight with double-digit TDs.
  • Leads the NEC in receiving yards (731), receptions (58) and touchdowns (12), including a league-best six in conference play.
  • Has a receiving TD in eight games; his 12 TDs are at least seven more than any other NEC receiver.
  • Surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards vs. Stonehill and now has 2,303.
  • Among Duquesne all-time leaders: 158 receptions (5th), 2,303 yards (closing on 2,423 for 7th), and 29 TDs (tied 5th at DU, 3rd among active FCS receivers). Only four Dukes ever have reached the 30-touchdown milestone.
RIDDELL ROCKET
  • QB Tyler Riddell Tied for sixth in the FCS with 24 passing touchdowns, including a league-best 13 in NEC play.
  • One of three active FCS quarterbacks with more than 9,000 career passing yards and tied for third among active players with 79 TD passes.
  • Leads the NEC in passer efficiency (139.0) and ranks 14th nationally in points responsible for (164).
  • Needs 145 yards to reach 10,000 career passing yards (currently 9,855).
  • Despite not being in the career records for Duquesne as a graduate transfer ... For reference, only two Dukes have ever reached 10,000+ yards and 75+ TDs: Dillon Buechel (10,320 yd / 75 TD, 2013–16) and Niel Loebig (10,254 yd / 103 TD, 2001–04).
SMOOTH TRANSITION
  • With one touchdown pass, Tyler Riddell and Darius Perrantes would be the first Duquesne duo to post back-to-back seasons with 25-plus passing touchdowns. Perrantes tied the school record with 29 TDs last season, giving DU consecutive seasons of 25-plus TD passes by two different quarterbacks. 
FRESHMAN FORCE
  • Ryan Petras (Bethel Park, Pa.) is a two-time NEC Rookie of the Week, becoming just the third Duke to earn the honor in back-to-back weeks.
  • Has five receiving touchdowns, tied for second in the NEC; four came in conference play, also second-most in the league.
  • Has only 10 career receptions, plus a rushing TD on five carries.
  • Scored on both his first career catch and first career rush (vs. Lincoln).
SPREADING THE WEALTH DEFENSIVE DUKES
  • Duquesne ranks second in the NEC in total defense, allowing 334.8 yards per game.
  • The Dukes' run defense is holding opponents to 138.3 yards per game, second-best in the conference.
  • DU has scored three defensive touchdowns this season, tied for third-most in the FCS, and has recorded a defensive TD in five straight seasons.
  • Avery Morris has two defensive scores: a 34-yard interception return vs. New Haven and a 35-yard fumble return at Mercyhurst.
  • Tyson Meiguez added a 40-yard fumble return touchdown vs. Saint Francis.
  • The Dukes average 6.6 tackles for loss per game, recording at least one in every game and 5 or more in each of the last six, including a season-high 11 vs. Wagner.
  • Kevin Kurzinger and Jack Dunkley each have 9.5 tackles for loss, tied for seventh in the NEC; Kurzinger's 7.0 TFLs in league play rank fifth.
  • In total, 24 different players have contributed to the team's 73 TFLs, and nine players have combined for 19 sacks.
WE'LL TAKE THAT
  • Duquesne has 13 takeaways this season (nine interceptions and four fumble recoveries).
  • Interceptions: Dallas Harper (3), Jabari Odoemenem (2), Avery Morris (1, pick-six), TJ Jones (1), DJ Cerisier (1) and Antonio Epps (1).
  • Fumble recoveries: Tyson Meiguez (forced by Cerisier), Avery Morris (forced by Findlayter), Brock Janeda (forced by Rhodes-McKee on a punt) and Nico Pate (muffed punt).
  • The Dukes have recorded a takeaway in 10 of 11 games, including eight straight.
  • Duquesne has three red-zone interceptions, the most in the NEC.
  • Epps and Cerisier both had interceptions last week, marking the second game this season with multiple picks.
CONTROLLING THE CLOCK
  • Duquesne leads the NEC and ranks 12th nationally in time of possession (32:14).
  • The Dukes logged 17 drives of five minutes or longer this season.
VETERAN TRENCHES
  • DU's offensive and defensive lines feature 270+ combined career games played among the projected starters ... Every projected offensive line starter has at least four years of college experience.
  • The veteran presence ranks 25th in the FCS in sacks allowed and tackles for loss allowed.
50 GAMES AS A DUKE
  • A.J. Ackerman (at Wagner) and Joey Isabella (at LIU) have joined Duquesne's exclusive 50-career-games-played club.
  • Nine Dukes have appeared in 40 or more career games in the Red and Blue, with Cameron McLaurin expected to join the group this week.
STREAK SPOTLIGHT Notable Starting Streaks TRENDS TO NOTE    
  • Duquesne is 18-0 since 2023 when scoring more than 30 points (6-0 in 2025: 55-14 vs. Lincoln, 44-18 vs. New Haven, 34-14 vs. Stonehill, 52-7 vs. Saint Francis, 37-0 at Mercyhurst, 38-33 vs. CCSU).
  • The Dukes are 15-0 when leading after the first quarter since 2023 (4-0 in 2025 after a 14-0 first-quarter lead vs. Lincoln, 28-0 first-quarter lead vs. Saint Francis, 14-0 first-quarter lead at Mercyhurst, 12-7 first-quarter lead last week vs. CCSU).
FCS SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALIST
  • Duquesne running back Shawn Solomon, Jr. is the NEC's nominee and one of 13 national finalists for the 2025 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, recognizing academic, athletic and community excellence. Solomon has 354 rushing yards and a touchdown this season and carries a 3.50 GPA as an education major with field placements at Falk Laboratory School and Carlow University. The Pittsburgh native mentors students at his alma mater, Brashear High School, supports youth through the AD99 Foundation and coaches youth flag football at Schenley Park.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne football online all season at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqFB).
 
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